Public Design, Power & the Future of Services — with Lucy Kimbell
We are building a global network of people doing human-centred work. Create an account, learn, listen, connect and network - for free → https://www.thisishcd.com/signup________________________Take the FREE Introduction to Journey Management course with Marc Stickdorn & Gerry Scullion → https://www.thisishcd.com/learning/introduction-to-journey-managementWe’re on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh for a walking conversation with Lucy Kimbell — engineer-turned-artist-turned-academic, and one of the sharpest observers of how design actually lands in government.Lucy has spent over 20 years moving between design, art, academia, and public administration. She’s worked with the UK Government’s Policy Lab, contributed to the recent Public Design Evidence Review, and now teaches and researches at the intersection of design, policy, and futures. We caught up whilst both of us were speaking at SD in Gov Conference in Edinburgh, in September 2025!In this episode, we get real about three big themes:1️⃣ Public design – what it actually isLucy untangles the messy overlap between policy design, service design, content design, digital, UX and more — and explains why public design centres' legitimacy and accountability to citizens, not just delivery metrics.2️⃣ Conditions for good service design in tough timesWe talk about inclusion, accessibility and co-creation, but also the hard stuff most conferences skip: politics, ideology, austerity, AI “silver bullets” and what scaffolding leaders need so design doesn’t get crushed by budget cuts or tech solutionism.3️⃣ Careers with impact in uncertain worldsFrom appropriate technology and feminist theatre to business schools, labs and policy work, Lucy shares the three habits that have shaped her path: curiosity, experimentalism and critical reflection — and how they help designers work further upstream with policy and senior leadership.🎧 In this episode, you’ll hear:How “public design” emerged as a term and why legitimacy mattersWhy institutions are struggling — and what that means for designersThe uncomfortable role of politics in design for the public sectorHow AI, venture capital and big tech are reshaping government expectationsPractical advice for designers who want more impact in government and civic spacesA preview of Lucy’s upcoming book on futures for design🏰 We recorded this while walking the Royal Mile up to Edinburgh Castle — if you’re listening on audio, jump over to YouTube to get the full sense of place and atmosphere (yes, including a bit of rain!).LinksCabinet Office (2025). Public Design Evidence Reviewhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-public-design-evidence-review Service Innovation Handbook (2014) by Lucy Kimbellhttps://www.bispublishers.com/the-service-innovation-handbook.html Substack for upcoming book Futures for Design: Scenarios for Uncertain Worldshttps://substack.com/@lucykimbell Academic publications (open access) - https://researchers.arts.ac.uk/1178-lucy-kimbell/________________________Discover & Connect → https://www.thisishcd.com/directoryTrain my organisation → https://www.thisishcd.com/trainingClaim partner discounts → https://www.thisishcd.com/partnersPublish an Article → https://www.thisishcd.com/blogCourses → https://www.thisishcd.com/courses________________________Click here to watch a video of this episode.
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Creators & Guests
Gerry Scullion - Host
Lucy Kimbell - Guest
Stef Murphy - Producer
Serdar Mele - Editor
