Summary
While the use of design in government is on the rise, there is a question about whether this way of working in government can be sustained in the long-term. If you are interested in building design capacity in government, do you start with a dedicated team of experts, or with grassroots frontline staff? Using examples from city governments from around the world, this presentation will explore the pros and cons to each approach, its impact on sustainability, and the additional factors that help embed design in government (i.e.: senior leadership buy-in, dedicated resources, storytelling, measuring impact, etc.).
Key Insights
-
•
Civic design is gaining traction in governments worldwide, starting at the national level and increasingly at state and city levels.
-
•
Successful civic design can save significant costs and improve community services, as evidenced by case studies from Anchorage and Syracuse.
-
•
Measuring impact is crucial for civic designers to demonstrate the value of their work and secure ongoing support from government stakeholders.
-
•
Storytelling is an underutilized tool that can help civic designers connect their work to the community's needs and highlights successful projects.
-
•
Teaching design processes to colleagues can foster internal advocates and build institutional support for civic design initiatives.
-
•
Planning for sustainability should be a primary concern from the outset of any civic design project.
-
•
Integrating additional skills, such as data analytics and behavioral economics, can enhance the effectiveness of civic design solutions.
-
•
Communities often have rich insights that can inform design processes, making engagement essential for success.
-
•
Civic design requires patience and a commitment to seeing projects through from ideation to implementation.
-
•
Future-oriented practices, such as scenario planning and agile development, can amplify the impact of civic design.
Notable Quotes
"Design is growing in government all around the world."
"Civic design as we know it really only began back in 2013 when the Office of Personnel Management launched the Lab at OPM."
"We’ve seen new organizations rise up to meet the need that are outside of government, such as the US digital response."
"53% of the 70 international cities that responded to the survey reported that they had hired designers in city hall."
"Generating impact... is essential to hold ourselves accountable to our work and ensure the outcomes are actually happening."
"Telling your story is one of the most important things you can do to build growth and long-term support for your work."
"Teaching others how to use the design process will generate some of your biggest advocates in a long-term capacity."
"It's really up to you to advocate for your long-term sustainability and growth early and often."
"Capture your cost savings and efficiency measures and share them with budget managers who are making resource decisions."
"Advocating for civic design relies on painting a picture of possible outcomes and using examples from other successful case studies."
More Videos
"Having a starting point gets people's juices flowing and collaboration going in ways I couldn't have imagined."
Noz UrbinaRapid AI-powered UX (RAUX): A framework for empowering human designers
May 1, 2025
"The success of the album is because of that spontaneity."
Jim KalbachJazz Improvisation as a Model for Team Collaboration
June 4, 2019
"I want to talk to you about are you really doing user-centered teamwork when you're thinking about growing a team."
Holly ColeUnderstanding Experiences: When you have to do more than work
November 8, 2018
"With UXPin, you can build full interfaces that you can properly usability test without assumptions."
Jack BeharHow to Build Prototypes that Behave like an End-Product
December 6, 2022
"Our sponsors put a lot of effort into the sessions so that they can be as high quality as possible for you."
Bria AlexanderOpening Remarks
October 3, 2023
"Culture over technology is critical; technology cannot help you out of cultural problems."
Erika FlowersAI-Readiness: Preparing NASA for a Data-Driven, Agile Future
June 10, 2025
"Personalization is not just a trend; it’s a necessity."
Kristin SkinnerFive Years of DesignOps
September 29, 2021
"The soloist has to begin at the start of the form and end at the end of that form."
Jim KalbachJazz Improvisation as a Model for Team Collaboration
November 6, 2017
"Embrace diversity to unleash creative power in organizations."
Surya VankaUnleashing Swarm Creativity to Solve Enterprise Challenges
June 10, 2021
