Design Thinking for Policy: Bringing the User Back into the Process

For decades, public policy has been shaped by technical experts, institutional priorities, and political negotiations. While these elements are essential, they often overshadow the most important perspective of all: the user. Design thinking helps rebalance this by bringing empathy, creativity, and iteration into the policy process.

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What design thinking brings to public policy

Design thinking begins with understanding real people — their motivations, behaviours, needs, and frustrations. Instead of assuming what citizens want, policymakers observe how people interact with public systems and services in real life. This leads to design decisions that are more grounded, more inclusive, and far more effective.

Design thinking also embraces prototyping — testing solutions early before committing significant resources. This reduces implementation risk and encourages innovation.

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A real-world example: crafting a national story at Expo 2020

When a small island developing state participated in Expo 2020, they needed a visitor experience that could communicate the richness of their culture, geography, and history in a compelling way. Our consultant was engaged to create that immersive experience from concept to execution.

Rather than starting with assumptions, we started with users:

• What should visitors feel as they enter the pavilion?

• What emotions or ideas should they leave with?

• Which stories resonate with global audiences?

• How do people learn best — visually, emotionally, narratively?

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This user-centred approach guided everything:

• The storytelling framework

• The audiovisual content

• The sequence of displays

• The experience of the facade itself

• The emotional “arc” of the visitor journey

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The result?

A pavilion that received outstanding reviews and became a highlight for thousands of international visitors. More importantly, it demonstrated how design thinking can turn national narratives into experiences people feel, not just read.

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Design thinking for government services

Governments around the world increasingly use design thinking to improve services such as licensing, social programmes, healthcare access, and disaster response. Why? Because user insights reveal barriers that data alone misses.

Design thinking helps policymakers understand:

• Where citizens struggle

• Why processes break down

• What motivates user behaviour

• How systems can be simplified

• Where innovation is most needed

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Bringing empathy into policy-making

Design thinking doesn’t replace technical expertise — it complements it. It ensures that policies work not only in theory but also in practice. Policies designed with empathy are easier to implement, more widely accepted, and more likely to achieve intended outcomes.

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Pull Quote:

“Design thinking makes policy more human, more effective, and more trusted.”