There is quite a bit of innovation occurring across the government, but it’s difficult to know who is doing what where. Join us as we collectively co-design opportunities to concretely share and connect with innovators across the government.
The world we live in is increasingly complex. While innovation can help us create solutions to manage complexity, embodying its spirit can also help us remain competitive and unafraid of whatever the future may bring.
In the government, we circulate thousands of documents each year. The purposes of these documents vary from helping people apply for services to informing the public about new regulations. But, let’s be honest. The government is not known for disseminating easy to read documents. Fortunately, that is quickly changing as agencies are realizing that to… Read more »
A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog arguing that everyone designs. In that post, I talked about how those of us with little to no design experience are still designers (just little “d” designers), as we work to improve situations and experiences around us. Big “D” Designers, on the other hand, are those individualsRead… Read more »
Conflict is a normal part of human nature, so it’s not surprising that we find it in the workplace. It’s probably even less surprising that it emerges when applying human-centered design (HCD). Just think about it – human-centered design is a very different way of working for most people. Many find its application uncomfortable inRead… Read more »
Herbert Simon once said “Everyone designs who devises courses of action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones.” Before hearing that statement, I had a very narrow view of design. I thought design was for creative types or artists who made shoes, furniture or cool new technology products. I didn’t realize that design encompassesRead… Read more »
Last week I was in the Philippines on a work trip with a client agency. Having done quite a bit of research on empathy for a blog post last month, I decided to practice some of the tips I uncovered during my time away from the office. It was the perfect opportunity because the clientRead… Read more »
While there are many aspects of my detail to The Innovation Lab at the Office of Personnel Management that I enjoy, one of my favorites is access to the Lab’s space in the sub-basement of OPM’s Theodore Roosevelt Federal Building. The space is a dream for those seeking a creative and collaborative work environment. ForRead… Read more »
You have probably heard the concept of human-centered design (HCD) thrown around, but you may be wondering what it’s all about. If you’re like me, you’ve probably searched for ‘human-centered design’ on the internet to learn more. In doing so, you were most likely confronted with a number of results that link to different HCDRead… Read more »
There has been quite a bit of conversation about empathy over the past few years. Studies show its benefits in improving relationships, team dynamics and the social development of our children. At the same time, a body of research reveals that empathy often fails when needed most, like after large scale disasters and with peopleRead… Read more »