Starting a conversation about designing policies
I first encountered Verena researching my previous PhD topic, while I was conducting the literature review presented in the co-authored paper on design prototyping for policy-making. She actively participated and co-organised the Prototyping for Policy Summit 2018 and wrote an article on Medium Prototyping in Policy — What For?!. As with many of us in 2020 our first meetings and the continued discussions were online.
While we were sharing our academic and personal experiences, we figured that, even if the research activity around design for policy (service design, human-centered design, design thinking, policy prototyping, public sector innovation labs, etc.) was growing, people were not necessarily as connected as they could be. As PhD candidates in the field of Design for Policy we felt like islands in our own worlds, and the two of us were not alone in this feeling. We had been meeting other candidates in akin circumstances, with similar questions, and willing to find a space to share and find answers together. Thus, we proposed an online meeting to the colleagues we met along the journey. This is how our initial proposal to share thoughts began to take the shape of a network.
Towards a Designing Policy Network
In our first meeting we were ten curious and excited individuals connecting from diverse locations (not necessarily our countries of origin). We shared our highs and lows; our inspirations and role-models; as well as our desires and expectations in order to set an initial path. To begin, we had to understand what we wanted to build together and give it a name. This took us some time due to our different perspectives and the diverse interpretations of the concepts in the emerging field of Design for Policy.
However, we clearly wanted it to signify an inclusive network and involve diverse disciplinary approaches. We wanted to connect the fields that have been working together for years in the policy area, and are not (yet) speaking the same language. This network aims to meet at the intersection of “design” and “policy”, including researchers, practitioners and every person interested in the topic. We are willing to start an open and collaborative conversation.
Kick off conversation in the intersection of “design” and “policy”
In a very short time, we had already many questions in mind. For instance, the difficulty of finding a name for the network, or debating in regards to the difference between policy and policy-making. Also, to share views on concepts as: policy, design for policy, design(ing) policy, policy design, design and policy, policy innovation, public sector innovation, and so on. However, we had the intuition that there were many more questions to be posed by others interested in this field. Therefore, our proposal is to invite people to be part of this quest, enlarge the conversation and build a collective knowledge in the field of “design” and “policy”.
If you are curious, you are welcomed to share your questions and interests!
To know more about the network, give a look to:
DPN website
Twitter
ResearchGate
Linkedin
If you would like to contribute writing articles or become an active member of the network, drop us a line.
