More than a Postal Service
“The United States Postal Service shall be operated as a basic and fundamental service provided to the people by the Government of the United States, authorized by the Constitution, created by an Act of Congress, and supported by the people.”
STEEPX Research
Conducted Research and categorized it as Social, Technology, Economy, Environmental, Political and Energy - to better understand the USPS from the Macro Systems View.
The Numbers Don't Lie
Just a few statistics that show just how vital the USPS is to the people of the United States.
The USPS Advantage
The Postal Service is a fundamental right for all citizens.
Push of the Present
The Postal Service has been in crippling debt over the last decade. Declining mail volumes, outdated laws, costs of maintaining fixed infrastructures and providing service to even the most remote areas where the ROI is awful makes it very tough for the USPS to survive, especially with everyone expecting it to make profits without any help, are all factors pushing for a change.
Digital Ethnography during COVID
I conducted a lot of primary research by getting in touch with stakeholders. This included USPS Mail Carriers, Postmasters, Users and Industry Experts. The COVID-19 Pandemic made this process particularly challenging as meeting people in person was not possible for the majority of this process. Thus, I explored virtual means of getting in touch with people and conducting interviews using platforms such as Reddit, LinkedIn and Zoom. Here are some snippets from a discussion I created to connect with Mail Carriers on the USPS Subreddit.
The Mail Carrier's Journey Over a Decade
An important aspect of looking into the future is looking back into the past to see how far we have come. Thus, I decided to explore how the Mail Carrier's Journey has changed over the last decade. I compared their daily routine in the year 2010 to their daily routine today in 2020. The conclusion was extremely surprising. I found that their daily routine has stayed almost IDENTICAL over a decade.
On the right is a storyboard going through their daily routine.
Futurecasting Scenarios
Creating thematic opportunity areas to envision plausible futures scenarios for the United States Postal Service.
The 3 Future Scenarios
Ideation & Storyboarding
Exploring different opportunities through quick sketches and storyboards of new user experiences.
The USPX - Bringing Post Offices to the People
How can USPS reduce post office and vehicle infrastructure, achieve financial sustainability and utilize its ubiquitous presence to help serve people better? USPX is a service that encapsulates how we can Bring The Post Offices To The People and explore new, desirable experiences for users in this ecosystem.
Delivery at Home and the Office
Scenarios 1 and 2 address how people will send and receive mail everyday by bringing Post Offices to the people on their very street.
Push to Pull Economies
Transitioning from Push to Pull Economies to evolve an old organization while addressing current concerns.
The Social Role of Mail Carriers
Scenario 3 addresses the needs of important populations like the elderly, disabled and other minorities. The Social Roles that Mail Carriers play in these people's lives everyday need to be preserved or enhanced.
Increasing Safety
USPS is bound by a USO (Universal Service Obligation), which means it has to serve every American by providing them basic Mail Service by law. Thus, USPS is one of the only organizations to serve all areas (rural, urban and suburban) alike.
I think there is an extremely interesting opportunity to provide safer streets to the public through the implementation of Mobile Post Offices.
USPS is a part of the United States Federal Government and is thus, seen as a form of governance as well. These Mobile Post Offices can embody this governance and be people's 'Eyes on the Street' in a way, to ensure safer streets around them. Safer Streets utilizing USPS's Superpower; Its Reach.
USPS is a part of the United States Federal Government and is thus, seen as a form of governance as well. These Mobile Post Offices can embody this governance and be people's 'Eyes on the Street' in a way, to ensure safer streets around them. Safer Streets utilizing USPS's Superpower; Its Reach.
Increasing Access
USPS can use the Mobile Post Offices to increase access for people in rural, urban and suburban areas alike. Extending this access to public spaces like parks and popular town centres can help both the people and USPS.
Since USPS does not receive any taxpayer money and relies on the sale of their products and services to operate, this could also be a way to increase revenue by bringing these products and services in front of the people in the popular areas. This could be seen as using the 'food truck philosophy' which is an extremely popular means to sell food to the masses.
