Jonathan Hadlow

Hi, my name is Jono. I am Service Designer and Illustrator from the UK. I love solving problems and there is no shortage of them in our world today. Service Design offers a framework to understand these problems and find solutions that impact users, systems, and processes. Yes, we develop great ideas with a holistic approach, however more importantly, we take the time to ensure we are solving for the right problem through our active engagement with stakeholders across a service’s ecosystem.

I joined the Service Design program because I wanted to move beyond ‘what’ was being designed and instead understand ‘how’ it was going to be implemented with real people and within complex systems. Through this course I have come to better understand the value of the process by which problems are identified, ideas formed and refine, prototyped and delivered. I have developed a deep desire to continue to apply human-centred design principles within organisations, enabling them to navigate complexity, drive innovation and create value. I have enjoyed applying both design thinking tools and my background in visual communication in my various projects, collaborating with partners such as Ernst & Young, Bulb Energy, Boston Consulting Group and Fuzzy Studio.

I am originally from South Africa, immigrating to the UK to live in Canterbury, Kent. I have always been a visual thinker and communicator, starting at age 4 when I would make my own bird book with over 150 different illustrated species. Before the Royal College of Arts, I trained in Visual Communications at UCA, Illustration at Norwich University of Arts and then Law at BPP. I am currently working as a Design Consultant for a leading art law firm in London.

Thinking differently about autism.

As someone who has grown up in the UK on the Autism Spectrum, I was aware of the challenges faced by young adults in navigating the transitions into adulthood. My intense interest in Art and Design has enabled me to understand and express myself. It has been a pathway through the many changes and feelings of 'otherness' I have felt as a result of my Neurodivergence. Covid-19 and lockdowns forced me to reflect on the impact this condition has on an individual’s life.

For my final project, I worked with Joanne Chiu and Yusuke Kanda (Service Design) looking at how we might develop services that better support those autistic individuals perceived by public health services as being ‘too able’. Tackling the theme of autism was ambitious. It taught me a lot about designing empathetically.

It has been an inspiring experience, hearing other’s stories of success even in the face of challenges. I have greatly enjoyed spending time with such a talented and diverse community. I am extremely grateful for their contributions.

#1. The School of New Ideas, media item 2

#1. The School of New Ideas, media item 3

Thinking differently about autism.

The School of New Ideas is a personalised support service for young autistic individuals. It aims to equip individuals with the confidence to navigate the transitions into adulthood, build connections with peers, and aspire to live impactful lives in a diverse society. Our series of pathways centre around individuals' interests, whilst guiding them toward understanding themselves and setting future goals in a safe non-judgemental environment.

The pathways offer both interactive group work and individual mentoring sessions. Our Autism passport sits alongside the pathways, enabling individuals to track their progress and share valuable information with friends, family and employers.

In our research, we connected with various support groups, collected 66 survey responses, and conducted 30+ interviews from various stakeholders across the service ecosystem, building an understanding of their needs. We ran workshops to ideate and validate our prototypes as we progressed. The impact on design was an understanding of the need for a flexible and tailored support service that was accessible through an individual’s journey.

For more details on the project, reach out to Jonathan via email or on LinkedIn.

Project Member: Joanne Chiu, Jonathan Hadlow, Yusuke Kanda

In Collaboration with:

Magda Kreps

RCA Graduate, Animation for "The Backflip, Living with Autism"

Alice Kell

RCA Neurodiverse Society Lead, Support for Our Discovery Workshop

Spotting heat loss in your home.

Want to know where you are loosing precious pounds through leaky doors and drafts? Working with Bulb energy, I designed a pilot scheme that will allow customers to borrow thermal imaging camera they can plug into their smartphone. This project aims to improve consumer engagement and tackle low public awareness of heat as a priority area for climate action and of alternative low-carbon heating technologies.

As the price of everything, including energy continues to rise, this gives customers the chance to make smaller, manageable, stepped changes toward our zero-carbon objectives.

It is easy and fun enough that your kids can do it. Customers can also explore available third-party products that would be best suited to fixing the issue. Once the customer has done an assessment of their property and ordered any upgrades to improve their home’s heat retention, they can simply return the camera in the post. Job done!

This service was prototyped with a number of stakeholders. The use of visualisation prompted an engaged response. Coupled with the ability to know what you were looking for and what to buy made the process of fixing those leaks much easier.

Solo Project

Partners: Bulb Energy

For more details on the project, reach out to Jonathan via email or on LinkedIn

Climate crisis Heat Loss Retrofitting Technology

Jonathan Hadlow

Thinking differently about autism.

Thinking differently about autism.

In Collaboration with:

Spotting heat loss in your home.

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Royal College of Art