Summary
Lou Rosenfeld from Rosenfeld Media opens the second Civic Design Conference by framing it not as a typical polished event but as an ongoing conversation within a growing, international civic design community spanning multiple government levels and organizations. He encourages attendees to actively participate rather than passively consume, highlighting that extensive session artifacts and notes will be available to ease note-taking. Emcee Bria Alexander, a senior design program manager at Adobe, introduces the agenda split into three themes over three days: a decade in review and future outlook, shifting power structures in design, and physical environment interactions beyond screens. They emphasize user-friendly features like local timezone settings on the program page and sufficient breaks to manage the intensive schedule. Bria details the high-quality, free sponsor sessions that run parallel but non-overlapping with the program to broaden access. Both thank sponsors and partners who enable the conference. Attendees are urged to engage deeply in the Slack workspace, which houses discussions, speaker Q&A, and cohort channels fostering community and collaboration. They also spotlight MJ Broadband, the conference’s expert sketchnoter whose live visual notes enhance comprehension and retention. Finally, they stress adherence to a code of conduct ensuring a respectful and safe virtual space. The conference aims to create a supportive, interactive, and enriching experience that extends beyond the event via ongoing Slack conversations and community engagement.
Key Insights
-
•
Civic design is an emerging international community involving various government levels and organizations.
-
•
The conference encourages attendees to actively engage rather than just consume information.
-
•
Extensive session artifacts like notes, videos, decks, and sketch notes are made rapidly available to minimize attendee note-taking.
-
•
Bria Alexander leads with a focus on diversity and inclusion at Adobe while managing design and employee networks.
-
•
The conference is structured around three curated themes: the past and future decade, power shifts in design, and physical environment interaction.
-
•
Sponsor sessions are free, high-quality, and do not overlap with the main program to maximize attendee access.
-
•
A vibrant Slack workspace supports ongoing discussions, speaker questions, cohorts, and casual interaction among attendees.
-
•
MJ Broadband provides live sketchnotes that enhance engagement and understanding through graphic facilitation.
-
•
The program includes built-in breaks and timezone settings to accommodate a global and intensive schedule.
-
•
A strict code of conduct enforces respect and safety within the virtual space to foster a supportive community.
Notable Quotes
"I didn’t say conference because this is really a snapshot of a conversation this community is having."
"Go out the next three days as part of this conversation rather than simply sitting back consuming information."
"Civic design spans all kinds of government agencies from federal to tribal, municipal, and local."
"Sponsor sessions are free, not sales pitches, and don’t overlap with the main program."
"Please join our Slack channels because that’s really where the party is."
"No need to take notes because session notes, sketch notes, videos, and decks will be shared quickly."
"MJ Broadband’s sketchnotes will make your conference experience 10 times easier."
"If you ever feel unsafe or uncomfortable in our virtual community, we want to know about it."
"We’ve done a lot to remove the burden of note-taking so you can focus and be in the moment."
"We want you to have a fully supportive community even though this is a virtual event."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"If design didn’t move the needle, we wouldn’t be having this conversation."
Standardizing Product Merits for Leaders, Designers, and Everyone
June 15, 2018
"Space has meaning in a map—if you move components around without reason, it’s no longer a map."
Simon WardleyMaps and Topographical Intelligence (Videoconference)
January 31, 2019
"White supremacy is the belief system of the superiority of whiteness that can embed itself in algorithms."
Sandra CamachoCreating More Bias-Proof Designs
January 22, 2025
"It takes at least one team member to choose to set healthy standards for collaboration."
Darian DavisLessons from a Toxic Work Relationship
January 8, 2024
"Timely engagement helps stakeholders make faster, more informed decisions that lead to better business and product outcomes."
Fisayo Osilaja[Demo] The AI edge: From researcher to strategist
June 4, 2024
"Creating tangible artifacts forces reaction and debate, helping break enterprise paralysis and drive decisions."
Uday GajendarThe Wicked Craft of Enterprise UX
May 13, 2015
"We formed a small core task force empowered to make decisions to avoid delays from formal reviews."
Davis Neable Guy SegalHow to Drive a Design Project When you Don’t Have a Design Team
June 10, 2021
"We stopped talking about patterns and consistency and started talking about scalability and speed to connect with stakeholders."
Eniola OluwoleLessons From the DesignOps Journey of the World's Largest Travel Site
October 24, 2019
"The operational glue that binds strategy, execution, and measurement in design is often missing, and that’s critical for scaling."
Aurobinda Pradhan Shashank DeshpandeIntroduction to Collaborative DesignOps using Cubyts
September 9, 2022
