Everything Canada’s public sector needs to achieve the design mindset

If Canadian public sector workers aren’t sure where to begin researching the best resources on design thinking, Laura Wesley has already done a lot of the work on their behalf.

Wesley, a Web usability lead who works in the federal government, runs a fantastic blog that sums up the way she approaches user experience design for citizens. Results for Canadians is always full of great inspiration, but last week Wesley (known as @ResultsJunkie on Twitter) upped the ante with a huge post on useful links about the “design mindset.” She defines this as using “ethnography, prototyping, and co-creation techniques and design process (research, design, test, iterate) to think differently about solving problems.”

To show by example, Wesley also talked about an interesting way she “hacked” her workspace to keep the design mindset momentum going:

I removed half of the furniture from my 10 x 10 foot cubicle, covered the walls in dry erase paper and put out bowls of markers & post-its. Now I have room to stand up (preferably with a colleague or two) draw pictures that map out possible solutions to barriers. I usually have a wall full of  post-it notes that I can re-arrange in different groupings. I set up a lending library beside my cubicle to attract colleagues to stop and chat. And posted the personas of the people that our team serves along the wall.

Wesley has gathered a lot of other good blog posts, video clips, slideshare decks and more to help her peers. She’ll be building on this one as part of series she’s doing on other must-have skills.

 

Last year, Startup Canada emerged as an important voice for encouraging greater entrepreneurship across the country. Its digital magazine Pivot recently included a piece by Mark Burden which talks about how the Xprize Foundation, Startup Weekend and other channels are helping young companies to pursue gamification for motivation, innovation and performance:

The idea of motivating performance with cash and prizes in many lines of work is not new. Salespeople have been motivated by President’s Clubs and bonuses for many years. Many executives have their salaries and/or stock options tied to corporate fiscal performance and stock price. Developers have often received rewards for development and evolution of software and other products . . . Gartner says that over forty percent of Global 1000 businesses will incorporate some sort of gamification into their customer and/or employee engagement strategy by 2015. Why not add gamification to your business or product strategy?”

Indeed, why not? Keep an eye on our coverage later this week of the Gamification 2013 conference at the University of Waterloo’s Stratford campus for more ideas.

What happens when interactive display meets NIMBYism? The Toronto Star last week had a news story about a consultant’s recommendations that could pave the way for more digital signage, but the reaction from politicians like counsellor Janet Davis provided a good example of the kind of objections those pursuing this market will have to overcome:

“Billboards are an intrusion in our public space; they are unsafe for anyone driving or riding a vehicle,” she said. “How does it contribute to building a better city by having more billboards? In my view, nothing.”

Make your voice heard by sending feedback directly to [email protected].

Elsewhere:

• On Medium, Christina Wodtke addresses a common conception about design with ‘Users Don’t Hate Change. They Hate You.’
• Brandon Workman writes on Business Insider about a new report that details Mobile Gamification Done Right.
• A New Zealand firm called Moving Tactics offers a list on BizCommunity about Four Key Advantages of Digital Signage in Retail Marketing

What did we miss? Send your ideas, tips, and helpful URLs my way at [email protected]