Episode #3 Design Solutioning and User Research

Featuring Gina Kim, Director of Design, NYC Digital Service

Gina focuses heavily on designing for digital tools, such as language access and digital form usability for all New Yorkers. Gina comes from a history of designing for the digital arena having served as a Digital Service Expert for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as part of the United States Digital Service, and as a Senior Product Designer with the ACLU.

Gina defines design as both a process and a solution stating that the power of design “comes from solution” and is “so incredibly powerful and so incredibly rewarding because it’s the thing that people can tangibly engage with.”

My Key Takeaways.

1. Establish clarity on project goals and expected outcomes

2. Partner with community-based organizations to co-design the community engagement process, including who to connect with, what questions to ask, and in which way

3. Interview people to understand the current baseline and understand what their current experiences are before seeking to improve anything, notably in the environment in which they would be using the service

4. Leverage the power of quantitative data by understanding the existing data and bringing quantitative data to back up your statements and support your findings

5. As Managers, treat your role as that of an Advocate 

And a Bonus — build a team rapport for truth-telling so that you all can be honest with each other and differing opinions/facts are welcomed, notably by making your team feel accepted, remaining accessible, listening, and letting them feel confident that you have their back!

Gina’s Design Tools Referenced.

In the podcast episode, Gina refers to a few design or design-adjacent tools that she applies at the NYC Digital service - explore!

  1. One-on-one Interviews 

    Don’t underestimate the power of having 1-on-1 interviews as opposed to group interviews!

  1. User testing.com

  2. Maze.co

  3. Dovetail.com