Podcasts about civic design

“Democracy is a design problem.” Whitney Quesenbery, Co-Founder of the Center for Civic Design in Washington, talks voting slips and the many factors that influence how we behave in the polling booth. We'll talk hanging chads. Dogs in polling station! And we pop on a posh frock and prepare a tearful speech to take a look at the Oscars and how the Academy votes for the most sought-after awards in entertainment. You're in the polling booth. Just you, the ballot paper and a pencil on a string. You're hovering over the names as you decide where to put your cross. Can the design of this tiny slip of paper affect how you vote? Can you make sense of the information? Do you just go for the candidate at the top of the list? In this episode we're going to explore a small-but-important part of democracy; the voting slip. Our guest is someone who cares deeply about the design of ballots. Whitney Quesenbery is the Co-Founder and Director of the Center for Civic Design in Washington. She advises government organisations, non-profits and tech companies on best practice in election design. Their core principle is: ‘Democracy is a design problem'. Elections should work for everyone, and as she explains, design is a tool for building a better democracy where more people can take part. We'll talk hanging chads. Dogs in polling stations! We'll also look at the Oscars and how members of the Academy vote for the most sought-after awards in entertainment. Useful links Connect with Whitney on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitneyq Explore the Center for Civic Design: https://civicdesign.org/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/center-for-civic-design They have extensive resources that support good election design. --- Sookio podcast page: https://www.sookio.com/podcast Produced by Rob Birnie at Made By DBM: https://madebydbm.com Links recorded at Cranes Nest podcast studio in Cambridge: https://www.thecranenest.co.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can we have true Democracy if voting isn't accessible to everyone? Joined by Whitney Quesenberry, Rylin Rodgers, and Alexia Kemerling, professionals working on voting accessibility we discuss current barriers, what is being done to improve accessibility, and how voters, both with and without disabilities, can take action during the upcoming election. Visit the resources below for more on this topic and stay connected with us LinkedIn. PDF Transcript Web Transcript   Meet Our Guests: Whitney Quesenberry is the director of the Center for Civic Design and worked on many accessible voting projects including the VVSG, the federal voting system standards Rylin Rodgers serves on Microsoft's Accessibility Team as a Disability Policy Director. Influenced by her lived experience with disability, she strives to impact disability policy Alexia Kemerling leads the REV UP Campaign at the American Association of People with Disabilities. Influenced by her lived experience, she strives to build civic engagement in the disability community and improve election accessibility   Show Notes Accessible Voting: A guide to a private and independent voting experience: State Guides for Disabled Voters: Created by AAPD's REV Up Campaign, these guides can be downloaded to support disabled voters The Center For Civic Design: Offering a plethora of resources for  Bing How to Vote: A resource created by Microsoft to provide easy and accessible voting information NCAV: A guide for election administrators to making voting accessible for people with disabilities

Drew Davies, the founder of Oxide, a civic-minded brand and design consultancy, talks about the practical and creative side of his years as a designer and a business founder, his work on election and civic engagement materials, and his recent co-authorship of Creative Genius: The Art of the Nebraska Capitol, a book about the Nebraska Capitol's art.Davies established Oxide in 2001. He is a national president emeritus of AIGA, the professional association for design, and is the only Nebraskan to have served as a judge for the prestigious design competition, Communication Arts Design Annual. As part of his civic work, Davies contributed to the national ballot design standards for the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and collaborated with the Federal Voting Assistance Program to enhance the registration and voting process for U.S. citizens abroad. In partnership with the Center for Civic Design, Davies designed the Field Guides to Ensuring Voter Intent, which were featured in the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. He also testified before President Obama's Presidential Commission on Election Administration. Davies recently designed and co-authored “Creative Genius: The Art of the Nebraska Capitol,” a coffee table book showcasing 100 years of art contained within the State's grandest building, revealing the themes driving the art, and chronicling the stories behind the artists and their creations.

Jose Jordan leads interiors focused on justice and civic spaces at DLR Group in Florida. Justice and civic space interiors are often overlooked, but Jose believes they can be thoughtfully designed to empower and inspire. One example of this approach is a recent juvenile detention center project in Birmingham, Alabama where the history of steelwork was implemented to motivate residents toward a new potential.Jose also offers up some career advice—care deeply and passionately about your work. This attracts others who also care, creating an environment where everyone works as a team for shared goals.Jose recently rediscovered his Puerto Rican heritage on a trip to Old San Juan. The history, architecture, culture, food, and family connections left a deep impression. Now, during Hispanic Heritage Month, Jose enjoys spending time with family, eating traditional Puerto Rican food, and introducing others to the culture. He values bringing people together through food, music, and laughter and aims to create spaces that have the same welcoming community feel.Learn more about Jose Jordan.Learn more about Jose's company DLR Group.Click here to get your FREE copy of the Imagine a Place journalFollow Imagine a Place on LinkedIn

Have you ever wondered what it's like to work in product management and UX design in the government? Dana Chisnell, the Acting Executive Director for Customer Experience at Homeland Security, tells Melissa Perri what it's like in this episode of Product Thinking. Dana shares her journey from being an independent consultant to ultimately joining Homeland Security. She describes the challenges of implementing human-centered design in a massive government organization, and the importance of proactive user research to inform service design. Listen in to learn how Dana and her team are working to improve customer experiences for the public in their interactions with DHS agencies, from TSA to FEMA. Dana Chisnell is the Acting Executive Director for Customer Experience at Homeland Security. She has over two decades of experience in UX design and research, and has worked with both private companies and government agencies. Dana is the co-founder of the Center for Civic Design, a nonprofit organization that works to improve the voting experience for all citizens. She also served on the board of the Usability Professionals' Association and is a frequent speaker at conferences on user experience design, research, and civic technology. You'll hear Melissa and Dana talk about: Proactive user research is essential to inform service design in the government context, and to improve customer experiences for the public. Implementing human-centered design in a massive government organization like DHS requires a shift in mindset from focusing on reactive customer service to proactively understanding the needs of customers and reaching the most vulnerable. Product management and user experience design are relatively new concepts to the federal government, and there is a need to expand the pool of practitioners and build design and research ops. DHS has committed to improving customer experiences across its agencies, including FEMA, TSA, USCIS, and CBP. Dana's team at Homeland Security is working on building and scaling design and research ops, and expanding the pool of practitioners, while also supporting the commitments made by DHS agencies under President Biden's executive order. Different government agencies have varying levels of CX and UX maturity. The government is focused on impact and improving people's lives rather than maximizing revenue, which changes the incentives for product decisions. The process of product management and user experience design is similar in the private and public sectors, but outcomes are measured differently in the government. The political climate in the Executive Office and Congress can affect the potential outcomes for the public. The challenge in government is getting stakeholders to think about outcomes rather than outputs. Demonstrating the impact that a program will have on people helps get stakeholders to shift their mindset towards outcomes. Problem focus is still applicable in government product management, just like in the private sector. When working for the government, it's important to take into account the whole population, not just a perfect persona that a private company may prioritize. Dana advises starting by working with the most vulnerable people first, such as those who have been historically marginalized, to understand their situation before moving on to other groups of personas. The power dynamic when doing user research with vulnerable people is sensitive, and it's important to not make people more vulnerable and afraid by doing the research and design work. Third parties such as vendors or nonprofits may be trained to do the work instead. Everyone on a team should do research, regardless of their role, to gain exposure to users and customers. The government measures user experience by the level of burden experienced when filling out a form. There are incentives for lowering that burden, and basic usability testing with the intended audience can help achieve this. Resources: Dana Chisnell on Website | LinkedIn | Twitter CX at Homeland Security

Lou sits down with Kara Kane, one of the curators of the Civic Design Conference, to discuss her role in the public sector and how that's changed over the years. They preview the narrative she and her team have put together for the conference as well as discuss the challenges and victories she has faced through her career that have left her with her current optimistic view on the growth of civic design in the public sector.

Elections call for enormous people power and attention to detail. The Baltimore City Board of Elections director Armstead Jones describes the struggle to train … and retain elections judges. Then we talk with Whitney Quesenberry, executive director at the Center for Civic Design to hear how they work to simplify ballots and the voting process. Links: Early voting poll locations, Register to become an election judge, Vote 411 Maryland for ballot information and more, Center for Civic Design.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we head into the Mid-term elections, Clark and Swatha speak with Rylin Rodgers (Disability Policy Advisor at Microsoft) and Whitney Quesenbery (Executive Director for the Center for Civic Design) about the work both organizations are doing to make voting accessible for individuals with disabilities. we discuss the work the Center for Civic Design is doing to make finding accessible voting information easier to access, the work Microsoft is doing in this space and why corporate engagement is important in voting advocacy, and the idea of democracy being a design problem. To find out more about the Center for Civic Design, visit Center for Civic Design To access the Accessible Voting Index, visit Accessible voting - Your guide to a private and independent voting experience To find out more about Microsoft's voting advocacy work, visit Microsoft On the Issues - News and perspectives on legal, public policy and citizenship topics Find out more at https://acb-advocacy-update.pinecast.co

Design Studio for Social Intervention (DS4SI), is a Boston-based “artistic research and development outfit” that operates in response to social justice and its literal and figurative resonations in public space.Founded by Kenneth Bailey and Lori Lobenstine in 2006, DS4SI invites activists, artists, academics, designers, dreamers, tricksters, organizations, and foundations to respond to critical and urgent social problems in a light and playful manner. Through these encounters, DS4SI questions the impacts of change in social relationships that may affect everyday life and intervenes in the ways of practicing it. In their words, they are “dedicated to changing how social justice is imagined, developed and deployed in the U.S.A”. https://www.ds4si.org/#test-sectionWritten by DS4SI, IDEAS ARRANGEMENTS EFFECTS could be considered a roadmap for using social interventions to invite the larger public into imagining and creating a more just and vibrant world. https://www.ds4si.org/bookshop/ideas-arrangements-effects-systems-design-and-social-justice-paperback-bookSUMMITT undertakes the role of executive dog within the team of DS4SI. https://www.ds4si.org/people/2021/3/1/summitt-executive-dogInspired by the family kitchen as a gathering place, the Public Kitchen invited Upham's Corner and Dudley Street residents to feast, learn, share, imagine, unite and claim public space. https://www.ds4si.org/creativity-labs//public-kitchenAlongside various other academic positions, Ceasar McDowell is a Professor of Civic Design at MIT. He teaches civic and community engagement and the use of social technology to enhance both.The Community Innovators Lab (CoLab) at MIT supports the Department of Urban Studies Program by bringing together the best thinking in planning and information technology with the learned experience of community practitioners. https://dusp.mit.edu/programs/overviewTrickster Makes This World is a book by Lewis Hyde. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56450.Trickster_Makes_This_WorldRazorfish is one of the world's largest interactive agencies. Created by David Walsh, MONA is a museum in Hobart, Tasmania. https://mona.net.au/museum/aboutInitiated by DS4SI, Black Citizenship Project engaged artists from the Boston area and beyond to provide a public, artistic response to police-sanctioned violence against Black bodies and Black communities. https://www.ds4si.org/interventions/2016/7/25/black-citizenship-project#:~:text=Black%20Citizenship%20Project%20engaged%20artists,Black%20bodies%20and%20Black%20communities.Dating back to 2010, The Church Street Partners' Gazette by Can Altay was an exhibition and publication that took place in Showroom, London. https://www.theshowroom.org/projects/can-altay-the-church-street-partners-gazetteMÇPS was a work by Can Altay realized in 2017. It was a walk-in jamming/recording studio that popped up in the artist-run space İMÇ 5533, İstanbul.Lagoon is a novel by Nnedi Okorafor. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagoon_(novel)Sun Ra is a god who walked on earth and made music. https://splice.com/blog/who-is-sun-ra/Ezra Collective is a band of extremely skilled, visionary jazz musicians. http://ezracollective.com/Bringing together residents, artists, activists, and passers-by, inPUBLIC highlights the importance of “public-making”—the collective creation of opportunities for interaction, laughter, dialogue, learning, and surprise. https://www.ds4si.org/interventions/inpublicSocial Emergency Response Centers are temporary, emergent, and creative spaces co-led by activists and artists. They pop up in response to a new attack on a population or to a long-standing injustice. Check DS4SI's detailed manual to learn more or start one in your city! https://static1.squarespace.com/static/53c7166ee4b0e7db2be69480/t/5914a3dd579fb3c20cf4ab9a/1494524919092/DS4SI-SERC-Manual.pdfFerguson riots in Ferguson, Missouri, involved protests and riots which began on August 10, 2014, the day after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson.This season of Ahali Conversations is supported by the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts. The Graham provides project-based grants to foster the development and exchange of diverse and challenging ideas about architecture and its role in the arts, culture, and society. This episode was also supported by a Moon & Stars Project Grant from the American Turkish Society.This episode was recorded on Zoom on March 15th, 2022. Interview by Can Altay. Produced by Aslı Altay & Sarp Renk Özer. Music by Grup Ses.

