Design Management at the Internal Revenue Service

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend a presentation by Dr. Elizabeth Tunstal on how organizational values are translated into user experiences. This idea takes on a special meaning when it comes to the public sector, especially because design has to date played such a minor role in public policy and governmental decision making.

So the fact that a small group of design advocates at the IRS have spearheaded a program "The IRS Design Management Project" is noble in its aim to build design thinking into the organizations decision making.

The presentation and discussion pointed out Design's capacity to strenghten the communication of the organization's values and core intentions through the products that reach the hands of "the citizen user", and thus having the potential to shape their perception of government.