The Anti-Bias Service Blueprint

What participants gain

• Design inclusive front-stage pedagogical interactions
• Identify and restructure back-stage administrative processes that perpetuate bias
• Align support systems to directly address the needs of marginalized personas
• Apply consent-based decision making to educational design

Materials needed

• Service Blueprint templates (long butcher paper)
• Sticky notes in four distinct colors
• Thick markers
• Masking tape
• Reference sheets from the Empathy Mapping exercise

How to run The Anti-Bias Service Blueprint, step by step

1. Explain the difference between front-stage (visible to student) and back-stage (invisible to student) educational processes.
2. Instruct groups to select one major pain point identified during the Empathy Mapping exercise.
3. Guide groups to map the current, biased journey of that pain point across the top of their blueprint.
4. Direct participants to brainstorm a new, inclusive front-stage interaction to replace the biased one.
5. Instruct groups to map the back-stage processes, rules, or technologies required to make that new front-stage interaction possible.
6. Prompt groups to identify the specific support systems (e.g., counseling, peer mentoring) needed to sustain this new design.
7. Introduce a quick Sociocracy consent round: ask if anyone has a 'paramount objection' to the proposed new blueprint.
8. Refine the blueprints based on any valid objections raised during the consent round.
9. Have each group present their redesigned service blueprint to the room in exactly three minutes.
10. Summarize the common themes and structural changes that emerged across all groups.

Facilitator tips

• Keep groups focused on structural changes, not just 'being nicer' to students.
• If they struggle with back-stage processes, ask: 'What rule has to change for you to be allowed to do this?'
• Strictly enforce the time limit on presentations to maintain momentum.
• Ensure the consent round focuses on 'Is this safe to try?' rather than 'Is this perfect?'
• Take photos of the blueprints to distribute to participants after the workshop.

Common challenges

• Designing solutions that are outside their locus of control. Solution: Force them to focus on processes they can influence or directly change.
• Ignoring the back-stage requirements. Solution: Refuse to accept a front-stage idea until they can explain how it is structurally supported.
• Getting bogged down in university politics. Solution: Use the 'safe to try' consent model to bypass bureaucratic perfectionism.
• Running out of time during mapping. Solution: Timebox each horizontal layer of the blueprint strictly to 10 minutes.

Running it virtually

Use a digital whiteboard with pre-formatted Service Blueprint grids. Use the digital timer visible to all, and utilize the chat function for the consent-based objection round to ensure all voices are heard equally.

Expected results

A tangible, step-by-step blueprint of a redesigned, anti-bias educational module or process, complete with required back-end support systems.

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