Better Government by Design

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

Better Government by Experience Design. A mom with a new baby need not figure out that health coverage comes from the Center for Medicaid Services; cash assistance comes from the Administration for Children and Families; food assistance comes from Agriculture; medical leave is protected by the Department of Labor. A disaster survivor should not tell the government 80% of the same information on five different forms. Our government is the result of more than 200 years of different appropriations committees, levels, agencies, bureaus, even IT shops – and is one of the most complex service delivery organizations in the world. Now more than ever, at critical moments in peoples’ lives, we have to demonstrate the very basic tenant a democracy requires: that government is accountable to and responsive to the needs of its people. This class will focus on how improving customer experience can do that, and how to navigate the complexity of delivering services in the public sector. We will mix learning the theory of and practicing methods (in class “studio time”) from the social and behavioral sciences, public management and administrative burden, agile technology development, human centered design, service + system design, and experimental design and evidence building.