In this episode, I talked with Eric Ho, co-founder and Director of Architecture Commons based in Hong Kong, a design agency for urban innovation. Eric is an architect, entrepreneur, and urban thinker passionate about architecture and urban environments that have a lasting impact on society. He described civic design projects he led in New York and in Hong Kong. Eric emphasized the value of cross-sector collaboration (citizens, businesses, institutions and governments) for social innovation while highlighting associated challenges and suggesting that design thinking can be a language to support collaboration. Last, Eric reflected on the challenges to move from design thinking to design doing and social impact. Follow Eric Ho on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/architectericho/ and on The Commons' website: https://www.acommons.com/ Credits: Conception, host and production: Anne-Laure Fayard Sound design & Post-production: John Klima Music: Blake Rook Art work: Guilhem Tamisier

Whitney Quesenbery talks about her career encompassing user research and the design of vote-casting. She describes the influences for the role-based format of her book A Web for Everyone. https://civicdesign.org/ (Center for Civic Design) https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/a-web-for-everyone/ (A Web for Everyone)

Miguel is an Experience Design Strategist, educator, and entrepreneur from New York. He currently serves as Principal Product Designer at NPR and formerly, Director of Product Design & Strategy at NYC & Company. Miguel specializes in Inclusive Design, Design Strategy, and Design Process with a passion for Digital Equity, Gov Tech, and Civic Design. Miguel has been an educator for the past two years having taught at GA and currently teaching at CareerFoundry. He recently founded Inclusion Design Lab, an educational platform for UX beginners focusing on teaching Inclusive Design methods and principles. He is also the founder of Rita Creative, an agency turned startup supporting creative initiatives led by women and people of color at scale. Before UX, Miguel was a Front-end Developer and then a UI Designer. He's been building digital products for over 9 years and has been loving every bit of it! _____________________________________ Stay in touch with Miguel Makes: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miguelmakes/ Website: https://www.miguelmakes.com/ _____________________________________ Stay in touch with Jerlisa "Juju" Fontaine: Instagram: @jujufontaine_ Twitter: @jujufontaine_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerlisafo... Contact: fontainejerlisa@gmail.com _____________________________________ Stay in Touch with HueCapitalPod: Instagram: @huecapitalpod Twitter: @huecapitalpod LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hue-capital-podcast/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa69jtxXFFFRa2C1iiDr22Q/videos Site (Coming Soon): https://huecapitalpod.com/ Email: info@huecapitalpod.com _____________________________________

Interested in learning more about building an online/in-person community? Let's solve that for you. In this episode, Miguel will be providing us with insight on what it takes to create and sustain a movement of impact when it comes to community-building. Companies and organizations have been prioritizing the development of community around practices, products, services and more. This is your chance to gain an understanding of its importance and how to build. Check out this interview with Miguel Makes, Principal Product Designer at NPR. _____________________________________ Miguel is an Experience Design Strategist, educator, and entrepreneur from New York. He currently serves as Principal Product Designer at NPR and formerly, Director of Product Design & Strategy at NYC & Company. Miguel specializes in Inclusive Design, Design Strategy, and Design Process with a passion for Digital Equity, Gov Tech, and Civic Design. Miguel has been an educator for the past two years having taught at GA and currently teaching at CareerFoundry. He recently founded Inclusion Design Lab, an educational platform for UX beginners focusing on teaching Inclusive Design methods and principles. He is also the founder of Rita Creative, an agency turned startup supporting creative initiatives led by women and people of color at scale. Before UX, Miguel was a Front-end Developer and then a UI Designer. He's been building digital products for over 9 years and has been loving every bit of it! _____________________________________ Stay in touch with Miguel Makes: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miguelmakes/ Website: https://www.miguelmakes.com/ _____________________________________ Stay in touch with Jerlisa "Juju" Fontaine: Instagram: @jujufontaine_ Twitter: @jujufontaine_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerlisafo... Contact: fontainejerlisa@gmail.com _____________________________________ Stay in Touch with HueCapitalPod: Instagram: @huecapitalpod Twitter: @huecapitalpod LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hue-capital-podcast/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa69jtxXFFFRa2C1iiDr22Q/videos Site (Coming Soon): https://huecapitalpod.com/ Email: info@huecapitalpod.com _____________________________________

Sarah Brooks is a design leader and intrapreneur who uses strategic design and mixed-methods research to help teams and organizations reach better outcomes. She has worked in enterprise, federal, non-profit, start-up, and hybrid organizations. If you're one of millions of US military veterans, her work at the Veterans Administration has touched your life. We are pleased to welcome Sarah as a member of the Civic Design conference (https://rosenfeldmedia.com/civic-design-2021/) and community curation team! In this Rosenfeld Review episode, she shares her experience at the VA, digging into specific challenges when working within a large org, learning what ‘patriotism' means from people who are in the service, and how soft-skills (people skills, really) are needed at the systems level. Sarah recommends: Emergent Strategy by Adrienne Maree Brown https://www.amazon.com/Emergent-Strategy-Shaping-Change-Changing/dp/1849352607 Tickets to Civic Design 2021 are now available; register now! https://rosenfeldmedia.com/civic-design-2021/ More about Sarah: Sarah Brooks is a design leader and intrapreneur working at the intersection of foresight, service design, and mixed-methods research approaches to help teams and organizations reach better outcomes. She has worked across the enterprise, federal, non-profit, start-up, and hybrid organizations. Currently, Sarah is the Executive design leader responsible for the development and diffusion of standards and practices that create experience excellence across IBM's product and service teams. She is an active mentor, author, educator, and speaker on the art & craft of seamless experiences and living systems approached to complex challenges. Sarah is the author of System Shifting, in the book Strategic Design Thinking: Innovation in Products, Services and Beyond, and the essay Collective Strength and Greater Understanding Through Co-Design in the book Leap Dialogues: Career Pathways in Design for Social Innovation. Sarah served as a 2014-2015 U.S. Presidential Innovation Fellow at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs continuing on as a political appointee until the end of the Obama-Biden Administration, working as Chief Design Officer leading a team that worked on strategic transformation priorities. Prior to government service, Sarah lived in San Francisco and worked in the social impact ecosystem and currently lives in Montauk, New York.

Martha Dorris, Founder and CEO, Dorris Consulting International, has almost 34 years of government experience in acquisition, technical and program management to customer experience. Martha has run many government organizations that build and deliver agency and citizen facing programs to deliver government services anytime, anywhere on any device. Most recently, Martha led and managed GSA's Office of Strategic Programs where she brought a customer-centric lens to the services and acquisitions they award. In this Rosenfeld Review episode, she takes a dive into her projects at the GSA improving Customer Experience (as opposed to the previous focus on Customer Service), as well as work across the government and her advice for anyone just starting out. We are pleased that Martha is supporting the curation team for our new Civic Design conference and community, which will be launching soon with our first monthly videoconference. Sign up here to be notified: https://rosenfeldmedia.com/civic-design-2021/ Tickets to Civic Design 2021 are now available; register now! https://rosenfeldmedia.com/civic-design-2021/

Ariel Kennan is a service design and product development leader who has worked across the public, private, academic, and nonprofit sectors. She is currently a Senior Fellow at the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University. We are pleased to announce that she has joined the curation team of our new Civic Design conference and community, which will be launching soon with our first monthly videoconference. Sign up here to be notified: https://rosenfeldmedia.com/civic-design-2021/ In this Rosenfeld Review episode, Ariel discusses the myriad of public service projects she's had a hand in, and particularly the ways in which Civic Design can improve peoples' lives, especially those who are underprivileged (for example, the application for unemployment benefits during the covid-19 pandemic.) Ariel recommends: Creative Reaction Lab — building capacity in historically marginalized communities and training designers to work in new ways. https://www.creativereactionlab.com/

We are excited to welcome Charlotte Lee as a co-curator of our new Civic Design conference and community, which will be launching soon with our first monthly videoconference. Sign up here to be notified: https://rosenfeldmedia.com/civic-design-2021/ In this episode, Charlotte and Lou discuss the intersection of design and technology, machine learning, how the House of Representatives legislates, and more. She also shares details about her current project, redesigning congress.gov, and a peek into what you can expect from the Civic Design Conference. Looking for a great read? Charlotte recommends: Humanocracy https://www.humanocracy.com/ by Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini About Charlotte: Charlotte Lee is an award-winning entrepreneur and human-centered design practitioner based in Washington D.C. She is the founder and CEO of Monday Design Company, a service design consultancy as well as Kastling Group, a digital transformation consultancy. She is a strategic advisor to public and private executives in organizations undergoing IT modernization. Many of her clients seek partnership to help execute their vision of a holistic view of transformation that places human achievement as the measure of success. Her professional path in product management and user experience design was taken with the vision of a more human-friendly world in every way. Charlotte's current portfolio at the House of Representatives exemplifies her two biggest passions- human centricity and strengthening democracy. She is very energized by the opportunity to apply HCD and design thinking to examine and reimagine the way ideas turn into law.

Whitney Quesenberry joins The Great Battlefield podcast to talk about her career as a User Experience Designer and how her Center for Civic Design is working to design voting systems to simply and effectively capture voter intent.

The classic New England town meeting, with voters gathered in a large hall to decide issues directly, is often cited as the purest form of American democracy. But historically, those town meetings gave a voice only to certain classes of people. In this episode we meet Ceasar McDowell, Professor of the Practice of Community Development at MIT and newly appointed associate director of MIT’s Center for Constructive Communication. Prof. McDowell has devoted his career to nurturing a more vibrant, inclusive democracy, one adapted to the complex reality of a modern, largely urbanized America. In his course 11.312 Engaging Community (coming soon to OpenCourseWare), he helps his students use the tools of civic design to craft forms of community engagement and decision-making that will bring everyone into the conversation, even those on the margins of our society. In keeping with his commitment to collaborative effort, Prof. McDowell encourages his students to propose specific real-life problems they’re interested in, and to decide collectively which ones to address in the class. “We have to learn to talk to each other,” he says. “Yes, this is hard work, and yes, you can do it.” Relevant Resources:MIT OpenCourseWareThe OCW Educator PortalProfessor McDowell’s faculty pageMIT's Center for Constructive CommunicationWe Who Engage (blog)We Who Engage (podcast episodes)We Who Engage (Instagram)America’s Path ForwardCivic Design FrameworkMusic in this episode by Blue Dot SessionsConnect with Us:If you have a suggestion for a new episode or have used OCW to change your life or those of others, tell us your story. We’d love to hear from you! Call us at 617-715-2517On our siteOn FacebookOn TwitterOn InstagramStay Current:Subscribe to the free monthly "MIT OpenCourseWare Update" e-newsletter.Support OCW:If you like Chalk Radio and OpenCourseware, donate to help keep those programs going!Credits:Sarah Hansen, host and producerBrett Paci, producer  Dave Lishansky, producer Show notes by Peter Chipman

Whitney Quesenbery makes the case for strengthening democracy through design, and shares how she's making this happen. This episodes includes:   What is Civic Design and why is it important? How is democracy a design problem? What impact can good design have on elections?   ======   Who is Whitney Quesenbery?   Whitney is the co-founder and Director of the Center for Civic Design - a non-profit UX consultancy, working to "ensure voter intent through design". She serves on numerous advisory boards, including The Center for Tech and Civic Life, VotingWorks, and The Participatory Budgeting Project.    And, among many other things, she is also the co-creator of the first course on Election Design, for the University of Minnesota and the author of three books on UX.   Before starting the Center for Civic Design, Whitney invested over 23 years solving complex problems, as a consulting UXer, for organisations like the National Cancer Institute, the New York Times, and Sage Software.   ======   Find Whitney here:   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitneyq/ Website: https://civicdesign.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/whitneyq   Center for Civic Design:   Field Guides to Ensuring Voter Intent - https://civicdesign.org/fieldguides/ Projects - https://civicdesign.org/projects-2/ Showcase - https://civicdesign.org/showcase/   Whitney's books:   A Web for Everyone: Designing Accessible User Experiences - https://bit.ly/2T9EOwJ Storytelling for User Experience: Crafting Stories for Better Design - https://bit.ly/3bMLlUs Global UX: Design and Research in a Connected World - https://amzn.to/3vjRWh1   ======   Thank you for tuning in! If you liked what you saw and want more ...   ... please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you listened).   You can also follow us on our other social channels for more great UX and product design tips, interviews and insights!   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-space-in-between/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespaceinbetw__n/   ======   Host: Brendan Jarvis https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanjarvis/

Nestor Melnyk joined MSA Design in 1995 and is integral leading many of MSA’s key institutional projects including civic, religious, and is the Director of Higher Education Academic Projects firm-wide. Clients and colleagues recognize Nestor for his thoroughness and attention to detail in all aspects of the architectural process as well as being a leader in quality control and detailing, as evidenced by a 2000 CSI award. Nestor received a B. Arch. from the University of Cincinnati in 1990 and, as valedictorian, was awarded the AIA’s Henry Adams Medal and Certificate. He continued studying at UC, completing an M.A. in geography in 1991. He also studied planning abroad with the University of the Aegean in Greece and completed liberal arts coursework at St. Clement Ukrainian Catholic University in Rome. Nestor became a licensed architect after only one year of professional employment, is NCARB certified, and became a LEED Accredited Professional in 2007. Beyond his work in the firm, Nestor is a passionate advocate for children’s healthcare and disabilities issues. He is a member of the Hamilton County Board of Developmental Disabilities Services and served on the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council. He also provides extensive service to initiatives at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center as well as other healthcare and developmental disabilities service organizations. He and his family have founded multiple community initiatives, including Troy Gives a Duck - an organization committed to ending loneliness and eliminating isolation by setting up social opportunities for friendship building and changing the stigma of those with developmental disabilities. Troy Gives a Duck shows how a single person with a positive message can build community and create a chain reaction of kindness among others, providing them with a physical reminder that they are valued and that there is goodness to be found. www.msaarch.com www.troygivesaduck.org

Alright guys, welcome to another episode of Chax Chat. I'm here with Chad Chelius, and we have a special guest today, Whitney Quesenbery, who happens to be the co-author of “A Web For Everyone” and she now runs the Center for Civic Design. Whitney, welcome to the program. We wanted to have Whitney  on as a guest because one of the things that is interesting is, you know, with accessibility being promoted in a lot of companies right now, you know, fighting that pushback of when do you start accessibility? 

