I contributed to the Public Design Evidence Review, published by the Cabinet Office and the Policy Profession on 17 July 2025, which examines the role and value of design in the public sector, from the early development of policy ideas through delivery to how they are experienced by the public. It identifies four impacts from applying design principles and practices: more innovative solutions, increased effectiveness, increased efficiency, and a narrower gap between government and citizens. The report was led by Lucy Kimbell, Professor of Contemporary Design Practices at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London (UAL).
My contribution was to Public Design for Transformational Change: International Perspectives from Design Thought Leaders, for which the Human-Centred Design Science team at the Department for Work and Pensions interviewed fifteen public design leaders from the UK, the US, Ireland, Denmark and Finland in December 2023 and January 2024.
The findings draw on four points I made:
- The service offered to patients depends on the experience of the staff, so a well-designed service has to work for the people who deliver it.
- Start with the users and the rest will follow.
- Public sector design might not be as pretty as the private sector’s, but the work is harder and often means helping people at the worst time in their lives.
- Design has to sit at the centre of an organisation, not at its edge, or it ends up making itself less relevant.
The review was launched at UAL by Cabinet Office Minister Georgia Gould OBE MP.