The Lost Year
Summary
The pandemic made it painfully clear that the failure of critical public services causes real harm, both physical and financial. Our healthcare system is being overwhelmed, millions are pouring onto unemployment, and we’ve seen an unprecedented number of people trying to access government programs. It has never been more important for government services to be simple, effective, and accessible to all, yet we're far from that vision today. In this talk, Sha Hwang, co-founder and chief operating officer of Nava Public Benefit Corporation, will discuss the opportunities designers have to build government services that prioritize equity and resiliency—and the responsibility that comes with designing systems that serve millions of people.
Key Insights
-
•
Public sector design challenges operate on slow-changing infrastructure layers that hold the most power despite less visibility.
-
•
Removing outdated government processes, like the VA’s Form 8 dropout, can save decades of manual labor annually.
-
•
Design efforts that integrate multiple state benefit programs can drastically reduce enrollment time, as seen in Vermont's document uploader pilot.
-
•
Civic tech is a 50-year project; meaningful progress requires patience and understanding systemic legacies from groups like Helsinki Design Lab and Code for America.
-
•
Government employees are often passionate and aware of problems but lack the tools and paths to realize solutions.
-
•
Coalition-building and respect for existing institutional experience are crucial for sustainable change in public sector design.
-
•
Design systems and accessible tooling empower policy-adjacent roles, enabling more inclusive contribution in government projects.
-
•
Nava, founded during a crisis, aims for equity and inclusion with majority women staff and expanding apprenticeship programs to break traditional access barriers.
-
•
The scale of public sector problems can be overwhelming; focusing on what is within your control helps maintain motivation and effectiveness.
-
•
Repairing public institutions is foundational to addressing broader societal crises like racial injustice, climate change, and democratic decline.
Notable Quotes
"The fast layers get all the attention, but the slow layers have all the power."
"None of this was inevitable, none of this had to be this way."
"Any sufficiently advanced neglect is indistinguishable from Alice."
"Every thousand people enrolled in healthcare on healthcare.gov was roughly equivalent to a life that might have been saved down the line."
"Progress takes work. Progress takes work. It doesn’t come for free."
"We cannot give our best work if we’re not taking care of ourselves. Don’t let the fire that brought you here be the fire that burns you out."
"Government civil servants often know the problems and want to change, but don’t know how to get there and can use help."
"The infrastructure of civilization was someone else’s problem. What a lie that was. It was my problem this whole time."
"If our public institutions cannot keep the promises they make to the most vulnerable, we might not deserve to solve some of the more existential crises."
"There are many paths in and through and towards work in the public sphere. It’s not just a heroic narrative but coalitions that win progress."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"If you don’t have those challenges, it’s a lot easier to make it in the corporate world."
Dantley DavisLeadership & Diversity—A Fireside Chat with Dantley Davis
September 17, 2020
"At Adobe, we have a product equity team measuring how generative AI impacts gender, race, and other biases."
Frances Yllana Jorge Arango Maria Taylor Briana ThomasThe Big Question about Impact: A Panel Discussion
September 24, 2024
"The journey is from guilt to atonement—not necessarily forgiveness—but being integrated into society."
Jim KalbachPeace is waged with sticky notes: Mapping Real-World Experiences
June 14, 2018
"Embedding designers gave them deep expertise but siloed goals prevented consistent cross-product experiences."
Sarah Kinkade Mariana Ortiz-ReyesDesign Management Models in the Face of Transformation
June 8, 2022
"Identity is not monolithic; policies should address layered experiences."
Reginé GilbertAsking the Right Questions: Life, Hope and Moving Forward During the Pandemic
June 10, 2022
"A metaphor is like a flashlight—it shines on some things and keeps others in the dark."
Robin BeersNavigating organizational systems: Rethinking researcher’s role in driving change
March 13, 2025
"Everything is disposable now; we’re drowning in prototypes and reviewmiliation—so much work shows up overnight."
Paul FordNew work, new words: A glossary for AI
June 9, 2026
"Design systems are not a straight jacket, they free you from repetitive work to focus on bigger problems."
Dan DonaldDesign Systems as a Vehicle for Systemic Change
June 1, 2023
"All our components can be data bound so the developer can point to any data source like CMS or JSON to populate UI elements naturally."
George Abraham Stefan IvanovDesign Systems To-Go: Reimagining Developer Handoff, and Introducing App Builder (Part 2)
October 1, 2021
Latest Books All books
Dig deeper with the Rosenbot
What new workflows or tools have been effective in bridging the gap between design, engineering, and product teams using AI?
Why is the absence of self-governing professional institutions a challenge for the design field?
Why do employees often struggle with AI adoption mandates from leadership in the workplace?