Designing Elections? Yes! Whitney Quesenbery and I talk about designing elections, designing in government, and the future of election design. We dive deep into the world of elections, and Whitney's and the Center for Civic Design's work to help election officials nationwide design better elections.   Show Summary Whitney had two careers before she landed in civic design. She had a professional career in theatre for a number of years before a friend asked her to write a product manual. That led to a shift into writing, and she worked for a number of large organizations creating and documenting content. In 2000, Whitney ended up on a federal advisory committee writing voting system standards, which led her into civic design and to what she calls her “last great adventure” founding the Center for Civic Design.  Listen to learn about: Using design in elections Designing with government and election officials The Center for Civic Design's work The evolution of election design The 2016 and 2020 elections and how they are shaping the future of election design Ways local leaders can get more involved in election design Our Guest's Bio Whitney Quesenbery is the director of the Center for Civic Design, solving democracy as a design problem and improving the voter experience. She combines a fascination with people and an obsession to communicate clearly with her goal of usable accessibility for all. She's written 3 books — A Web for Everyone: Designing accessible user experiences, Storytelling for User Experience, and Global UX — to help practitioners keep users in mind throughout the creative process.   Show Highlights [01:32] Whitney talks about her three careers. [04:12] Whitney's co-founding of the Center for Civic Design. [05:37] The challenge of applying the methods of design to elections. [07:00] Government election workers don't tend to see themselves as designers. [08:19] How to bring non-designers comfortably into design work. [08:42] Whitney talks about the Center's founding project in California designing voter guides. [11:24] The importance of public review and iteration to the success of the project. [13:55] How Whitney's work has evolved over the years. [14:35] Ways the Center changed its user research to ensure diversity. [16:14] Collaborating with other organizations. [17:26] Whitney talks about the 2020 election and the future of the Center's work. [18:52] The Center's work on mail-in voting before and after the election. [20:53] The importance of street-level bureaucrats in the running of elections. [22:22] How ordinary Americans showed up and volunteered to help run the 2020 election: registering voters, poll workers, ballot counters, etc. [23:34] Whitney talks about designing in ways to encourage volunteerism in elections. [24:45] The “public square” concept in elections. [25:08] Whitney shares one story as an example of the ways information (and misinformation) can affect elections and how people vote. [27:48] Opportunities for local leaders to help design elections. [28:11] The importance of the day-to-day, “everyday” work and effort. [31:44] Service design and the “gentle disruption” part of Whitney's work. [34:58] Whitney offers advice and encouragement for local election officials thinking about working with a designer. [35:31] The Center's Field Guides to Ensuring Voter Intent. [37:23] More about the Center's work. [38:03] The Center's online Election Design course at the University of Minnesota. [39:53] The difference between Big D Design and little d design. [40:14] Whitney talks about a project for the Department of Health and Human Services. [42:55] How the Center is building a team with the right skills. [45:03] The future of the Center for Civic Design. [48:45] Resources for people interested in civic design, civic tech, and election design. [53:03] Where to find out more about Whitney and the Center for Civic Design. [53:16] The Center for Civic Design's Irregulars List [54:09] Ways you can support the Center for Civic Design's work.   Links Whitney on LinkedIn Whitney on Twitter Whitney on Women Talk Design Whitney on UX Matters Whitney's personal website Whitney's presentations on Slideshare Center for Civic Design and their 2020 Annual Report Center for Civic Design on Twitter Election design course, online, at Election Academy! Field Guides to Ensuring Voter Intent from the Center for Civic Design  An invitation to redistricting Designing ballot cure forms that invite voters to act Minnesota gets new polling place signage with help from design students ElectionTools.org UX Magazine: Book Excerpt: A Web for Everyone, by Sarah Horton and Whitney Quesenbery Accessible Elections: Are we there yet? STC Summit Interview with Whitney Designing our civic life: can paying taxes be delightful? Design as a Civic Responsibility Whitney Quesenbery with Tala Schlossberg, NY Times (October 29, 2020): Good design is the secret to better democracy (Ballots are broken. We redesigned them.) ConveyUX: Writing great persona stories ConveyUX: Content for Everyone: Making information accessible 18F Blog: Delivering civic technology Book Recommendation: A Web for Everyone: Designing Accessible User Experiences, by Sarah Horton and Whitney Quesenbery Book Recommendation: Storytelling for User Experience: Crafting Stories for Better Design, by Whitney Quesenbery and Kevin Brooks Book Recommendation: Global UX: Design and Research in a Connected World, by Whitney Quesenbery and Daniel Szuc Book Recommendation: A Civic Technologist's Practice Guide, by Cyd Harrell Center for Civic Design Irregulars List: when we need extra help on a project, from running flash usability tests to collecting data on local election information, we turn to our extended community: Join the list So you want to serve your country: A (biased) guide to tech jobs in federal government   Support the Center for Civic Design Donations to support our work are gratefully accepted and are tax deductible. We accept donations:   Through PayPal as centerforcivicdesign@gmail.com By mail at 5443 Tates Bank Road Cambridge, MD 21613   You can also sign up to support us at Amazon Smile   Other Design Thinking 101 Episodes You Might Like A Short Introduction to Design Thinking with Dawan Stanford — DT101 E32 Civic Design + Innovation Ops + System Design with Ryann Hoffman — DT101 E62 Design, and One Question to Rule Them All // ALD 002 — DT101 E63 ________________ Thank you for listening to the show and looking at the show notes. Send your questions, suggestions, and guest ideas to Dawan and the Fluid Hive team. Cheers ~ Dawan  Free Download — Design Driven Innovation: Avoid Innovation Traps with These 9 Steps Innovation Smart Start Webinar — Take your innovation projects from frantic to focused!

Designing Elections? Yes! Whitney Quesenbery and I talk about designing elections, designing in government, and the future of election design. We dive deep into the world of elections, and Whitney’s and the Center for Civic Design’s work to help election officials nationwide design better elections.   Show Summary Whitney had two careers before she landed in civic design. She had a professional career in theatre for a number of years before a friend asked her to write a product manual. That led to a shift into writing, and she worked for a number of large organizations creating and documenting content. In 2000, Whitney ended up on a federal advisory committee writing voting system standards, which led her into civic design and to what she calls her “last great adventure” founding the Center for Civic Design.  Listen to learn about: Using design in elections Designing with government and election officials The Center for Civic Design’s work The evolution of election design The 2016 and 2020 elections and how they are shaping the future of election design Ways local leaders can get more involved in election design Our Guest’s Bio Whitney Quesenbery is the director of the Center for Civic Design, solving democracy as a design problem and improving the voter experience. She combines a fascination with people and an obsession to communicate clearly with her goal of usable accessibility for all. She's written 3 books — A Web for Everyone: Designing accessible user experiences, Storytelling for User Experience, and Global UX — to help practitioners keep users in mind throughout the creative process.   Show Highlights [01:32] Whitney talks about her three careers. [04:12] Whitney’s co-founding of the Center for Civic Design. [05:37] The challenge of applying the methods of design to elections. [07:00] Government election workers don’t tend to see themselves as designers. [08:19] How to bring non-designers comfortably into design work. [08:42] Whitney talks about the Center’s founding project in California designing voter guides. [11:24] The importance of public review and iteration to the success of the project. [13:55] How Whitney’s work has evolved over the years. [14:35] Ways the Center changed its user research to ensure diversity. [16:14] Collaborating with other organizations. [17:26] Whitney talks about the 2020 election and the future of the Center’s work. [18:52] The Center’s work on mail-in voting before and after the election. [20:53] The importance of street-level bureaucrats in the running of elections. [22:22] How ordinary Americans showed up and volunteered to help run the 2020 election: registering voters, poll workers, ballot counters, etc. [23:34] Whitney talks about designing in ways to encourage volunteerism in elections. [24:45] The “public square” concept in elections. [25:08] Whitney shares one story as an example of the ways information (and misinformation) can affect elections and how people vote. [27:48] Opportunities for local leaders to help design elections. [28:11] The importance of the day-to-day, “everyday” work and effort. [31:44] Service design and the “gentle disruption” part of Whitney’s work. [34:58] Whitney offers advice and encouragement for local election officials thinking about working with a designer. [35:31] The Center’s Field Guides to Ensuring Voter Intent. [37:23] More about the Center’s work. [38:03] The Center’s online Election Design course at the University of Minnesota. [39:53] The difference between Big D Design and little d design. [40:14] Whitney talks about a project for the Department of Health and Human Services. [42:55] How the Center is building a team with the right skills. [45:03] The future of the Center for Civic Design. [48:45] Resources for people interested in civic design, civic tech, and election design. [53:03] Where to find out more about Whitney and the Center for Civic Design. [53:16] The Center for Civic Design’s Irregulars List [54:09] Ways you can support the Center for Civic Design’s work.   Links Whitney on LinkedIn Whitney on Twitter Whitney on Women Talk Design Whitney on UX Matters Whitney’s personal website Whitney’s presentations on Slideshare Center for Civic Design and their 2020 Annual Report Center for Civic Design on Twitter Election design course, online, at Election Academy! Field Guides to Ensuring Voter Intent from the Center for Civic Design  An invitation to redistricting Designing ballot cure forms that invite voters to act Minnesota gets new polling place signage with help from design students ElectionTools.org UX Magazine: Book Excerpt: A Web for Everyone, by Sarah Horton and Whitney Quesenbery Accessible Elections: Are we there yet? STC Summit Interview with Whitney Designing our civic life: can paying taxes be delightful? Design as a Civic Responsibility Whitney Quesenbery with Tala Schlossberg, NY Times (October 29, 2020): Good design is the secret to better democracy (Ballots are broken. We redesigned them.) ConveyUX: Writing great persona stories ConveyUX: Content for Everyone: Making information accessible 18F Blog: Delivering civic technology Book Recommendation: A Web for Everyone: Designing Accessible User Experiences, by Sarah Horton and Whitney Quesenbery Book Recommendation: Storytelling for User Experience: Crafting Stories for Better Design, by Whitney Quesenbery and Kevin Brooks Book Recommendation: Global UX: Design and Research in a Connected World, by Whitney Quesenbery and Daniel Szuc Book Recommendation: A Civic Technologist’s Practice Guide, by Cyd Harrell Center for Civic Design Irregulars List: when we need extra help on a project, from running flash usability tests to collecting data on local election information, we turn to our extended community: Join the list So you want to serve your country: A (biased) guide to tech jobs in federal government   Support the Center for Civic Design Donations to support our work are gratefully accepted and are tax deductible. We accept donations:   Through PayPal as centerforcivicdesign@gmail.com By mail at 5443 Tates Bank Road Cambridge, MD 21613   You can also sign up to support us at Amazon Smile   Other Design Thinking 101 Episodes You Might Like A Short Introduction to Design Thinking with Dawan Stanford — DT101 E32 Civic Design + Innovation Ops + System Design with Ryann Hoffman — DT101 E62 Design, and One Question to Rule Them All // ALD 002 — DT101 E63     ________________   Thank you for listening to the show and looking at the show notes. Send your questions, suggestions, and guest ideas to Dawan and the Fluid Hive team. Cheers ~ Dawan   Free Download — Design Driven Innovation: Avoid Innovation Traps with These 9 Steps   Innovation Smart Start Webinar — Take your innovation projects from frantic to focused!

