Summary
If we seek to build effective, trustworthy public institutions, we must look for opportunities to affect change with design in ways that aren’t immediately obvious. It’s important to focus on designing great customer experiences. But equally as important and perhaps less visible are the experiences of government employees with heavy workloads and scarce resources, internal systems, processes and data sources, as well as infrastructure and platforms that are prerequisites for building great products. These factors shape the ability of institutions to effectively do their work. And they are areas ripe for design. Public servants and civic technologists have an important role in restoring trust in our institutions. By building services that provide equitable access to benefits, seamless transactions, and streamlined user experiences, we have an opportunity to strengthen confidence in our government’s ability to serve people’s needs. Drawing from nearly a decade of experience supporting digital services—from rebuilding HealthCare.gov to launching integrated benefits programs nationwide– attendees will learn how Nava practices design within critical, yet often unseen scenarios, enabling the government to deliver transformational digital services to millions of people across the country.
Key Insights
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Trust in public institutions is declining, with citizen satisfaction at 63.4 on a 100-point scale.
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Human-centered design is crucial for rebuilding trust in government services.
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Designers can play a vital role in backstage efforts that improve public service efficiency.
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Projects discussed include real-world impact examples like the Massachusetts Paid Family Medical Leave program.
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Collaboration among designers and with government leaders is essential for successful service design.
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Understanding the needs of end users is key in designing effective government services.
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Prototyping policies can help visualize and address potential issues before implementation.
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Designing for developer experience streamlines processes and enhances productivity in government operations.
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Documentation of findings and insights is vital for long-term institutional knowledge.
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Cross-functional collaboration fosters innovation in demonstration projects.
Notable Quotes
"Public institutions need to continually earn trust by effectively responding to people's needs."
"Citizen satisfaction with federal services has significantly declined due to various systemic issues."
"Designers play a key role in shaping the developer experience to enhance productivity in government agencies."
"Prototypes serve as tools for conversation, enabling feedback on how policies affect citizens' lives."
"It's essential to approach service design from a holistic system perspective, considering all interdependencies."
"In government service delivery, design without implementation is just theory and won't yield results."
"Collaboration is crucial to navigate ambiguity in government service design projects."
"Trust is built incrementally through consistent responses to citizen needs across different contexts."
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