For those of you that don’t know, I work for the state of New York on a human-centered design team. In plain terms, we try do our best to represent the voice of the resident in the midst of technical, policy, and legal complexity. I’m leading user research, and building out several teams that will help the state build digital interfaces consistently and in a way that’s accessible to people with disabilities.
It’s incredibly fulfilling work, but I’m not going to lie — there are days when I’m frustrated at the lack of progress and tired of treading water. I had an encouraging moment a few weeks back when someone in leadership told me, “experience is an upfront project requirement, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” I try to encourage myself and my team that the needs are great and that we should not become weary while doing important work. And that work — the work of improving customer experiences for government services — is a marathon, not a sprint.
“It’s easy to complain about government but more satisfying to help fix it.” —Jennifer Pahlka, Recoding America