Whelp, it's time to go back to school.  We need to learn a little more about the first course dedicated to city planning, and we need a professor dedicated to teaching city planning, and we need a textbook dedicated to city planning.  Can we get it all in one place?  Nope, but we'll look at the two colleges that started it all. First Course in Planning:https://www.gsd.harvard.edu/landscape-architecture/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Sturgis_Prayhttp://urbanplanning.library.cornell.edu/DOCS/pray.htm First Chair of Civic Design:https://archon.library.illinois.edu/?p=creators/creator&id=146https://urban.illinois.edu/history/https://web.faa.illinois.edu/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/01/notesforstudyinc00univilli.pdfhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Mulford_Robinsonhttps://cornhill.org/charles-mulford-robinson/ First Major Textbook:http://urbanplanning.library.cornell.edu/DOCS/shurtlef.htmhttps://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdf/10.1086/252818 

Amy Benetti joins us as an Associate Principal and Project Manager at MSA Design. Amy is a native of Speedway, Indiana - home of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. A childhood influenced by family home improvement projects and "tinkering" ultimately led her to attend the Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning at Ball State University. After graduation, she came to MSA Design where she has risen into Senior leadership within the firm and has led many of the firms' key projects in the Education, Religious, Sport and Civic markets. Her skills at community engagement and consensus building have earned her great acclaim within the profession. For a period of time she left private practice to become an "in house" project leader within the City of Cincinnati. In addition to her work at the firm, Amy is a graduate of AIA Cincinnati's VISION program for emerging leaders, a leader of MSA's Madeira City Schools Senior professional mentor program, and has become a leading voice in the mentorship of young women in the design and construction profession in Greater Cincinnati. Amy, her husband Jon and their daughter reside in the small town of Madeira in Greater Cincinnati. www.msaarch.com

In this episode, Lisa and Andy talk to Whitney Quesenbery about elections, the importance of ballot design, the role of election officials, and how she and others at the Center for Civic Design are working to improve the experience of voting.  Episode transcript About Whitney Quesenbery: Whitney Quesenbery is the co-founder of the Center for Civic Design. She’s passionate about making interactions with government effective and enjoyable, giving design literacy to elections and other government workers, and on a mission to ensure voter intent through design. Whitney publishes, presents, and teaches workshops on personas, usability and user research, plain language, and accessibility and has served on federal advisory committees for voting system design and Section 508. Before being seduced by a little beige computer into software, usability, and interface design, she was a theatrical lighting designer on and off-Broadway, learning about storytelling from some of the masters. Whitney is the author of three books: A Web for Everyone: Designing Accessible User Experiences (with Sarah Horton) Storytelling for User Experience (with Kevin Brooks) Global UX: Design and Research in a Connected World (with Daniel Szuc)   References: Civic Design Field Guides Center for Civic Design    

Whitney Quesenbery, director and co-founder of the Center for Civic Design, joins Brianna and Eric for a conversation about the effectiveness of good design, the Center's resources, and soliciting feedback from the public.

Ryann Hoffman is a system designer and design leader specializing in design and complex systems and working with organizations to develop capacity in design thinking and innovation operations.   Show Summary Ryann's path into design came from an early love of music, playing classical piano, and music composition. She did freelance design projects for teachers while in high school. By the time she went to college, she had strong design and communication skills, and had learned the power of storytelling. Ryann started out with plans for a degree in English, but switched to Sociology and fell in love with it from her very first introductory course. After undergrad, she spent several years working in various fields, including nonprofits and a music tech startup, where she brought her digital communications and design skills to bear on projects like promotional videos, visual design for reports and collaterals, and systems design for music distribution.   While in grad school for Public Administration, she took a class called “Coping with Wicked Problems,” where she was introduced to design thinking. After graduation, she moved to Washington, D.C. became a member of Design Thinking DC, and started what would become her career in systems design, leading to her civic design work today with cities across America and international organizations like The World Bank and the Government of Madagascar.   Listen in to learn about:       Design Thinking D.C.       System design at the municipal and federal level       Advice for launching a new design team       The surprising way “tedium” can trip up a design project       Innovation Transformation       Helping design teams that are working with emotional, difficult topics       Power and identity in design       Post-traumatic growth and helping people find a path to it in positive ways       The importance of designers learning facilitation   Our Guest's Bio Ryann Hoffman is a systems designer most in flow working in complex problem spaces. She's built and led design work across industries and at organizations including The World Bank and The Government of Madagascar, Capital One, Johns Hopkins Sibley Memorial Hospital, and ConsenSys. Through leading and practicing design, Ryann found purpose in developing teams. She watched the most well-intentioned, competent teams struggle to create impact because they lacked the support and curriculum to imbue design beyond densely packed workshops or sprints, and into their daily workflows, collaborations, and mindsets. As a Design Coach and Instructor, Ryann has worked with Harvard University and the Bloomberg Foundation, AmeriCorps, ConsenSys, Sunrun, and other leading institutions leveraging design to make their respective dents in the world's challenges. Her circuitous route to this calling includes her Masters in Public Administration, a stint in the music industry, and an early foundation in digital media production and visual design. When she's not working, Ryann loves learning about the brain and aspires to be more mindful.   Show Highlights [02:05] How Ryann's love of music led her to develop digital design and communications skills. [03:57] Making the switch from English literature to Sociology. [05:14] Ryann's post-undergrad work. [08:05] The graduate course on dealing with wicked problems that introduced Ryann to design thinking. [11:38] Moving to Washington, D.C. after graduation. [13:22] Ryann and Dawan talk about Design Thinking D.C. [17:44] Ryann talks about her work as a civic designer and facilitator. [19:48] What Ryann loves about working at the city level of design. [23:17] How working with cities helps designers build a varied and robust skillset. [25:30] How Ryann helps design teams learn and apply design thinking tools and methods in their work. [28:18] Ryann offers advice for getting a new design team off to a good start. [29:40] The area that is often overlooked by new design teams and organizations looking to innovate. [32:24] Innovation transformation and the 3 things critical for a design team to learn if they want to succeed. [34:23] On the need for organizations to not be afraid to try different methods and processes to see what works best. [36:06] One of the most difficult challenges for leaders when they start working with design thinking. [37:24] How power and identity can create challenges in design thinking work. [38:57] Ryann talks about early struggles with perfectionism. [39:36] Divergent and convergent thinking, and the importance of working with and supporting team members. [42:13] Why trust is so important for teams and the importance of creative conflict. [43:29] Ryann's recent focus on stress on systems and the psychological field of post-traumatic growth. [46:16] Reframing how we think about the things that cause us harm and stress. [49:23] Why facilitation is an important skill for designers and anyone working in design thinking. [56:18] Lessons Ryann learned about remote work. [57:07] Remote work can make it easier to integrate design into an organization's workflows. [58:14] Finding and learning the tools to help create an engaging online experience. [1:00:06] The difference between remote and in-person interactions. [1:03:47] Seeing areas of weakness as opportunities. [1:05:43] Where to find out more about Ryann and her work.   Links  Ryann Hoffman on LinkedIn Staircase Strategy Book Recommendation: Antifragile: Things That Gain From Disorder, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb Book Recommendation: Stronger By Stress: Adapt to Beneficial Stressors to Improve Your Health and Strengthen the Body, by Siim Land Psychology Today, “Why Virtual Communication Can Leave You Worn Out” Brené Brown, The power of vulnerability    Other Design Thinking 101 Episodes You Might Like Design Thinking for the Public Sector + Building and Training Design Thinking Teams with Stephanie Wade — DT101 E14 Teaching Yourself Design Thinking + Innovating in Government with Amy J. Wilson — DT101 E19 Adding System Awareness to System Design to Your Innovation Stack with Julie Guinn — DT101 E43 More Design Thinking 101 Episodes   ________________  Thank you for listening to the show and looking at the show notes. Send your questions, suggestions, and guest ideas to Dawan and the Fluid Hive team. Cheers ~ Dawan Download the Design-Driven Innovation Project Launch Guide — Guide to launching innovation projects and avoiding common innovation traps Design-Driven Innovation. Innovation Smart Start Webinar — Take your innovation projects from frantic to focused! Fluid Hive: Learn — A growing collection of courses, webinars, and articles for people expanding their design thinking, service design, and human-centered design skills.  

Ryann Hoffman is a system designer and design leader specializing in design and complex systems and working with organizations to develop capacity in design thinking and innovation operations.   Show Summary Ryann’s path into design came from an early love of music, playing classical piano, and music composition. She did freelance design projects for teachers while in high school. By the time she went to college, she had strong design and communication skills, and had learned the power of storytelling. Ryann started out with plans for a degree in English, but switched to Sociology and fell in love with it from her very first introductory course. After undergrad, she spent several years working in various fields, including nonprofits and a music tech startup, where she brought her digital communications and design skills to bear on projects like promotional videos, visual design for reports and collaterals, and systems design for music distribution.   While in grad school for Public Administration, she took a class called “Coping with Wicked Problems,” where she was introduced to design thinking. After graduation, she moved to Washington, D.C. became a member of Design Thinking DC, and started what would become her career in systems design, leading to her civic design work today with cities across America and international organizations like The World Bank and the Government of Madagascar.   Listen in to learn about:       Design Thinking D.C.       System design at the municipal and federal level       Advice for launching a new design team       The surprising way “tedium” can trip up a design project       Innovation Transformation       Helping design teams that are working with emotional, difficult topics       Power and identity in design       Post-traumatic growth and helping people find a path to it in positive ways       The importance of designers learning facilitation   Our Guest’s Bio Ryann Hoffman is a systems designer most in flow working in complex problem spaces. She's built and led design work across industries and at organizations including The World Bank and The Government of Madagascar, Capital One, Johns Hopkins Sibley Memorial Hospital, and ConsenSys. Through leading and practicing design, Ryann found purpose in developing teams. She watched the most well-intentioned, competent teams struggle to create impact because they lacked the support and curriculum to imbue design beyond densely packed workshops or sprints, and into their daily workflows, collaborations, and mindsets. As a Design Coach and Instructor, Ryann has worked with Harvard University and the Bloomberg Foundation, AmeriCorps, ConsenSys, Sunrun, and other leading institutions leveraging design to make their respective dents in the world's challenges. Her circuitous route to this calling includes her Masters in Public Administration, a stint in the music industry, and an early foundation in digital media production and visual design. When she's not working, Ryann loves learning about the brain and aspires to be more mindful.   Show Highlights [02:05] How Ryann’s love of music led her to develop digital design and communications skills. [03:57] Making the switch from English literature to Sociology. [05:14] Ryann’s post-undergrad work. [08:05] The graduate course on dealing with wicked problems that introduced Ryann to design thinking. [11:38] Moving to Washington, D.C. after graduation. [13:22] Ryann and Dawan talk about Design Thinking D.C. [17:44] Ryann talks about her work as a civic designer and facilitator. [19:48] What Ryann loves about working at the city level of design. [23:17] How working with cities helps designers build a varied and robust skillset. [25:30] How Ryann helps design teams learn and apply design thinking tools and methods in their work. [28:18] Ryann offers advice for getting a new design team off to a good start. [29:40] The area that is often overlooked by new design teams and organizations looking to innovate. [32:24] Innovation transformation and the 3 things critical for a design team to learn if they want to succeed. [34:23] On the need for organizations to not be afraid to try different methods and processes to see what works best. [36:06] One of the most difficult challenges for leaders when they start working with design thinking. [37:24] How power and identity can create challenges in design thinking work. [38:57] Ryann talks about early struggles with perfectionism. [39:36] Divergent and convergent thinking, and the importance of working with and supporting team members. [42:13] Why trust is so important for teams and the importance of creative conflict. [43:29] Ryann’s recent focus on stress on systems and the psychological field of post-traumatic growth. [46:16] Reframing how we think about the things that cause us harm and stress. [49:23] Why facilitation is an important skill for designers and anyone working in design thinking. [56:18] Lessons Ryann learned about remote work. [57:07] Remote work can make it easier to integrate design into an organization’s workflows. [58:14] Finding and learning the tools to help create an engaging online experience. [1:00:06] The difference between remote and in-person interactions. [1:03:47] Seeing areas of weakness as opportunities. [1:05:43] Where to find out more about Ryann and her work.   Links  Ryann Hoffman on LinkedIn Staircase Strategy Book Recommendation: Antifragile: Things That Gain From Disorder, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb Book Recommendation: Stronger By Stress: Adapt to Beneficial Stressors to Improve Your Health and Strengthen the Body, by Siim Land Psychology Today, “Why Virtual Communication Can Leave You Worn Out” Brené Brown, The power of vulnerability    Other Design Thinking 101 Episodes You Might Like Design Thinking for the Public Sector + Building and Training Design Thinking Teams with Stephanie Wade — DT101 E14 Teaching Yourself Design Thinking + Innovating in Government with Amy J. Wilson — DT101 E19 Adding System Awareness to System Design to Your Innovation Stack with Julie Guinn — DT101 E43 More Design Thinking 101 Episodes   ________________  Thank you for listening to the show and looking at the show notes. Send your questions, suggestions, and guest ideas to Dawan and the Fluid Hive team. Cheers ~ Dawan Download the Design-Driven Innovation Project Launch Guide — Guide to launching innovation projects and avoiding common innovation traps Design-Driven Innovation. Innovation Smart Start Webinar — Take your innovation projects from frantic to focused! Fluid Hive: Learn — A growing collection of courses, webinars, and articles for people expanding their design thinking, service design, and human-centered design skills.  

