Recently, my colleague Victoria Blyth, LOTI’s Pan-London Information Governance Lead, led a session on GDPR skills for data professionals. This has inspired me to think about how service designers can work effectively with information governance (IG) professionals.

There is a stereotype that information governance officers have long compliance checklists and love saying ‘no’ to your most exciting ideas. The reality? IG officers have more in common with service designers than you think!

Both test risky hypotheses and learn from them

Service designers love prototyping and testing ideas early, learning from these prototypes and refining solutions. IG professionals are also keen to understand uncertainty and create safe spaces for testing hypotheses before full implementation. Starting small allows you to identify what data is actually needed and address issues before scaling.

Both ask if this is the best way to get things done

Service designers constantly question assumptions and search for the best way to solve a challenge. IG professionals also challenge the status quo, asking questions like “Do you really need to collect this data?” or “Is there a less intrusive way to achieve the same outcome?” This healthy scepticism leads to better, more focused services.

Both are fundamentally user-centred

At its core, service design is about creating services that work for users (in the case of local government, for residents). Information governance, when done right, is also deeply human-centred—it’s about protecting people’s privacy, being transparent about how their data is used, and building trust. Good IG isn’t about blindly following rules; it’s about respecting and safeguarding the people whose data we handle.

Given these shared values, how do we move from seeing IG as a hurdle to a capability that strengthens our services from the beginning?

Like with any other partner on a project, it’s important to bring in an IG officer at the right time. Bringing in an IG officer at the very end, right before the launch of a new service or project is ineffective, unsustainable, and more often than not a great way to ensure your project is either delivered sub-optimally or fails before it hits the ground. 

1. During the ideation stage

When you’re narrowing down from many ideas on paper to a few solutions worth testing, that’s the perfect time to chat with an IG officer. They’ll help you figure out what data you actually need versus what might create headaches later. They can also help you think ahead. What seems like basic information now might become more sensitive when combined with other data as your service evolves. 

For example, when we designed prototypes at the LOTI sandbox for an emergency app that paramedics or carers could use, early IG input helped us avoid an overcomplicated verification process that would have been a nightmare to implement. Victoria’s practical advice led us to a simpler, more effective solution.

2. Before you select your vendors or systems

Get IG involved before you choose technology partners or systems. While legal teams will review contracts and agreements, IG can highlight important data protection considerations that should be included in your requirements. For example, they can help you identify what questions to ask vendors about data portability, retention policies, and access controls before you get too far into the procurement process.

3. When designing multi-agency services

Services that cross organisational boundaries need special attention to data sharing. A common example is any kind of service that works on prevention. The most impactful prevention happens when multiple agencies can share data to spot patterns that might not be visible to any single organisation alone. IG experts can help design practical ways for agencies to share information while respecting privacy rules. For example, they can advise on when it’s appropriate for one agency to share concern flags with another without revealing unnecessary personal details. This enables earlier support before situations escalate into crises.

4. Before expanding pilot services

When scaling up or adding features to your service, check in with IG again. What worked for a small pilot might face new challenges at scale. For example, adding demographic information to service usage data might unexpectedly create more sensitive data combinations that require stronger protection measures.

For guidance on what to review after a pilot, Victoria has created a resource for conducting an IG Review. Find it here.

5. When changing direction

If user research pushes your service in a new direction, talk to IG about the implications. The permission you have to use data for one purpose doesn’t automatically cover new uses. For example, if your housing service starts addressing health needs, you’ll need to revisit how you handle that information before making the change.

In all cases, make sure to give them enough time and context before bringing them in. By bringing in an IG officer at these key moments and building on what we have in common, we can leverage their expertise to design services better from day one. 

Visit LOTI’s IG hub for a range of IG resources, case studies and data sharing templates.