The value of design to the public sector

Reduced budgets mean innovation in the public sector is vital if our public services are to become more effective and improve the experience for users, argues Anna Whicher, Head of Policy, at the National Centre for Product Design and Development Research (PDR) of Cardiff Metropolitan University. To make a real difference in frontline services, she writes, this innovation has to start with the needs of citizens.

She concludes:

“In the coming years, we anticipate that public authorities will develop their internal capacities for design-driven innovation by training staff in design thinking, employing design managers, establishing multi-disciplinary innovation units and adopting design as a user-centred method for inclusive policymaking.”