I just completed my submission for the National Design Policy Council’s video campaign. I figured that it would be helpful to explain the importance of design to non-designers through the use of practical examples. Here are the questions I answered:
What role does design play in US economic competitiveness?
What role does design play in the US democratic governance?
In what specific ways, would a national design policy further enable design to play those roles?
What would you pledge to do to help design play that role?
I thought it was important for my video to provide concrete examples of how design can impact both economics and democratic governance. It is easy to drop statistics that sound impressive, but I thought it would be smart to make access to the follow-up and the source materials I used easily available. I’ve created this page for folks who are interested in reading more about some of the things I talked about.
The Questions
What role does design play in US economic competitiveness?
What role does design play in the US democratic governance?
In what specific ways, would a national design policy further enable design to play those roles?
What would you pledge to do to help design play that role?
The Video
The Transcript
Hello, I’m Adam Harvey, a public-sector web designer from Cleveland, Ohio. I’m going to talk for a bit about how good design can make better government.
For example, small design changes can have large economic impacts. The Federal Highway Administration recently issued interim approval of a new font for Interstate signage. Named ClearView, this font’s increased legibility gives drivers an extra 1.3 seconds to react to the sign text; increasing road safety, and taking a chunk out of the $230 billion in damage caused by motor vehicle accidents each year.
All by simply changing a font.
Well-implemented design can also enhance the governing ability of our elected officials and strengthen citizen interaction with law-makers. Peter Muhlberger’s DEER project aims to do just that. This deliberative e-rulemaking software helps citizens engage in informed online discussions about legislative activity, and produces summaries of key points for law-maker review.
A National Design Policy would be a great way to champion the design successes already taking place in our government and to push for further adoption of design standards. The Design Policy Council can serve as a nexus for government offices who might not be aware of the possibilities that design has to offer them. It would also be a great benefit to have a National Design policy to point to when I’m trying to convince a client that design will increase the effectiveness of the services they provide.
I pledge to be a U.S. National Design Policy Evangelist at my workplace by following the standards recommended by the Council and encouraging others to do likewise.
For more information on what I’ve just talked about, please visit me at The Design State Dot Com.
If you feel that this is a good idea, you should leave an endorsement. Here’s what I wrote:
My name is Adam Harvey. As a public sector web designer living in Cleveland, Ohio, I have often had the opportunity to see how local and regional governments look to the federal system and its benchmarks and standards for guidance.
Because there is a great need for design standards and mentoring in public sector design, I fully endorse the mission of the U.S. National Design Policy Initiative.
I believe that good design can facilitate the interactions between citizens and their government, that good design can enhance the communicability of important information, and that good design can set a standard of quality and professionalism that will increase confidence in our government.
My Senators are George Voinovich and Sherrod Brown, and my representative is Marcia L. Fudge for Ohio District 11.