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What can we learn from political ads about how to better communicate with our customers? John and Angel discuss some of the points from a great article in Center for Civic Design (link here) about how to communicate with voters. But if you remove the word voter and replace it with customers, the same rules apply. Key thoughts 1) Know your media 2) Have a professional media design 3) Answer questions 4) Have a conversationFind out more about John & Angel's businesses! Ondo MediaAngelsCustomCupcakes

What is the role that technology and social media should play in voting practices? What should global citizens know about the impact that technology being used in the US 2020 election voting processes might have on the future of democracy worldwide?  In this episode we interview Shannon McGregor and Whitney Quesenbery. Shannon McGregor is an Assistant Professor in the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media and a Senior Researcher with UNC's Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life. Her research addresses the role of social media and their data in political processes, with a focus on political communication, journalism, public opinion, and gender. Whitney Quesenbery is the executive director of the Center for Civic Design. Whitney is also co-author of two influential Brennan Center reports that show just how much design matters in elections. She was previously chair for Human Factors and Privacy for the Elections Assistance Commission's committee working towards developing voting system guidelines. Full show notes for this episode can be found at Radicalai.org.  If you enjoy this episode please make sure to subscribe, submit a rating and review, and connect with us on twitter at twitter.com/radicalaipod

Please tell us more about what you like about Wireframe. Tap here and complete our audience survey.The fundamental design feature of a democratic society is a citizen's right to vote. But ensuring that every person is able to vote is not as easy as it seems. Everything from how you design a paper ballot, build an electronic terminal, process a mail-in ballot, engineer a public space for private voting, and so on, brings hundreds of complicated design decisions. We look at how design choices are sometimes at odds with political ones.In this episode: Wireframe producer Dominic Girard and host Khoi Vinh learn why designing for elections is a never-ending challenge. After the 2000 US Presidential Election, voter Andre Fladell sued after a flaw in the design of his ballot caused him to vote for the wrong candidate. Drew Davies of Oxide Design loves trying to bring order to ballot chaos, and has been trying to help the civic design process for nearly twenty years. Designer Whitney Quesenbery at the Center for Civic Design has been leading the charge in all things election design - and continues to support election officials on everything from signage, to electronic machines to mail-in ballots. Meanwhile,  Los Angeles County redesigned their voting systems this year. Called the Voter Solutions for All People, it's an ambitious project that updates the county's ballot machines to something modern, electronic, secure and, most importantly, user friendly. Kate Ludicrum and Jon Fox talk about how they helped it come together in time for the California Primary. Read the PDF transcript of this episodeWireframe reveals the stories behind user experience design and how it helps technology fit into our lives. It’s a podcast for UX/UI designers, graphic designers, and the design-curious. Hosted by Khoi Vinh, one of Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business.Learn more about designing with Adobe XD at adobe.ly/tryxd.

Design impacts everything around us, and so does government. Think of all the services you use and experience within local, state, and federal government. Everything from the DMV to elections to unemployment to city streets, government plays a significant role in our lives. Government is, in essence, a service provider. Like any service provider, these services and experiences are designed, either designed well or designed poorly — too often, our interactions with government are not great. On this episode to have two experts, civic designers who are working at different scales and levels of government. We talk about applying design within government, using creative problem solving and innovation to improve service, digital, and physical experiences. We speak with Sabrina Dorsaninvil, Director of Civic Design for the Boston Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics about their work in the urban environment. And we interview Anne Petersen, Director of Experience Design at 18F, an office of federal employees that collaborates with other agencies to improve how government serves the public through technology and more. Plus, we share our weekly dose of good design.For links to resources we discuss on this episode, visit our show page: Civic Design with Intention and Service at the Core

When Whitney Quesenbery talks about elections, she uses phrases like “design tragedy” and “unintended consequences.” Though the number of disabled voters has gone up over the last few decades, the numbers are still scary – and the gap between disabled and non-disabled voters still means millions of uncast votes. A usability and UX leader known for her book “A Web For Everyone,” Quesenbery co-founded the Center for Civic Design to apply UX best practices to promote civic participation. Designing good products by focusing on real human personas and rigorous usability testing in the field, Quesenbery is determined to ensure that not only will voters get a chance to vote but to reduce the chances that a tiny design flaw will cause voters to accidentally vote for the wrong presidential candidate.

Whitney Quesenbery has had a long and influential career in user experience. The author of three books on UX, Whitney has been involved in a lot of projects aimed at making things more usable. But perhaps none of her work is as important as her co-founding and co-directing the Center for Civic Design. Whitney talks about her unintended introduction into the world of experience design through a theater class,  her early work in UX as being user-centric, and how a committee assignment through the Usability Professionals Association led to her life's work on civic design and voting experiences. Listen to her talk about the UX tragedy of the 'butterfly ballot' in the 2000 election, how big experiences come from simple changes, and what people can do to help design better elections. 

