Winterthur Libraries: Reimagining Public Library Services
When Winterthur Libraries (Winbib) approached us, they were facing a challenge familiar to many public institutions: how do you stay relevant and valuable to a community whose needs are constantly evolving?
The Challenge
Public libraries are no longer just about lending books. They're community hubs, learning centres, and public spaces that serve diverse populations with different needs. Winbib wanted to understand what their community truly needed and how they could better serve them.
Our Approach
We designed and facilitated a series of Design Thinking workshops that brought together library staff, community members, and stakeholders. The process included:
Discovery phase: Understanding the current state through interviews, observations, and data analysis.
Ideation sessions: Bringing diverse voices together to imagine new possibilities.
Rapid prototyping: Testing ideas quickly with real users before committing resources.
Implementation planning: Creating actionable roadmaps for the most promising ideas.
The Results
The project produced concrete, actionable outcomes that Winbib is now implementing. More importantly, it changed how the organisation thinks about innovation — building internal capacity for ongoing experimentation and community engagement.
«Emilie opened a space for dialogue, actively listening to each participant. She encouraged us to question our thinking patterns.» — Franziska Baetcke, Director, Winterthur Libraries
Key Learnings
- Involve the community early: The best ideas came from listening to actual library users, not just staff assumptions.
- Make it tangible: Rapid prototyping helped turn abstract ideas into concrete proposals that stakeholders could evaluate.
- Build internal capacity: The goal wasn't just to deliver solutions, but to help the organisation develop its own innovation capabilities.
Want to explore how Design Thinking could help your organisation? Get in touch.