Rosenverse

This video is only accessible to Gold members. Log in or register for a free Gold Trial Account to watch.

Log in Register

Most conference talks are accessible to Gold members, while community videos are generally available to all logged-in members.

Theme Two Intro
Gold
Thursday, November 17, 2022 • Civic Design 2022
Share the love for this talk
Theme Two Intro
Speakers: Ariel Kennan
Link:

Summary

In this talk, Arielle Keenan, a senior fellow at Georgetown University's Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation, reflects on the growth and maturation of Civic design work over the past decade. She highlights how the once small community of practitioners in the U.S. has expanded both nationally and internationally, and how foundational design concepts are now better understood across diverse government teams. Arielle underscores the importance of recognizing the power and privilege held by designers and learning when to yield that power to community members, who are increasingly becoming active participants or consultants in the design process. She also explores the complexities of collaborating across organizational silos and with vendors, focusing on building healthy team cultures that embrace conflict productively. Throughout, she emphasizes an intentional approach to deepening equity, care, and impact both in design processes and outcomes. Arielle's insights prepare attendees to develop the skills needed to navigate the nuanced dynamics of Civic design today.

Key Insights

  • The field of Civic design has grown from a small niche community to a broad, international network with deepening internal government culture.

  • Designers in Civic design must balance wielding their power with yielding it to community members to foster equitable outcomes.

  • Community members are no longer just end users but increasingly become active consultants and co-designers.

  • Cross-organizational collaboration, including working with vendors, requires building healthy cultures that manage inherent conflicts.

  • Many government teams now understand foundational design concepts, reducing the need for constant explanation.

  • Civic design is still emergent and evolving with much to learn about equity and inclusive practices.

  • Successful projects depend on navigating complex multi-stakeholder environments thoughtfully.

  • Reflecting on power and privilege is critical for designers to operate responsibly in Civic design.

  • Building skills to handle nuanced roles and conflicts is essential for Civic design practitioners.

  • Equity and care should be integral to design processes, participants, and the impact they generate.

Notable Quotes

"We are always still learning, no matter if you’re new or have been doing this for years."

"When I started, there were a few practitioners in the U.S.; now we have a growing community of practice."

"I’m regularly surprised not having to explain foundational concepts of design inside government anymore."

"We heard about understanding the power and privilege we have as designers — how to wield it but also how to yield it."

"Community designing with community, and community members becoming consultants, is shifting the role of who designs."

"We must create healthy cultures and ways of working across organizational silos, including with vendors."

"Navigating inherent conflict that arises between many stakeholders is a key part of Civic design."

"We have so much more work and learning ahead in this still emergent field."

"We need to deepen equity and care in how we work, who we work with, and the impact we create."

"Building your skills to navigate the complexities of Civic design is what today’s session is about."

Ask the Rosenbot
Amber Knabl
Empowering innovation: The critical role of inclusive product development in the AI era
2024 • Designing with AI 2024
Gold
Steve Baty
Discussion
2016 • Enterprise UX 2016
Gold
Patrick Commarford
Design Staffing for Impact
2024 • DesignOps Summit 2020
Gold
Mark Templeton
Creating a Legacy: the ultimate experience
2017 • Enterprise Experience 2017
Gold
Angy Peterson
More Than Technology: Personalized Public Sector Experiences
2021 • Civic Design 2021
Gold
Charlotte Vorbeck
Pipeline to Civic Design
2021 • Civic Design 2021
Gold
Marjorie Stainback
What Research Ops Professionals Have Learned from COVID-19 (Videoconference)
2020 • Advancing Research Community
Yasmine Khan
Checking Bias and Listening to Financially Vulnerable Americans
2020 • Advancing Research 2020
Gold
Aras Bilgen
Research Democratization: A Debate
2023 • Advancing Research 2023
Gold
Jacqui Frey
Setting the Table for Dynamic Change
2019 • DesignOps Summit 2019
Gold
Michelle Chin
The DesignOps Starter Kit
2021 • DesignOps Summit 2021
Gold
Josina Vink
Navigating the pitfalls of systems thinking in service design
2024 • Advancing Service Design 2024
Gold
Jonathan Fairman
Integrating generative AI into enterprise products: A case study from dscout
2024 • Designing with AI 2024
Gold
Niko Laitinen
Adaptable Org Design for Resilient Times
2021 • Design at Scale 2021
Gold
Sam Proulx
Mobile Accessibility: Why Moving Accessibility Beyond the Desktop is Critical in a Mobile-first World
2022 • DesignOps Summit 2022
Gold
Joanna Vodopivec
One Research Team for All - Influence Without Authority
2022 • Advancing Research 2022
Gold

More Videos

Alex Hurworth

"The health of our planet directly influences our health and survival."

Alex Hurworth Bonnie John Fahd Arshad Antoine Marin

Designing a Contact Tracing App for Universal Access

October 23, 2020

Laine Riley Prokay

"Investing in new practitioners is mutually rewarding; we learn from their fresh perspectives and reassess what we know ourselves."

Laine Riley Prokay Lisa Gordon

Carving a Path for Early Career DesignOps Practitioners

September 9, 2022

Eniola Oluwole

"People were very adverse to changes because a small 0.5% conversion increase meant millions in revenue."

Eniola Oluwole

Lessons From the DesignOps Journey of the World's Largest Travel Site

October 24, 2019

Nathan Shedroff

"Design researchers know customers better than almost anyone else in the organization, yet they are rarely invited into strategy processes."

Nathan Shedroff

Double Your Mileage: Use Your Research Strategically

March 31, 2020

Sam Proulx

"Voice control on mobile goes beyond digital assistants and can fully control the device for users who cannot use touch."

Sam Proulx

Mobile Accessibility: Why Moving Accessibility Beyond the Desktop is Critical in a Mobile-first World

November 17, 2022

Feleesha Sterling

"If your design team cannot act quickly on findings, rapid research is not the method for you."

Feleesha Sterling

Building a Rapid Research Program (Videoconference)

May 18, 2023

Neil Barrie

"Brand and product become two sides of the same coin when user insights have a seat at the top table."

Neil Barrie

Widening the Aperture: The Case for Taking a Broader Lens to the Dialogue between Products and Culture

March 25, 2024

John Devanney

"A well framed project is a rare thing — it’s also a creative exercise that unleashes teams’ possibilities."

John Devanney

The Design Management Office

November 6, 2017

Katy Mogal

"If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair."

Katy Mogal

But Do Your Insights Scale?

March 12, 2021