In the middle of a global pandemic and historic civil unrest, access to reliable and empathetic government services are more important than ever. While many still use clunky technology, there are also public services that actually reflect the needs of those using them. These products don’t come around by accident, but are created by teams of innovative practitioners who are finding ways to make the government just a bit more human-centered.

In this talk at DC Design Week 2020, civic designers Aviva Oskow and Jacklynn Pham will part the curtains to give attendees a behind the scenes look at the development of the recently launched civilrights.justice.gov, focusing on how they brought human-centered design into the government. They’ll also share what it was like to transition from private-sector designers to civic servants designing for the people, exploring what they took with them from their life outside the government — but more importantly, where their public-sector careers have allowed them to become more empathetic creators.