Victorian Government HCD Playbook

Human-centred Design (HCD) has fast become a trusted approach for service and product design and delivery within governments.

I worked with Paper Giant to help the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet design an open resource for the Victorian public service, so that they could learn about HCD, to enable better project design and better procurement.

Project team: Reuben Stanton, Chris Marmo, Kate Goodwin, McKinley Valentine

Client: Department of Premier and Cabinet (Vic)

We worked with the Victorian Government to design a fit-for-purpose playbook that the Victorian Public Service (VPS) can use to scope and plan projects, procure external support and increase the design literacy of non-designers. 

Connecting methods and outputs

To understand the most common desired outcomes from design projects, we interviewed project officers and other non-design staff within the VPS. 

We also analysed dozens of requests-for-quotes and procurement plans to identify the most common aims and requirements. We used these insights to generate guidance by way of project plans, at different timeframe and budget scales, that do some of the thinking for project teams at their early stages of their planning.

We also suggested methods and outputs and wrote plain-language descriptions for them that help demystify HCD, and empower non-designers to have better procurement and project-level discussions with experts. 

Demystifying the design process

There are many guides and playbooks that speak generically about human-centred design and it’s benefits.

The HCD Playbook is different in that it was built from the ground up in collaboration with the public service. It provides VPS case studies, references and evidence of application to help determine whether an HCD approach is right for specific project needs, and helps public servants make the business case for taking a design-led approach.

A compelling artefact that lives on 

It was important that the design of the playbook was easy-to read, engaging and something that public service members wanted to pick up and refer to time and time again.

We developed a compelling narrative and visual assets that supported future users to design and procure HCD projects with ease and confidence, and the playbook was then converted by the digital team at DPC into a digital toolkit using their existing digital platform, increasing the playbook’s accessibility and reach.