A work in progress outlining my thoughts on key elements to consider when establishing a change lab. Feedback and comments are encouraged. Help make this better! Thanks to everyone who has helped me get this to where it is.

1. GCDesign: Prototyping a
Change Lab

2. Background
In October 2013 GCDesign assembled as a group of
like-minded public servants who had been working
separately as leaders in the fields of user
experience design, research methods, policy
analysis, and interface design.
We competed in Policy Ignite making the case for a
Design Lab for policy and service innovation. Since
then a lot more research and thinking has gone
into exploring best practices among existing labs.
This deck provides an overview of key elements to
consider when establishing a lab.

3. We noticed a problem
+ (changing citizen expectations)
(increased
interconnectedness)
=
(greater challenges in delivering effective, policies,
programs and services)

4. so we came up with a great
solution
+ =
design lab better outcomes
(cost-effective, innovative
problem solving)
(intentional,
user-focused)
(rigor,
experiments)

5. that we pitched at Policy Ignite and
DMCPI Dragon’s Den.
PolicyLab MIND
LAB
GC Design Lab

6. Then we applied to GOV 3.0 to work
through our solution with experts
from GovLab Academy at NYU.

7. We quickly learned labs don’t
automatically equal success
Photo by poportis - Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License http://www.flickr.com/photos/20327801@N00 Created with Haiku Deck

8. by understanding why some labs fail.
Lessons learned from Helsinki Design Lab and DesignGov
Australia:
• Expected to demonstrate value too early in the
process;
• Number of projects was too ambitious;
• Type of projects too complex too soon;
• Onerous reporting requirements;
• Limited willingness of senior management towards
prototyping;
• Unwillingness of program leads to address known
problems.

9. This led to a prototype based
on a hybrid of labs
(Mindlab+DesignLab+DesignGov+PolicyLabUK+Kennisland)

10. by learning how successful labs begin
Small projects
3.
Large projects
2.
1.
• Create awareness of
innovative tools
• Grow familiarity with user
experience and prototyping
• Create an inviting space where people feel comfortable
collaborating
• Start with less complex
problems with fewer
owners
• Set shorter realistic
timeframes
• Slowly move towards
wicked problems
• Multiple owners
• Longer timeframes
Capacity
building

11. and how their project on- and off-ramps
interface with stakeholders
and implementation

12. and how project criteria help
determine what problems to solve
Sample criteria from DesignGov:
1. Client-facing and user-centric in nature
2. Of strategic significance, and not readily undertaken
within normal operations or existing business lines
3. Cross-cutting or multi-departmental in scope and of
interest to multiple departments
4.Would benefit from new thinking, particularly design
thinking

13. and finally, whether a lab is needed
at all.
Thinking about the problem you are trying to solve:
1. Are you making progress towards your targets?
If yes, you don't need a lab.
2. What are your barriers? Can you succeed alone?
If yes, you don't need a lab.
3. Who else has a stake in the problem? Does a platform
already exist connecting these groups?
If yes, you don't need a lab.

14. We also studied how successful
labs are governed and
extrapolated for a GC
Westminster Model.

18. Find out more
Read about GCDesign and Gov3.0 on Tumblr:
http://govcandesign.tumblr.com
Learn from Australia: “So you’re thinking of setting up a cross-agency
design-led innovation capability”
https://design.govspace.gov.au/2013/11/04/so-youre-thinking-of-setting-up-a-cross-
agency-design-led-innovation-capability/
Helsinki Design Lab Introduction Video:
http://vimeo.com/14534042
Mindlab Design Blog:
http://mindblog.dk/en/
Nesta i-teams report:
http://www.nesta.org.uk/publications/i-teams-teams-and-funds-making-innovation-
happen-governments-around-world
Presentation and research by @BrianEnright and @GovCanDesign