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Summary
For our second gathering of the Civic Design Community, we’ll learn from Jennifer Pahlka, founder and former Executive Director of Code for America who served. as US Deputy Chief Technology Officer from June 2013 to June 2014 and helped found the United States Digital Service. We’ll explore the importance of designers inside and outside government moving upstream to work alongside policymakers to make alliances and push back when needed to strengthen conditions for designers and digital technologists to do work that delivers improved outcomes for residents and citizens.
Key Insights
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Civic design should encompass diverse practices around the world, not limited to the U.S.
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Integrating designers and technologists with policy makers is crucial for effective government services.
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The role of technology in Civic life can enhance the delivery and accessibility of government services.
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Feedback and collaboration between policy and implementation teams are necessary for effective change.
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Building community among practitioners can support and sustain efforts to innovate within government services.
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Understanding the existing policies deeply can lead to more effective implementation of technology and services.
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Trust in government services is critical; user-centered design can help build this trust.
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Long-term commitment from designers is vital for sustainable change in government.
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Storytelling is an important tool for advocating change in public service delivery.
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Civic design should educate and empower policymakers to create implementable laws.
Notable Quotes
"I think our field is particularly misunderstood."
"When I started Code for America, I really thought that we were meant to just implement policy."
"The work is actually helping other people understand the value of things like user research."
"It is not enough to say we’re going to have good tech and design people at the table to implement."
"The notion that everything they thought was necessary, obviously not necessary."
"We are currently not very well set up to build things that work for people."
"You really cannot get through that without the phone of a friend."
"Relationships matter, your relationships in the building will matter enormously."
"You have to do this in a way that... people are leaving. They’re opting out of government systems."
"We must go upstream and teach legislators how to write implementable law."
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