Why Your Users Are About to Build Workarounds Around You / Mai-Ling Garcia / Episode #260

<p>Are your customers tired of dealing with slow and broken systems? Discover what happens when everyday people start using powerful new tools to bypass your organization entirely.</p><p><br></p><p>For years, companies and public institutions have delivered bad services simply because users had no other choice. Today, the tide is turning. Civic technology expert Mai-Ling Garcia (Johns Hopkins, city government) joins the show to explain how accessible tech is empowering citizens and customers to build their own solutions. If your organization refuses to adapt, your users will simply route around you.</p><p><br></p><p>🎧 In This Episode</p><ul><li>The End of Bad Service: Why organizations can no longer rely on a lack of alternatives to trap their customers.</li></ul><ul><li>The Age of the Workaround: How cheap and powerful tech tools are letting communities bypass broken systems in a single afternoon.</li></ul><ul><li>Frontlines of Public Innovation: Mai-Ling shares her firsthand experiences with empowered users in civic tech and healthcare.</li></ul><ul><li>Humans in the Loop: Why human judgment and decision-making remain critical as AI accelerates our world.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>What is a service you are currently working around or wish you could bypass entirely? Drop a comment below to share your thoughts!</p><p><br></p><p>Enjoy the episode and keep making a positive impact!Be well,</p><p>~ Marc</p><p><br></p><p>[ 1. GUIDE ]</p><p>00:00 Introduction </p><p>03:00 Public Sector Role </p><p>05:00 The Empathy Trap </p><p>08:45 Real-World Backfire </p><p>16:45 Power &amp; Decisions </p><p>21:00 Tech &amp; Design </p><p>35:00 Citizen Workarounds </p><p>43:45 Automation Boundaries </p><p>56:15 Key Takeaways</p><p><br></p><p>[ 2. LINKS ]</p><ul><li>LinkedIn - <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mai-linggarcia/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.linkedin.com/in/mai-linggarcia/</a> </li></ul><ul><li>Ling &amp; Company - <a href="https://lingandcompany.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://lingandcompany.com/</a></li></ul><ul><li>Bold Public Works - <a href="https://boldpublicworks.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://boldpublicworks.com/</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p>[ 3. CIRCLE ]</p><p>Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. </p><p><a href="https://servicedesignshow.com/circle" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle</a></p><p> </p><p>[4. FIND THE SHOW ON]</p><ul><li>Youtube ~ <a href="https://go.servicedesignshow.com/260-youtube" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠https://go.servicedesignshow.com/260-youtube⁠</a> </li></ul><ul><li>Spotify ~ <a href="https://go.servicedesignshow.com/260-spotify" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠https://go.servicedesignshow.com/260-spotify⁠</a> </li></ul><ul><li>Apple ~ <a href="https://go.servicedesignshow.com/260-apple" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠https://go.servicedesignshow.com/260-apple⁠</a> </li></ul><ul><li>Snipd ~ <a href="https://go.servicedesignshow.com/260-snipd" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠https://go.servicedesignshow.com/260-snipd⁠</a> </li></ul>