Is planning for America anathema to the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness? Is it true, as thinkers such as Friedrich Von Hayek, Milton Friedman, and Ayn Rand have claimed, that planning leads to dictatorship, that the state is economically inefficient, and that prosperity is owed primarily to the workings of a free market? To answer these questions Ian Wray’s book goes in search of an America shaped by government, plans and bureaucrats, not by businesses, bankers and shareholders. He demonstrates that government plans did not damage American wealth. On the contrary, they built it, and in the most profound ways. In three parts, No Little Plans: How Government Built America’s Wealth and Infrastructure (Routledge, 2019) is an intellectual roller coaster. Part I takes the reader downhill, examining the rise and fall of rational planning, and looks at the converging bands of planning critics, led on the right by the Chicago School of Economics, on the left by the rise of conservation and the ‘counterculture’, and two brilliantly iconoclastic writers – Jane Jacobs and Rachel Carson. In Part II, eight case studies take us from the trans-continental railroads through the national parks, the Federal dams and hydropower schemes, the wartime arsenal of democracy, to the postwar interstate highways, planning for New York, the moon shot and the creation of the internet. These are stories of immense government achievement. Part III looks at what might lie ahead, reflecting on a huge irony: the ideology which underpins the economic and political rise of Asia (by which America now feels so threatened) echoes the pragmatic plans and actions which once secured America’s rise to globalism. Ian Wray is Visiting Professor in Civic Design and Heseltine Institute Fellow at the University of Liverpool. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and Vice Chair of World Heritage UK. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is planning for America anathema to the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness? Is it true, as thinkers such as Friedrich Von Hayek, Milton Friedman, and Ayn Rand have claimed, that planning leads to dictatorship, that the state is economically inefficient, and that prosperity is owed primarily to the workings of a free market? To answer these questions Ian Wray’s book goes in search of an America shaped by government, plans and bureaucrats, not by businesses, bankers and shareholders. He demonstrates that government plans did not damage American wealth. On the contrary, they built it, and in the most profound ways. In three parts, No Little Plans: How Government Built America’s Wealth and Infrastructure (Routledge, 2019) is an intellectual roller coaster. Part I takes the reader downhill, examining the rise and fall of rational planning, and looks at the converging bands of planning critics, led on the right by the Chicago School of Economics, on the left by the rise of conservation and the ‘counterculture’, and two brilliantly iconoclastic writers – Jane Jacobs and Rachel Carson. In Part II, eight case studies take us from the trans-continental railroads through the national parks, the Federal dams and hydropower schemes, the wartime arsenal of democracy, to the postwar interstate highways, planning for New York, the moon shot and the creation of the internet. These are stories of immense government achievement. Part III looks at what might lie ahead, reflecting on a huge irony: the ideology which underpins the economic and political rise of Asia (by which America now feels so threatened) echoes the pragmatic plans and actions which once secured America’s rise to globalism. Ian Wray is Visiting Professor in Civic Design and Heseltine Institute Fellow at the University of Liverpool. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and Vice Chair of World Heritage UK. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is planning for America anathema to the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness? Is it true, as thinkers such as Friedrich Von Hayek, Milton Friedman, and Ayn Rand have claimed, that planning leads to dictatorship, that the state is economically inefficient, and that prosperity is owed primarily to the workings of a free market? To answer these questions Ian Wray’s book goes in search of an America shaped by government, plans and bureaucrats, not by businesses, bankers and shareholders. He demonstrates that government plans did not damage American wealth. On the contrary, they built it, and in the most profound ways. In three parts, No Little Plans: How Government Built America’s Wealth and Infrastructure (Routledge, 2019) is an intellectual roller coaster. Part I takes the reader downhill, examining the rise and fall of rational planning, and looks at the converging bands of planning critics, led on the right by the Chicago School of Economics, on the left by the rise of conservation and the ‘counterculture’, and two brilliantly iconoclastic writers – Jane Jacobs and Rachel Carson. In Part II, eight case studies take us from the trans-continental railroads through the national parks, the Federal dams and hydropower schemes, the wartime arsenal of democracy, to the postwar interstate highways, planning for New York, the moon shot and the creation of the internet. These are stories of immense government achievement. Part III looks at what might lie ahead, reflecting on a huge irony: the ideology which underpins the economic and political rise of Asia (by which America now feels so threatened) echoes the pragmatic plans and actions which once secured America’s rise to globalism. Ian Wray is Visiting Professor in Civic Design and Heseltine Institute Fellow at the University of Liverpool. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and Vice Chair of World Heritage UK. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is planning for America anathema to the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness? Is it true, as thinkers such as Friedrich Von Hayek, Milton Friedman, and Ayn Rand have claimed, that planning leads to dictatorship, that the state is economically inefficient, and that prosperity is owed primarily to the workings of a free market? To answer these questions Ian Wray’s book goes in search of an America shaped by government, plans and bureaucrats, not by businesses, bankers and shareholders. He demonstrates that government plans did not damage American wealth. On the contrary, they built it, and in the most profound ways. In three parts, No Little Plans: How Government Built America’s Wealth and Infrastructure (Routledge, 2019) is an intellectual roller coaster. Part I takes the reader downhill, examining the rise and fall of rational planning, and looks at the converging bands of planning critics, led on the right by the Chicago School of Economics, on the left by the rise of conservation and the ‘counterculture’, and two brilliantly iconoclastic writers – Jane Jacobs and Rachel Carson. In Part II, eight case studies take us from the trans-continental railroads through the national parks, the Federal dams and hydropower schemes, the wartime arsenal of democracy, to the postwar interstate highways, planning for New York, the moon shot and the creation of the internet. These are stories of immense government achievement. Part III looks at what might lie ahead, reflecting on a huge irony: the ideology which underpins the economic and political rise of Asia (by which America now feels so threatened) echoes the pragmatic plans and actions which once secured America’s rise to globalism. Ian Wray is Visiting Professor in Civic Design and Heseltine Institute Fellow at the University of Liverpool. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and Vice Chair of World Heritage UK. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is planning for America anathema to the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness? Is it true, as thinkers such as Friedrich Von Hayek, Milton Friedman, and Ayn Rand have claimed, that planning leads to dictatorship, that the state is economically inefficient, and that prosperity is owed primarily to the workings of a free market? To answer these questions Ian Wray’s book goes in search of an America shaped by government, plans and bureaucrats, not by businesses, bankers and shareholders. He demonstrates that government plans did not damage American wealth. On the contrary, they built it, and in the most profound ways. In three parts, No Little Plans: How Government Built America’s Wealth and Infrastructure (Routledge, 2019) is an intellectual roller coaster. Part I takes the reader downhill, examining the rise and fall of rational planning, and looks at the converging bands of planning critics, led on the right by the Chicago School of Economics, on the left by the rise of conservation and the ‘counterculture’, and two brilliantly iconoclastic writers – Jane Jacobs and Rachel Carson. In Part II, eight case studies take us from the trans-continental railroads through the national parks, the Federal dams and hydropower schemes, the wartime arsenal of democracy, to the postwar interstate highways, planning for New York, the moon shot and the creation of the internet. These are stories of immense government achievement. Part III looks at what might lie ahead, reflecting on a huge irony: the ideology which underpins the economic and political rise of Asia (by which America now feels so threatened) echoes the pragmatic plans and actions which once secured America’s rise to globalism. Ian Wray is Visiting Professor in Civic Design and Heseltine Institute Fellow at the University of Liverpool. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and Vice Chair of World Heritage UK. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest today is Cyd Harrell. Cyd is a product, service design, and user research leader focused on the civic and government space. In this conversation, we discuss the differences between designing for civic and commercial projects and what it takes to design respectful systems that stand the test of time. Listen to the full conversation https://theinformeddotlife.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/the-informed-life-episode-27-cyd-harrell-1.mp3   Show notes Cyd Harrell on Twitter Center for Civic Design Code for America 18F California Courts CanUX UX for Institutions (Cyd's design deck from CanUX 2019) A sketchnote of Cyd's presentation by Eva-Lotta Lamm The Constitution of the United States Tim O'Reilly Jorge's pace layer diagram Living in Information: Responsible Design for Digital Places by Jorge Arango Pace Layering: How Complex Systems Keep Growing and Learning by Stewart Brand How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They're Built by Stewart Brand L.A. libraries will stop collecting late fees for overdue books and other materials (Los Angeles Times) Asimov's Laws of Robotics Read the full transcript Jorge: So Cyd, welcome to the show. Cyd: Thank you so much Jorge, I'm excited to be here. Jorge: For folks who may not be familiar with you and your work, can you please introduce yourself? Cyd: Yes. Hi, I'm Cyd Harrell and I am a user researcher by core discipline, but I also do a bit of product management and service design. And for the last seven years or so, I've been working pretty exclusively in the civic and government space. I left a job when my little research firm that I was working for, Bolt Peters, was bought by Facebook, and I wanted to do something a little deeper. I ended up at that point starting out with the Center for Civic Design, working on one of their field guides to ensuring voter intent on a six-month research project about county-level election websites. And everything kind of went from there. I spent time at Code for America as their Head of UX, and then Head of Product, and then I went to 18 F for a turn helping the Federal Government digitize or make better digital services for citizens and residents. And after a two-year term there, I came over to the California Courts. I can't talk too much about work that's in flight at the Courts, but I can talk in general terms about it and I think I would have a hard time going back to the private sector at this point. So that's kind of where I am. Jorge: What is it about working in the civic space that you like so much? Cyd: I think it's that — and this will probably be counterintuitive for people — I absolutely love the public servants that I meet and the commitments that they have to doing work that benefits a large swath of the public. There's a sort of myth that government is inefficient because people don't care and it's something the opposite of that. There are a tremendous number of people who care and who don't necessarily have access to the tools or the practices or the communities to help them do the best design, the best technology implementations. It's really hard work, but when it does work, the impact can be really huge. Jorge: The civic space is something that we're all participants in. It's not like in in the commercial domain where we are kind of willing participants in some ways; we literally buy into the space. But when it comes to the civic space, that's part of everyone's infrastructure, no? Cyd: That's right. And that's one of the things that's interesting about it in some way, because this is a democracy, we're all owners. And so, you would think that when you walk into a government agency to get service, you might have a feeling that you're interacting on that level. It's not always the case, and that can be done a lot better. One of the other things is that as you say, we're not necessarily willing participants. I can't go up the road and get my business permit from a different city than the one I live in if I don't happen to like the service or the rules. So, it starts to be kind of a moral obligation from my perspective to provide a respectful user experience to people who interact with government. And that's something that tends to really resonate with public servants when they're able to see the impact that their work has on people. That's probably my favorite kind of moment when I can bring someone who maybe hasn't had a good feedback loop with users to realize that the hard work that they do — maybe they're doing something like improving a form or making a public signage easier to read or something that seems kind of mundane — and they may not have access to see what improvements that provides to the public. But if I can bring them to see it, they can almost reconnect with a service mission and get really excited once again about the work that they committed to do very often as a long-term career. Jorge: You gave a presentation earlier this year at the CanUX conference that… I have not seen the presentation; I was not at CanUX, but my understanding is that you delved into specifically user experience design for institutions. Cyd: Yes. That's a bit of a hobby horse of mine. Jorge: I was wondering if you could relate to the listeners of this show a little bit of what you were getting into with that presentation. Cyd: Absolutely. So, you know, it comes out of my work in government and talking with colleagues who work in institutions like healthcare or like education. And I tend to think of an institution as something that acts, not just at scale, but over time. So government, the programs that we put in place now might affect people over decades, maybe even over centuries. And it requires a different kind of thinking than optimizing something that we know is going to be superseded by another technology in a few months or a few years. And one of the really interesting things about our time right now is that we interact with these long timescales in institutions via the short timescale technologies that we have in our hands, like smart phones or apps or the web. And a lot of the conversation around user experience right now is kind of around optimization. I'm making more exciting, more delightful, digital products that convert or that sell or that sell ads. And working in small cycles in an agile way that suits the engineering methods of the time that suits the kind of metrics, methods of the time and that I think actually makes it difficult for UX practitioners to really think about the deeper people-oriented values that we have to get into. So this is why I asked to borrow that diagram from your book for the presentation about the pace layers. We talk a lot about things at the top level, and that's very easy to talk about. And then thinking about, how did I want to say to the folks at CanUX that we have the ability to work with values, like for example, respect? Respect is for me a really important value in almost every design, but also in particular for government, where whatever the government agency is, it's interacting with someone who is perhaps an owner because they're part of a democracy, or who certainly is someone whose dignity is protected in foundational documents like the Constitution and so forth. If we start to imagine, the easy one for most people is, what if you went to the DMV and it was a respectful experience? What would it be like if I'm getting a business permit or even something simple like signing your kid up for a class at the library? What if that respected your time and your dignity and your abilities in full? You can start to get even more speculative. What if we came up with a way to make arrests as respectful as possible of the person experiencing them? Why don't we do that? What would that imply about every feature of a design? Let's do something a little bit less critical, say applying for public benefits. What if we took the processes and made sure that they were respectful of the time and the needs and the abilities of our fellow citizens who are experiencing difficulty and need our collective help? These things don't fit very title and to an AB test, and they don't necessarily fit very tightly into a sprint. But to my mind, this is the kind of work that a lot of UX practitioners went into the field to do. And pieces of my talk were around encouraging people to think this way and sharing some of my experiences with some really new design values to me and my work at the Courts. For example, neutrality or impartiality is a critical court value. The challenge is almost everything we think about web design right now. So the court can't really be concerned with whether you actually file your divorce case. It's of no particular benefit to it whether you do or not. But at the same time, it wants to make it easy for you to do what you need to do without an opinion. And that's so very contrary to the commercial way that so much practice has thought about. You know, how do we get people to align their needs with our business needs so that we can all do well together? Jorge: If I might read back to you what I'm seeing as a primary distinction between the two fields is, so much of what we do in the commercial realm is about persuasion. You know, trying to persuade someone to use a certain product or service or try to persuade them to use it in a particular way. And it strikes me that in the civic space, it has to be more neutral. It has to be less about persuasion and more about things like usability and findability. Cyd: Yes. And you know, the government has legitimate interests, I think, particularly on the Executive branch side, they might want to use some of those techniques. California for example, has a policy that everyone who is eligible for food aid should be enrolled, if at all possible, if they are willing. So, they might use some of those techniques to try and persuade people to enroll in a program. It's a little bit different with the Court. It's the only thing I've ever worked with where it has neutrality, impartiality as a core value, and we're making a website.  Jorge: For the purpose of folks listening who might not have seen it, it might be worthwhile to just describe this diagram that you're alluding to. So, it's a diagram that appears in my book Living in Information, and it's really a riff off Stewart Brand's famous shearing layers or pace layer diagram that describes how things change over time. And one of the points that he makes with this thing is that there are many things in the world that we perceive as changing somewhat homogeneously, or all at the same time. But in reality, they're composed of things that change at different rates. So, there are parts of it that change faster than others. Buildings is an example, and the original version of this thing came out in his book, How Buildings Learn, which is about how buildings change over time. Anyways, the version that appears in my book has to do with the design of information environments. And the layers there are, from slowest to fastest changing, the purpose of the system, the strategy of the organization that is implementing that, the governance set-up of the organization to implement that strategy, a set of structures that make it possible for the governance to be implemented, and then finally, what I call in the book “form,” which is the stuff that we experience, things like apps and websites and that sort of thing. But, just from looking at the material that came out of CanUX, I know that you've made some interesting changes, additions to this. Right? Cyd: So, I added on a little bit to make a point that I wanted to, starting with… Jorge's diagram looks a little bit like a WIFI symbol, but with arrows as the lines are coming towards the right. And I identified as sort of the current realm of design, the structure and form layers where we're thinking about the actual things that get delivered to users or experienced by users, and also the structures, the processes by which we make them, the immediate systems that we use in the making of them. So that would include anything like our tools, our sprint structures, our team organizations. But that deeper down, governance can kind of go either way, but strategy and purpose are really layers that make an institution what it is. And when and if designers are able to work with strategy and purpose and kind of the deeper parts of governance, we can do things that really have a huge effect on experience over time. And much of the UX conversation right now is kind of on the form and structure and governance of doing apps and software at scale. But the questions that we most want to ask, if we are able to get in there and shift some of the purpose and strategy conversations using the tools of listening and synthesis that are the core part of our practice, we can have our work have effect over a lot longer timescale. And that's valuable for institutional work, but I think it's also valuable as we think about the mass of software that's really becoming a major part of a lot of people's lives in the last couple of decades. Jorge: I'm reminded of something that I read, I think from Tim O'Reilly, where he made the point that oftentimes we confuse politics with governance, right? And those are very different realms. And there is some overlap between them in that the way that our societies are set up, the folks who manage the governance processes come to those positions often through political means, but they're very different things, and they have different intents, no? Cyd: They are, yes. Politics is in some ways, shorter term. It has cycles and you might meet many civil servants who either have been in place or intend to be in place for 20 years, 30 years, 40 years. It was really, really interesting to me when I went to the Federal Government, I started in May of 2016 and I figured I was going to get a chance to see a presidential transition, which would be just interesting from a process perspective and I got a lot more than I bargained for on that front. It was a very different transition than expected. Of course, we're talking about the election of President Trump, if anyone is hearing this a long time forward. And watching how the career public servants dealt with the fact that there was this inexperienced kind of anti-government, potentially enormously disruptive set of people coming to power, and the language that they used to de-politicize it in talking about their work. So, they would say things like, “Well, the previous administration really favored assistance to labor organizations. The current administration has a different perspective.” Or, “The previous administration favored the Paris climate treaty, and the current administration has made some different decisions.” And you could tell from the way that people would say it that they had feelings about it. But the way that they used that language put them in a position to do what they could to smooth out and keep a continuity going across this very disruptive political interlude. Jorge: So how does one go about doing design work in information environments for longer-term purposes? Cyd: So, it ends up involving a ton of social work. Oh, let me think how I want to put this. It requires us to think, and not just qualitatively, but almost speculatively. In the presentation, I talk about the idea of “what if,” and I think I used the term when I was explaining around respect, what if we could make the experience of arrest as respectful as possible? Asking that kind of question starts to allow you — and you have to do a bunch of organizational work to get permission to put it into place — but it starts to allow you to look at design values that are below the surface. And I think in your diagram, talking about is sort of the strategy and governance level. So, at a governance level, if we really wanted to consider respectful arrest, what kinds of rules, what kinds of regulations, what kinds of accountability would need to be in place? How would we know if we wanted to talk about strategy, it would need to affect entire organism? By the way, nobody's doing this particular thing. So, this is just a thought experiment, but it would need to affect all levels of strategic thinking in an organization. If we wanted to change something that is that core. Because right now, the way that it's done, not that that's not a core value in those kinds of interactions with the public. You know, there are certain exceptions where we are arresting high status people at a protest. We try to be gentle about it because we know they're going to get out. I don't have a lot of expertise in policing, so I don't want to, you know, go too deep into specifics in my thought experiment. But just asking the question, what if it was like this? Why don't we do that? In the courts, there's some really interesting stuff around accuracy, which is obviously another incredibly important value and also tends to be thought of by experienced legal experts as, “making sure that no legal experts can poke holes in what I've said,” which is a very valid definition for it, given the way that things work in the courts and given the training that people get. But it's a difficult one for people who are on their own in the legal system or who are not experts because they may get too much information or the wrong kind of information. They may not come away with an accurate impression of what they need to know. And so, one of the things I've been doing there is asking, “what if?” What if we defined accuracy by what a person takes away from here? And what happens in response to that question? Because I have the standing in the organization to ask it to some, some interesting people. I hear what the barriers are. And I hear also what the other values are. That might be really important. What if we did that? Well, we might end up telling someone something that is technically wrong, which could get us in trouble in a case at some point. That's pretty important to know that those are the risks that people are considering, which enables me to then think about designing and, you know… Not even really designing towards the end user here, but I'm designing towards people who might be writing content. Okay, how can we think about those risks? Who can I work with to draw into this process, to design a process that takes appropriate account of those risks, but also has an end point where the things that we put out for the public are going to meet a definition of accuracy that serves the public. Whose support in the organization am I going to need to make people feel comfortable with taking those risks? And so then I have a whole new set of hypotheses and things on my to do list to work on, but they are a little bit more concrete, a little bit more informed, and if I'm able to shift something along that particular value, it's the kind of thing where if people make a different assumption about what accuracy means or what our clients need for accuracy is, or how we might best meet that need and also meet our obligations as a profession to the more standard definition of accuracy. Those people themselves, not just me, are doing a newer kind of thinking and that begins to get embedded in the institution, and then it's deeper layers of design value in a way that I know can stick after I've left. Whereas if I just work on designing a nicer webpage and leaving sort of surface level instructions about content or language, you know, “We use short words. We don't use a lot of helper terms. We always define legal specialist terms.” Those things are all important, but they don't tell you why, and they don't help embed that deeper definition into the slower-changing, deeper layer of an organization. Jorge: I want to reflect that back to you because I think this is a hugely important point that you're making, and I want to make sure that I'm getting it right. There is a distinction between doing design work at the level of the artifacts that people will be interacting with — screen-level stuff, let's call it — in the digital space. And then there's another level at which designers can operate, which has to do with the framing of the problems, right? Or the framing of the situation they're dealing with. In this case, part of the framing includes, “What is our definition of success here?” Like if we're talking about accuracy, that word “accuracy” might mean different things to different people, and it might be within the remit of the folks who are designing these systems… Rather, I'll be, I'll be more practical. I'll say it should be within the remit of the folks who are designing these systems to really nail down the definition of those terms, especially when it comes to the ones that are being used to measure the effectiveness of the system. Is that fair? Cyd: Yes. I think that's absolutely right. And you're sort of circling around a point about design goals, I think, which is something I've also been thinking about recently. So, my current partners are new to setting design goals except for I want things to be better, I want things to be good for the user, I want things to be simple and modern. And I asked a on Twitter a few months ago for some examples of good sets of design goals, and nearly all of the ones I got back were around, this is how we practice. You know, we practice with respect for users. We put our users' needs first, really important stuff. But I was surprised that I wasn't able to find as many people saying things like this goal around a specific definition of accuracy, “this is what we are going for.” You know, respect is our top value. Excitement is our top value. A consistent sense of safety and support is our top value. I don't feel, and it could just be mine at work, but I don't feel like I hear as much about those types of design goals as I did maybe 10 years ago. And in the work that I have ended up doing in the civic space, it's ended up being one of the most important things. I actually have such respect for people who work on the screen-level stuff and the material aspects, and I think it's really important for designers to have a strong understanding of what we're working with, what we're making things out of. But at the same time, if we don't know why we're making what we're making and how we'll know it's working, as you put it, then all of that can be for naught. Jorge: This example that you're using about the arrest is very powerful, because when you were first enumerating your list of services, I think you said things like, get a driver's license, apply for a library card… And then you list arrests as one of those interactions, let's call it, with authority. Cyd: It is absolutely an interaction with government. Jorge: Absolutely. Right? But it's an interaction that I think that for a lot of us, it's kind of in a different set than something like applying for a library card, which… Well, to begin with, the context in which those interactions happen is very different, the levels of stress involved are very different, the degree of agency of the person… Gosh, I want to say, “receiving the service,” but that's not right. I mean, even the language becomes fraught. So, I think that the very fact of just framing the conversation in terms of the values that you want to get out of the system strikes me as incredibly powerful. And then this seems like a good example. Cyd: It's a very provocative one. I use it sometimes in workshops with government folks, you know, as just a… Let's just take this over somewhere where it's going to be hard to think about, and then I ask them to think of other pairs of things that are hard to think about. Jorge: From a service design perspective, applying for a library card is kind of an easy problem to solve as compared to something like the process of an arrest, no? Cyd: So, you know, it's funny about libraries though. I don't know if you heard that a couple of weeks ago, the County of Los Angeles canceled all their library fines and they got back thousands of books. And there've been some interviews, and it's not so much because people couldn't afford the fines as because they were ashamed. And so, the process of applying for the card is a fairly simple service design. And yet the whole experience of being a member of this institutional library and how it treats you actually has some hooks into those deeper emotions and sort of deeper senses of worth. Jorge: Just hearing you describe this makes me think about how important it is for the people who are involved with the design of these systems to really get into the mindset of the folks who will be interacting with them. Cyd: Yes, yes. There's absolutely no substitute for close observation, receptiveness, real research, and context. And this applies to private sector things as well. And in some ways, you know, the way that the public sector can lead is it's fairly obvious that there's a public sector monopoly on certain things. There's a moral obligation to treat people in accordance with their rights and duties. But in the private sector, you can also think about these values. So, one of the things that I said in my talk is, how do we think about software as an institution? It's starting to be something that really affects people at scale and over time. And how can we think about how our work affects those deeper values in the institution of software, if indeed we want to name it that at this point. You can go back to Isaac Asimov's robotics laws and so forth. But as we're starting to have even more explicit and integrated interactions with software just as part of our daily lives, what do we as designers want to put forward as critical and underlying values for the way that software interacts with people? What about for the way that software gets developed? How does that affect it? Jorge: I wholeheartedly agree, Cyd. And that strikes me as a great place to wrap the conversation. Where can folks follow up with you? Cyd: Twitter is probably best. I'm just my name, Cyd Harrell on there. Jorge: Well, great. Thank you so much for being on the show, Cyd. Cyd: My pleasure. It was really fun to talk to you again.

