Design thinking, a problem-solving approach that emphasizes empathy, experimentation, and collaboration, has gained significant traction in various sectors, including business, education, and healthcare. In recent years, the US government has also recognized the potential of design thinking to drive innovation and address complex challenges.

Responding to the need for innovation, governments have begun experimenting with ‘design thinking’ approaches to reframe policy issues and generate and test new policy solutions.

In 2022 India became the first country to offer Design Thinking as an option at K9-12 high schools. Design can be difficult to introduce in schools as it diverges from traditional classroom concepts.

In this use case the cities of Aalborg and Rotterdam share their findings obtained from design thinking initiatives. This is based on empirical research as part of an evaluation. The use case is written for other professionals in the field of design in public organizations.

This case study focuses on a Design Thinking Workshop for primary school learners. The aim of the workshops was to provide learners with a new set of skills which they can employ when problem solving for real world challenges.

A recent reorganization at King County Metro had resulted in a new market innovation division, charged with expanding network reach and transportation options through employer partnerships, direct community engagement, and increased mobility and accessibility offerings.

In 2017, the product development team at Singapore’s Government Technology Agency (GovTech) was tasked to develop a tool to consolidate citizen-facing services previously delivered by different government agencies onto a single platform.

The UK government fully appreciates the role of design as a driver of economic growth...Design is a source of competitive advantage and can help organizations transform their performance. That is why design forms an integral part of the Government’s plans for innovation and growth.

This is an incredible set of guiding principles for government services design for anyone involved in government work anywhere in the world. Does your government have a set of published guidelines on how to design services?

Olivier Glassey, Jean-Henry Morin, Patrick Genoud, Giorgio Pauletto

This paper examines how design thinking and serious game approaches can be used to support participation.

In these case studies the authors discovered the following results.