A project of service design research and planning is undertaken to study the United States Postal Service (USPS), its mission, functions, services, customers and constituencies. This project studies current and prospective USPS users in order to frame what a reimagined USPS might look like, how it might function, who it might serve, and what value they might derive from it.

Introduction

In January 2014, the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Postal Service released a white paper entitled: “Providing Non-Bank Financial Services for the Underserved,” (the white paper). The white paper describes current conditions, such as: the lack of financial services in over 25% of the U.S. population – 68 million adults, and 34 million households; the reason for the gap, including the recent economic crisis, unemployment, and low wages; and the additional price this sector pays for living outside mainstream banking – approximately $2,412 in annual fees or 9.5% of their income, which totaled $89 billion nationally in 2012. To simplify numbers and make the current conditions more clear, the white paper states, “on average, people who filed for bankruptcy in 2012 were just $26 per month short of meeting their expenses.”

Design Process

Design Research

Secondary Research: We studied current state of United States Postal Service(USPS) by looking to research paper, articles, presentation, current models analysis.And we discovered there is a potential need that USPS could provide non-bank financial service.

Field study: We entered USPS local stores, researched on the interior, physical environment, interactive equitments and observed how the service is provided and received. User interview: We interviewed 20+ USPS users, collected pros and cons of USPS from their perspectives, collected their needs and requirements related to financial service.

Persona

Key Functions Mode

Function Specification