Civic design focuses on the common good, and no one quite sums up just how vital that is to our local communities than this week's guest, Sabrina Dorsainvil. As the director of civic design for the Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics in Boston, MA, she uses her skills as a designer and illustrator to develop strategic, human-centered designs that address some of the city's most complex issues.Of course, I was fascinated to learn more about this, so Sabrina described what civic design is about, how she approaches new projects, and the challenges she faces creating solutions that inform and serve hundreds of thousands of people. She also gave some great advice for designers and creatives who want to get more involved in their local communities, and even talked about her work as a design advisor for NY-based design studio designing the WE. Sabrina attributes trusting her passion as her main motivator for success, and I think you'll get inspired from hearing more about her story and her work!Sabrina Dorsainvil's WebsiteSabrina Dorsainvil on TwitterSabrina Dorsainvil on InstagramNew Urban Mechanics on TwitterLike this episode? Then subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, Spotify, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.Subscribe and leave us a 5-star rating and a review! Thanks so much to all of you who have already rated and reviewed us!Revision Path is a Glitch Media Network podcast, and is produced by Maurice Cherry and edited by Brittani Brown.You can also follow Revision Path on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Come chat with us! And thanks for listening!Powered by Simplecast. Sign up today for a 14-day free trial!

Jared Spool and Dana Chisnell join Tim Keirnan for a conversation about what Tim is calling the "buzzwordification" of UX. Has the increasing notoriety of this profession label helped us? Has it hindered us? Maybe it's a balance of pro and con. Maybe we just need to meet in a rental car in a parking garage somewhere in Dearborn and hash it out. Jared can be found at User Interface Engineering and the Center Centre school. Check the UIE site for his upcoming appearances in a city near you. Dana can be found at the Center for Civic Design. She is also, among many other wonderful things, the co-author of the legendary Handbook of Usability Testing 2nd Edition. She travels, too. Meet her if you can. This is the second in a series of indeterminate length. While not linked in any way beside the topic, you may also be interested in listening to the first conversation in the series with Serena Rosenhan and Keith Instone.

The IntroLouisa has been inspired by the Geiger Counter she saw on the Chernobyl series and is spruiking her idea of a FUDometer (for detecting Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) for cybersecurity and how they could be helpful at conferences and for holding over brochure wareWhy Fear is annoying and not effective – something highlighted by studies and industry thought leaders (links to mentioned research below)Why Dr Jess is the perfect guest to talk to us about the psychology of fearThe ChatDr Jessica Barker has a PhD is one of the top 20 most influential women in cyber security in the UK and we are thrilled to have her in the café with us!https://www.cygenta.co.uk/jess-bioWe talk about;How Jess came from a PHD in Civic Design into Cyber Security and her insights from googling cyber security and what happened when she joined the professionThe psychology of fear and what it has to do with cyber securityWhy there is fear in cybersecurity – we are talking about something scary after allBut there is an issue with how people respond to a fear-based message – an area Jess has researched in detailThe messaging of what’s in it for me and why that is importanceWhy it’s important to ensure security doesn’t impact on productivity or become a blockerHow and why use security champions and ambassadors – to spread the message AND to take feedbackWhat the key indicators of mature cyber security cultures areHow the way Phishing simulations are run can be an indicator of maturityHow to measure cyber security cultureThe importance of giving people a chance to talk about how security is working and where it isn’tHow to shape your awareness messaging based on the culture you wantThe importance of bringing culture and policy closer togetherHow culture is different company to company and the importance of understanding the businessWe discuss the Research (link below under RESEARCH) that Dr Jess undertook with Palo Alto and YouGov which includesHow people feel about how well they are protecting their data onlineOptimism biasThe demographics in terms of who was more confidentHow we must consider the level of confidence when communicatingWe discuss whether the optimism aligns with how much is lost to Cybercrime and scamsWhy we need to do more to protect the broader society and personal security issues – there is a gap from the corporate level to the awareness for the general population and why googling doesn’t helpThe need to show people the HOW attacks can happen to demystifyThe need to ensure people engage in the danger and not the fear – they must be empoweredHow to follow Jess:Visit: https://www.Cygenta.co.ukTwitter @DrjessicabarkerCREDITSGuest: Dr Jessica Barker https://www.cygenta.co.uk/jess-bioHosts: Beverley Roche and Louisa VogelenzangProducer/Editor: Louisa VogelenzangSound Producer: Darcy Milne (Propodcastproduction.com)RESEARCHThe Global Cybersecurity capacity centre 2014 working paper on awareness campaigns:https://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/cybersecurity-capacity/system/files/Awareness CampaignsDraftWorkingPaper.pdfDavid Spark’s Article on why CISOs find selling using fear annoying:https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidspark/2018/03/06/9-reasons-why-selling-fear-does-not-work-on-a-ciso-cisosecurity-vendor-relationship/#55f291a12a1dLouisa’s article on appropriate use of fear and what we can learn from the health industry:https://www.fudfreecyber.org/post/appropriate-use-of-fear-5-lessons-the-cyber-security-industry-can-learn-from-the-health-industryTrust in the digital age research from Palo Alto, YouGov and Dr Jessica Barker:https://blog.cygenta.co.uk/trust_survey/CONTACT THE CYBERSECURITY CAFÉJoin our LinkedIn Group https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-cybersecurity-caféEmail us:louisa@cybersecuritycafe.com.aubeverley@cybersecuritycafe.com.auWant to be on the show? Send us your bio and an overview on what you want to chat about and we’ll be in touch asap.We also welcome guest suggestions – in particular we’d love to hear from new voices in the industry who have new ideas to share about the human side of security.

