Discover
The business problem + context
Redbridge Council’s IT Department receives an extremely high volume of internal IT service tickets, leading to significant backlogs and long resolution times.
Over the last decade, central government funding for the London Borough of Redbridge has been cut by over 60%, limiting the council’s ability to increase staffing levels despite rising demand. The IT Department is under constant pressure to maintain service quality with fewer resources.
Why this problem matters
Delays in IT support have a direct impact on council operations. When employees are unable to access systems, request resources, or resolve technical issues quickly, productivity across multiple departments is affected.
Improving the efficiency of IT support is therefore not just a technical challenge, but a service delivery and organisational resilience problem.
Research goal
We need to understand:
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how the current IT support service operates
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where inefficiencies occur
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whether automation could improve response times while maintaining service quality
Leaning on insider knowledge
I decided to interview IT staff members to gather firsthand insight and expertise into the current IT support system. Our IT Support Manager and Web and Digital Development Manger were identified. Their knowledge of the current IT support system (ServiceNow) and backgrounds in AI made them ideal participants.
Semi-structured interviews would maintain focus while allowing flexibility to explore issues in greater depth. ​
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Define
Preparing for interviews
To prepare for the interviews, I did some desk research. I found:​
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Automated responses reduce average response times compared to traditional support channels.
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Staff benefit from 24/7 access to information, without waiting for human support.
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Over time, chatbot data analytics can help identify common issues and improve service efficiency.
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Poorly designed chatbots can frustrate employees and reduce adoption.
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Data privacy and compliance (e.g., GDPR) must be carefully managed.
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Councils and public sector organisations have successfully reduced ticket volumes and improved internal satisfaction with chatbots.
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Studies show higher adoption when bots are positioned as a first point of contact, not a replacement for human support.
Assumption: IT staff spend a lot of time handling routine support requests that a chatbot could help reduce.
Focus: Explore how a chatbot could reduce routine workload, improve efficiency, and integrate effectively.
User journey
Users raise support tickets via phone or the online self-service portal​
Requests are logged in the ITSM (Information Technology Service Management) system and can be tracked by users
IT staff assess tickets, assign priority, and manage resolution
Staff communicate with users for updates and notify them when tickets are closed.
Empathy maps
IT Support Manager
Web and Digital Development Manager
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Think and Feel: Concerned about budget constraints and the pressure to "do more with less." Values data analysis and believes self-help options are vital to reducing service desk dependency.
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Hear: The Chief Executive is actively advocating for the use of AI and chatbots across various departments.
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See: A visible backlog of IT support tickets, though the current platform (ServiceNow) has been well-received by the organisation.
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Say and Do: Publicly expresses interest in AI, emphasises the need for user education, and focuses on time-saving as a core metric.
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Pains: Worries that a massive knowledge base (30k–40k tickets) is required for accuracy and acknowledges the high level of effort needed for continual improvement.
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Gains: Hopes for improved ticket resolution speed, higher user satisfaction, and a reduced workload for the IT team.
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Think and Feel: Enthusiastic about the chatbot but deeply concerned that poor quality in current ticket resolution data (information gaps) will negatively impact the chatbot's learning process.
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Hear: Colleagues are complaining about ticket backlogs, though specific statistics are currently missing.
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See: The IT team is bogged down by repetitive, simple issues; notes that resolved tickets often lack adequate closure information.
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Say and Do: Has tried to provide self-help resources but is unsure if users are using them. Remains keen to offer assistance to move the project forward.
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Pains: Recognises the "data gap" as a primary risk to effective implementation.
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Gains: Sees the chatbot as a way to filter out "unnecessary" tickets, allowing the team to focus on high-value, complex problems.
The solution
​Integrating a chatbot into the existing ServiceNow ITSM (information technology service management) system to handle routine issues.
The solution will not disrupt current workflows and ease of use should be central to the design to ensure staff can quickly adopt and benefit from the system.
Develop
Organisational branding
The chatbot design would incorporate Redbridge Council’s branding by using the Council's colour palette and typography. The 'Redbridge pink' would be a key accent colour. This helps maintain a consistent visual identity across the interface and reinforces the connection to the Council.
Current website homepage
Typography
Colour palette
Functionality requirements
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Accessible to all users, including those with disabilities
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Supports multiple languages for inclusivity
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Provides 24/7 easy-to-follow guidance
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Offers self-service troubleshooting and knowledge resources
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Access to personal settings
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View past chat history
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Easily start a new chat session
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'Search chats' pop-up
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Forwards more complex issues to real person
Don't reinvent the wheel
Through competitive analysis of ChatGPT, NatWest, and other chatbot designs, I noticed that simplicity is fundamental to all of them. Clean, proven interfaces would be the foundation for the designs.
Tone of voice
The chatbot’s tone of voice should be friendly, clear, and approachable, making users feel supported and understood. It should provide guidance in simple, plain language without using jargon, so that all staff can easily follow its instructions.
Lo-fi wireframes
I created lo-fi wireframes for the main interface, the profile menu trigger and the 'pop up' search bar.
Buttons
One significant challenge was designing buttons for chatbot interactions when the user has two options. It was difficult to ensure the buttons were accessible and clearly recognisable as interactive elements, whilst simultaneously applying the 'Redbridge pink'.
Option 1
Option 2
Deliver
Hi-fi wireframe
Next steps
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Conduct User Acceptance Testing (UAT) with staff to validate usability, accuracy, and satisfaction.
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Perform functional testing to ensure chatbot flows, buttons, and ServiceNow integrations work correctly.
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Develop a change management and communication plan to support adoption and manage expectations.
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Following deployment, collect and analyse metrics and user feedback to guide iterative improvements.
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Establish a continuous improvement process, including knowledge updates and performance reviews.