Log in or create a free Rosenverse account to watch this video.
Log in Create free account100s of community videos are available to free members. Conference talks are generally available to Gold members.
Summary
Fresh off the December conference, we join together to chart the year ahead for the Civic Design Community. Together we reflect on key tactics, themes, and areas of inquiry you’re carrying into your practice.
Key Insights
-
•
Community members focus on diverse civic design challenges including form design, voter registration language access, and resident engagement.
-
•
Capacity building in public sector human-centered design is a priority, especially training leaders and multidisciplinary teams.
-
•
There is a push to modernize government operational workflows integrating enterprise architecture and business analysis.
-
•
Complex systems thinking and life-centered design are gaining traction as more holistic frameworks beyond human-centered design.
-
•
Embedding inclusive practices (DEI) inside government remains a core goal, alongside managing time and resource constraints.
-
•
The community seeks more practical case studies to learn how teams solve real-world problems.
-
•
The Civic Design Library is exploring electronic lending similar to public libraries to increase accessibility.
-
•
Networking formats like random pairings can deepen personal connections within a global civic design community.
-
•
Ongoing asynchronous engagement through Slack and mural boards supports continuous community conversation.
-
•
Formal processes such as calls for presentations and newsletters are planned to maintain engagement and growth.
Notable Quotes
"I'm very much focused on voter registration language access and form design processes in my field."
"It's surprisingly hard to hire product managers and designers in government; I'm looking at how to unblock those system barriers."
"I'm working on creating a more holistic view of life rather than just centering humans in design."
"We have to shift from mechanistic linear thinking to complex systems thinking."
"What would Universal Design mean for communications, like a podcast that serves visually impaired listeners too?"
"We want more practical case studies showing how specific teams approached problems and what they learned."
"Could the Civic Design Library offer electronic book checkouts like the Toronto Public Library does?"
"Doing random pairing or 'donuts' could connect Civic designers from around the world for informal one-to-one exchanges."
"Protecting my time is something everyone is empathizing with right now."
"We want regular monthly meetings to keep conversations alive while being doable for everyone’s schedules."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"If you have a question for a speaker, put it in the thread for their talk, not in the general chat."
Bria AlexanderOpening Remarks
November 18, 2022
"Steve Jobs said design is the fundamental soul of a man-made creation, expressing itself beyond just surface veneer."
Hugh DubberlyProblems with Problems: Reconsidering the Frame of Designing as Problem-Solving
June 19, 2019
"Foresight is a team sport—the more perspectives you have, the better your future scenarios become."
April ReaganLook, Think, Act: The Futures-Smart Design Organization
October 1, 2021
"When people answer in a similar way, they find clusters that can be used to group users."
Ricardo MartinsUnlocking the power of advanced quantitative methods
March 12, 2025
"Ecological validity means the test must happen in an environment as close to reality as possible."
Maria SkaadenContinuous Design: One eye on the horizon and the other on the next wave
November 8, 2018
"Match the moment. Calibrate the altitude and the type of feedback to the context."
Vanessa VarinFeedback: The Other F-Word
September 10, 2025
"We have maintained that freshness and acceptance of new ideas while growing rapidly."
Jen Crim Jess Quittner Saritha Kattekola Alex Karr Gurbani PahwaCulture, DIBS & Recruiting
June 11, 2021
"We’re moving from theory of change to theory of service: starting with what people actually need before creating anything."
Patrick BoehlerFishing for Real Needs: Reimagining Journalism Needs with AI
June 10, 2025
"We aligned engineering, product management, and design with the exact same goals so no one could succeed while another failed."
Julie BaherCulture Change—My Journey
May 14, 2015