Sylvia Harris

Sylvia Harris & Company

Research, Insights and Designs for Public Service Communications

Searching for Design Activism Models

1960’s

Civic Rights

1970’s

Civic Action

1980’s

Participatory Design and Usability

1990’s

Yale Class Action

U.S. Census

Assignment: Figure out how to reverse declining response to the Census through design

U.S. Census

Response: Yale students designed alternate forms with clear typography

U.S. Census

Hired: Two Twelve + me + students to explore user-centered design process that included prototyping and testing

2000’s

Design for Democracy

2010

Public Design Lab

Sylvia Harris David Gibson Ann Harakawa Chelsea Mauldin Carla Hall

Citizenship + Design

Government Communications

The first brand mark was citizen-designed.

Where does it come from today?

Who should design it?

ofAmericanDesign

Government Communications Can be Inspiring

But too often it is…

Bureaucratic

Overly Complicated

Over Designed

Just Plain Confusing

Poorly Maintained

Unfriendly

Traditional

We live in two worlds

Question + Dream + Design

Why can’t government communications be more like my iPhone?

I can do a better job designing government communications.

What if the solutions to our greatest problems weren’t waiting to be conceived, but just waiting to be found?- Jeff Howe

Models for Design Engagement

Crowd Sourcing

Virtual Pitching

Crowd Sourced Virtual Pitching

Thank You