Design Research and Practice for the Public Good: A Reflection

摘要

Public sector managers and policymakers have begun to work with design researchers and design practitioners in an effort to create citizen-centric polices and user-centered public services. What role can design play in the approach taken by the public sector in organizational development and innovation? This paper reflects on an innovation project at a Brazilian Ministry where human-centered design was chosen as an approach to integrate innovation efforts among different government agencies and ministries. It offers an example of how human-centered design approaches can support efforts by civil servants to change their own design practices. Highlights ● Design research and design practice apply to public sector innovation. ● Visual conversation pieces and storytelling are useful tools for high-level public employees and policy makers. ● Human-centered design is an important topic for civil servants and has implications for their work. ● Facilitating and enabling real human interactions is a central task and opportunity for designers. ● A new kind of design leadership is emerging from the many constraints of the public sector.