The IntroLouisa has been inspired by the Geiger Counter she saw on the Chernobyl series and is spruiking her idea of a FUDometer (for detecting Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) for cybersecurity and how they could be helpful at conferences and for holding over brochure wareWhy Fear is annoying and not effective – something highlighted by studies and industry thought leaders (links to mentioned research below)Why Dr Jess is the perfect guest to talk to us about the psychology of fearThe ChatDr Jessica Barker has a PhD is one of the top 20 most influential women in cyber security in the UK and we are thrilled to have her in the café with us!https://www.cygenta.co.uk/jess-bioWe talk about;How Jess came from a PHD in Civic Design into Cyber Security and her insights from googling cyber security and what happened when she joined the professionThe psychology of fear and what it has to do with cyber securityWhy there is fear in cybersecurity – we are talking about something scary after allBut there is an issue with how people respond to a fear-based message – an area Jess has researched in detailThe messaging of what's in it for me and why that is importanceWhy it's important to ensure security doesn't impact on productivity or become a blockerHow and why use security champions and ambassadors – to spread the message AND to take feedbackWhat the key indicators of mature cyber security cultures areHow the way Phishing simulations are run can be an indicator of maturityHow to measure cyber security cultureThe importance of giving people a chance to talk about how security is working and where it isn'tHow to shape your awareness messaging based on the culture you wantThe importance of bringing culture and policy closer togetherHow culture is different company to company and the importance of understanding the businessWe discuss the Research (link below under RESEARCH) that Dr Jess undertook with Palo Alto and YouGov which includesHow people feel about how well they are protecting their data onlineOptimism biasThe demographics in terms of who was more confidentHow we must consider the level of confidence when communicatingWe discuss whether the optimism aligns with how much is lost to Cybercrime and scamsWhy we need to do more to protect the broader society and personal security issues – there is a gap from the corporate level to the awareness for the general population and why googling doesn't helpThe need to show people the HOW attacks can happen to demystifyThe need to ensure people engage in the danger and not the fear – they must be empoweredHow to follow Jess:Visit: https://www.Cygenta.co.ukTwitter @DrjessicabarkerCREDITSGuest: Dr Jessica Barker https://www.cygenta.co.uk/jess-bioHosts: Beverley Roche and Louisa VogelenzangProducer/Editor: Louisa VogelenzangSound Producer: Darcy Milne (Propodcastproduction.com)RESEARCHThe Global Cybersecurity capacity centre 2014 working paper on awareness campaigns:https://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/cybersecurity-capacity/system/files/Awareness CampaignsDraftWorkingPaper.pdfDavid Spark's Article on why CISOs find selling using fear annoying:https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidspark/2018/03/06/9-reasons-why-selling-fear-does-not-work-on-a-ciso-cisosecurity-vendor-relationship/#55f291a12a1dLouisa's article on appropriate use of fear and what we can learn from the health industry:https://www.fudfreecyber.org/post/appropriate-use-of-fear-5-lessons-the-cyber-security-industry-can-learn-from-the-health-industryTrust in the digital age research from Palo Alto, YouGov and Dr Jessica Barker:https://blog.cygenta.co.uk/trust_survey/CONTACT THE CYBERSECURITY CAFÉJoin our LinkedIn Group https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-cybersecurity-caféEmail us:louisa@cybersecuritycafe.com.aubeverley@cybersecuritycafe.com.auWant to be on the show? Send us your bio and an overview on what you want to chat about and we'll be in touch asap.We also welcome guest suggestions – in particular we'd love to hear from new voices in the industry who have new ideas to share about the human side of security.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Founded in 2000, the Nashville Civic Design Center (NCDC) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to elevate the quality of Nashville's built environment and to promote public participation in the creation of a more beautiful and functional city for all. the NCDC Promotes the Ten Principles of The Plan of Nashville. Educates the public about civic design through: lectures by prominent speakers; presentations on the history and practice of urban design; and continuing education opportunities for design and development professionals Provides professional staff and highly qualified design interns to consult on civic and other community development projects. Facilitates public dialogue about civic design and its impact in Nashville. Researches and publishes reports on various civic design issues. Learn more: https://www.civicdesigncenter.org/

Hear directly from two Maine voters as they tell Rosemary Blizzard what it was like to vote in their state's historic RCV elections last year. Resources mentioned in this episode: Usability Study: www.rankedchoicevoting.org/usability Maine's RCV Ballots: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1cwKxadtweuIY1C1F7iM_fB9Zybwtlgj8 Maine's voter education materials: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/0B3K2g6lIQMWsLTA4NjVyblgxdzQ Check out the Center for Civic Design's other great work, too: civicdesign.org. Transcript: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1lg5qyiWJuJ64tvMfKs7go27jIwbReDga

In this 100th episode of the Rosenfeld Review podcast, Lou talks with Whitney Quesenbery, co-author of two Rosenfeld Media books, about her work at Center for Civic Design. Hear about how Whitney works to improve federal voting standards at the procedural and product levels to make voting a part of everyday life. Learn more about Center for Civic Design: https://civicdesign.org/ Follow their Medium publication: https://medium.com/civic-designing

Is there a way to make elections more fair and get voters excited? Can we create a system that encourages us to talk about the issues?Find RCV for Colorado on social media at facebook.com/@rcvforcolorado or at their website below to learn more.Transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSheLVsiXYYwm4VFLuhY7B-L--7-YV0H2wkLecHHAW4ds1p2xhH1J0AfpjORt05UN62uAzFkwhnNw-8/pubArticles and items we referenced:Ranked Choice Voting for Colorado: https://rcvforcolorado.org/A Brief History of Voting from Fair Vote: https://www.fairvote.org/a-brief-history-of-ranked-choice-votingDon't Throw Away Your Vote, May 29, 2018:https://whowhatwhy.org/2018/05/29/dont-throw-away-your-vote-ranked-choice-elections-gather-momentum/Why 5% for the Green Party is a win for America, CNBC, Oct 27, 2016:https://www.cnbc.com/2016/10/27/why-5-for-the-green-party-is-a-win-for-america-jill-stein-commentary.htmlCould Maine's new ranked-choice voting change American elections?, Boston Globe, Oct 17, 2017:https://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2018/10/17/could-maine-new-ranked-choice-voting-change-american-elections/6VqNC73bQzMrPd0RSepA8L/story.htmlThe fastest growing voting bloc in America isn't what you think it is, Apr 28, 2016:https://www.bustle.com/articles/157646-the-fastest-growing-voting-bloc-in-america-isnt-what-you-think-it-isCenter for Civic Design:https://civicdesign.org/BiCurean Moment:Mike Foote_ Amendment 74 threatens legal free-for-all - Boulder Daily, Sep 15, 2018http://www.dailycamera.com/guest-opinions/ci_32140634/mike-foote-amendment-74-threatens-legal-free-allTags: Ranked Choice Voting, RCV, RCV for Colorado, voting, vote, gotv, spoiler effect, elections, voter turnout, increase, third party, cost, implementation, audit, John Stuart Mill, minority voice, consensus, extremist, moderate, central, largest voting block, Maine, Telluride, League of Women Voters, values, fairness, electoral college, Fair Vote, non partisan, run off, increased turnout, cost savings, beer elections, voter engagement, talk about the issues, discourse, amendment 74, voter's guide, local politics, civic responsibility★ Support this podcast ★

Whitney Quesenbery, of the Center for Civic Design, talks to us about CCD's work on ranked choice voting usability: designing RCV election materials for the everyday voter. RCV Usability Reports and Materials: www.rankedchoicevoting.org/usability Symposium Recordings: www.rankedchoicevoting.org/Symposium Center for Civic Design: https://civicdesign.org/ Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the Podcast! Episode Transcript: https://drive.google.com/open?id=16W0NOCIHz1aqT11VDpMgHDuKYZehfoTh

My special guest this week is Alexandra Jayeun Lee PhD. >>>www.alexjayeun.com She is a UX researcher and creative director at The Civic Design Lab a Think Tank in Oakland California, USA
. She transitioned from Architecture to UX research over the last 2 years and was a star student on my Persuasive Portfolio programme, that helps ambitious creatives get the jobs they want in user experience roles. She is the author of 'Resilience by Design' published by Springer. She has a PhD in architecture from the University of Aukland in New Zealand where she grew up. She has a background in humanitarian architecture and service design. She was born in Korea.

This special episode is from our new Theology on Tap Podcast. Dr. Greg Thompson was our guest for Theology on Tap during Chattanooga's 2017 Startup Week. As our city continues to grow an innovation and entrepreneurship economy, what will be the markers of our success? How will we evaluate our success in creating a community in which all of our neighbors are thriving and enjoying this new economy? Dr. Thompson's lecture is timely for our city and our community as we wrestle with these questions. As I said in the intro, this being a "Theology On Tap" lecture it will obviously have a theological bend to it. However, I think it is a lecture that everyone will benefit from and, if you are not a person of faith, then will be at the very least encouraged by the fact that there are Christians and people of faith engaging innovation and their communities in the way that Dr. Thompson shares here. Recorded live at The Camp House in Chattanooga, TN on October 17. What is the end of innovation? Why do we even innovate to begin with and how will we know if we are successful in such an endeavor? Dr. Greg Thompson seeks to pull our imaginations to the deeper questions of why innovation will matter for our communities in the 21st century. Greg Thompson is the Director of Research and Strategy at Clayborn Reborn, a historic Civil Rights site in Memphis Tennessee. He is also a Senior Advisor for the Tom Tom Founders Festival in Charlottesville, Virginia. Before joining Clayborn and Tom Tom Greg served as the CEO of the Thriving Cities Group, a Civic Design firm based in Charlottesville, Virginia and as the Executive Director of New City Commons, a consulting team that supports faith-based communities in the work of serving their cities. Greg is also active in national conversations surrounding race and equity in America and holds a PhD from the University of Virginia where he wrote his dissertation on Martin Luther King, Jr. Theology on Tap Chattanooga Podcast - http://apple.co/2wLEVOW Clayborn Reborn - https://www.claybornreborn.org Thriving Cities - http://thrivingcities.com New City Commons - http://newcitycommons.com Other talks by Dr. Greg Thompson on Qideas.org - http://qideas.org/contributors/greg-thompson/

Recorded live at The Camp House in Chattanooga, TN on October 17. What is the end of innovation? Why do we even innovate to begin with and how will we know if we are successful in such an endeavor? Dr. Greg Thompson seeks to pull our imaginations to the deeper questions of why innovation will matter for our communities in the 21st century. Greg Thompson is the Director of Research and Strategy at Clayborn Reborn, a historic Civil Rights site in Memphis Tennessee. He is also a Senior Advisor for the Tom Tom Founders Festival in Charlottesville, Virginia. Before joining Clayborn and Tom Tom Greg served as the CEO of the Thriving Cities Group, a Civic Design firm based in Charlottesville, Virginia and as the Executive Director of New City Commons, a consulting team that supports faith-based communities in the work of serving their cities. Greg is also active in national conversations surrounding race and equity in America and holds a PhD from the University of Virginia where he wrote his dissertation on Martin Luther King, Jr. Clayborn Reborn - https://www.claybornreborn.org Thriving Cities - http://thrivingcities.com New City Commons - http://newcitycommons.com Other talks by Dr. Greg Thompson on Qideas.org - http://qideas.org/contributors/greg-thompson/

Whitney is Co-Director of Civic Design and is an expert in user research, user experience, and usability, with a passion for clear communication. She's the author of three books: A Web for Everyone, Storytelling in User Experience, and Global UX.

Whitney is Co-Director of Civic Design and is an expert in user research, user experience, and usability, with a passion for clear communication. She’s the author of three books: A Web for Everyone, Storytelling in User Experience, and Global UX.

Whitney is Co-Director of Civic Design and is an expert in user research, user experience, and usability, with a passion for clear communication. She’s the author of three books: *A Web for Everyone*, *Storytelling in User Experience*, and *Global UX*.

In the field of UX research Dana Chisnell is a pioneer. As you will hear, she has lived and shaped it’s history and continues to do so. She is currently working as an Adjunct Professor at Harvard, Co-Director of the center for Civic Design, and as a Principal Researcher at UsabilityWorks. I went into this conversation with Dana, expecting to focus on usability testing, how to do it, what makes someone great at it, etc. etc. Dana is a world class expert on this. As you’ll see we did discuss that towards the end, but Dana’s experience in the U.S. Digital Service was a powerful reminder of the sometimes blurred lines between designer, product manager, and researcher that I couldn't help but dig into.

Dana Chisnell, Co-Founder of the Center for Civic Design, spoke at Design Driven NYC on April 12, 2016. Chisnell highlighted classic problems with ballot design and how they can impact elections.

You may think that accessible designs are only for people with disabilities. Actually, accessible designs are for diverse groups, such as people who are limited to using low bandwidth, people who may not be fluent in the language, as well as people who are using a mobile phone to access the Internet. In this conversation with accessibility and usability specialists Sarah Horton and Whitney Quesenbery, they explain how all users win when we design for accessibility first. And how Universal Design is the path that provides the best access to digital products for the widest audience. Sarah is a consultant for strategic planning for websites and web applications. She also does accessibility and usability reviews. Sarah has written several books on topics from web design to accessibility for the web. Whitney brings user research insights to designing products where people matter. She has written two other books on user experience and is co-director of the non-profit Center for Civic Design, working with election officials on usability and design of ballots and other election materials. WE DISCUSS: The story behind A Web for Everyone Why accessibility should be part of design and not just a legal mandate Difference between accessibility and universal design Spectrum of accessibility strategies Common problems people have with web accessibility Designing with an "accessibility first" strategy How usability testing makes designs more effective Web standards and standards for authoring tools and authoring tool vendors Guidelines for visual presentation of content TIME: 35 minutes TRANSCRIPT: Download the [Download not found]. RATE: Rate this podcast in iTunes RESOURCES AND LINKS: A Web for Everyone by Sarah Horton and Whitney Quesenbery (Use Code AWFE for 20% off when you buy from Rosenfeld Media) Sarah Horton Design (Sarah's website) WQUsability (Whitney's website) Web Accessibility Initiatives (WAI) Easy Checks Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) Get the latest articles, resources and freebies once a month plus my free eBook, Writing for Instructional Design. SEND EBOOK NOW

Chicago Camps interviews Dana Chisnell, Principal Consultant at UsabilityWorks, Visiting Scientist at MIT, and Co-Founder at Center for Civic Design. As if that's all not enough, Dana is a Speaker Mentor at Speaker Camp Boston on October 11th, 2014.