How to Evolve Your Design Thinking for Public Sector Justice Values

 
 

How to Evolve Your Design Thinking for Public Sector Justice Values

To prepare for an emergent design future, we must first look to the past. Michael Baskin, Chief Innovation Officer at Montgomery County Government, discusses evolving design with Bridge Innovate

November 10, 2021

DESIGN OF THE PAST

The intention behind our design is nothing new. Countless folks have come before, both public and private sector, and have attempted to find solutions to the pressing problems of society. A design thinking approach is simply a new way to approach these problems—but it does not exist in a vacuum. Even with a new approach, it is crucial that we look back and understand the past, both mistakes and triumphs, to avoid reinventing the wheel.

Design thinking has been built as a tool for the private sector and imbued with certain values. It must be adapted for each circumstance, fitting the values of the local community. In the case of Montgomery County, Maryland, where Michael serves as Chief Innovation Officer, values that are just, liberating, and human are prioritized. When properly adapted, design thinking can bring these values to fruition in a faster and more effective way. 

DESIGN FOR: ORDERED & COUNTED

Historically, public sector design has often been conducted for the people. Leaders, sometimes well-intentioned and sometimes ill-intentioned, sought out solutions that could drive their city forward yet often minimized the presence and influence of certain groups. For example, the increased production of highways met the needs of cars but ripped through neighborhoods made up primarily of people of color. 

Design for people neglects to listen to what people actually see as issues and desire in change. An untouched forest is rich and abundant but it is not known and cannot be counted. A well-maintained grove is preferred despite being weaker. The same design for approach can be found in government.

CitiStat, a data-driven solution to more efficient government, has many positives: cities can quickly respond to requests to fill potholes or effectively monitor it’s employees. Yet CitiStat has simultaneously led to an increase in incarceration among black youth and a push towards maximizing the occupancy of public housing, no matter the cost.

DESIGN WITH: A SEAT AT THE TABLE

Moving away from disconnected individuals designing solutions for communities requires a change in the second face of power. The three faces of power, as Michael describes them, are: 

  1. Who is at the table

  2. Who decides

  3. Who benefits

Design with requires this second face, who decides, to be changed. When who comes to the table is changed, design grows and becomes exciting, focusing on the actual needs of the user by realizing solutions like the Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston which replaced what was supposed to be a highway cutting through the city.

Moving from design for to design with is about recognizing that the people have power, viewing them as people, and then working alongside them to create solutions. Design with is not about making a bit of room for people to join the conversation—it’s about going out of your way to make the conversation accessible. That could look like the Boston City Hall taking to the streets in a food truck or expanding public meeting times for great involvement. The bottom line is design with requires and thrives off of a diversity of experiences and ideas. 

DESIGN BY: GIVE UP THE MARKER

Designers have many roles: interpreters, story tellers, translators, and facilitators. And this final role, facilitator, when executed poorly, can often serve as a hindrance to good design. As a facilitator, a designer can become an idea filter, rewording others’ ideas to fit their own agenda. So give up the role of filtering ideas and adjusting them to fit into your own parameters. Allow others to take ownership of their ideas, pursuing them to failure or to success. 

HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN AT BRIDGE INNOVATE

Learn how to evolve your design thinking with Bridge Innovate’s experience and quality industry tools. Our Business Innovation Services apply an innovative approach to nuanced challenges. We are experienced with the best industry tools – developed by IDEO, Google Sprints, E&Y's ASE, and Stanford’s d.School – to help your team through the creative process, rethink your user experience, and develop new innovative solutions. 

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