Summary
Speakers from the conference will speak on the themes of the conference, reflecting key insights that emerged over the three days and leaving us with critical questions we can carry forward as a community and individuals after the conference.
Key Insights
-
•
Civic design needs to honor historical context to inform current practices.
-
•
The urgency of civic projects must be balanced with the need for reflection and slow consideration of complex issues.
-
•
Building and rebuilding trust is vital for effective civic engagement and project implementation.
-
•
Civic actions by communities can serve as proof of concept for government initiatives.
-
•
Pay transparency within organizations fosters trust and improves collective efforts.
-
•
Civic designers must consider the long-term impacts of their work and how it affects future generations.
-
•
Engaging with lived experiences leads to more equitable design processes.
-
•
Collaboration and relationships with communities are key to successful civic design initiatives.
-
•
Incorporating a variety of perspectives strengthens civic design outcomes and builds trust.
-
•
Designers should embrace an iterative approach, recognizing that systematic change takes time.
Notable Quotes
"The sponge is really full; my brain is pretty full of lots of insights from the last couple of days."
"Always design a thing by considering your next largest temporal context."
"Can we afford to slow down?"
"Civic action as proof of concept is something that can get the government moving."
"We need to build trust within the organization to enable our design processes."
"There's a big tension and paradox between urgency and the potential need to slow down."
"Trust was the possibility for rebuilding something collectively after it has been broken."
"How does this project rebuild trust? That's an interesting guiding question."
"It's a marathon, not a sprint; pace yourself accordingly."
"There are lots of things we can work on in a sort of acupunctural scale way, tackling the bigger systemic issues step by step."
















More Videos

"What do you want your AI to do? What do you want their background to be?"
Noz UrbinaRapid AI-powered UX (RAUX): A framework for empowering human designers
May 1, 2025

"Not just making things up here on stage; there's actually an underlying structure."
Jim KalbachJazz Improvisation as a Model for Team Collaboration
June 4, 2019

"I still do this today. I make a service map when I know I need to grow a team fast."
Holly ColeUnderstanding Experiences: When you have to do more than work
November 8, 2018

"When we utilize merge we can fully solve this problem."
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

"Lean into hope; it's the only thing that drives conversations forward in AI."
Erika FlowersAI-Readiness: Preparing NASA for a Data-Driven, Agile Future
June 10, 2025

"Learning should be an experience tailored around the learner, not the curriculum."
Kristin SkinnerFive Years of DesignOps
September 29, 2021

"There are no mistakes, just missed opportunities."
Jim KalbachJazz Improvisation as a Model for Team Collaboration
November 6, 2017

"The purpose of design is to help create a just and equitable world for everyone."
Surya VankaUnleashing Swarm Creativity to Solve Enterprise Challenges
June 10, 2021