Transform Academy: the value of good (participatory) design in public services

This year Cabinet Office and Policy Profession published a landmark report for design in government: The Public Design Evidence Review (PDER).  
 

The PDER, launched by Georgia Gould, then Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (and lead for public sector reform), sets out the critical role design can play in the delivery of great public policy, services and products.  
 

One of the dominant themes of the PDER is the importance of participatory design – that designing with citizens and stakeholders is not optional but a key driver of trust, equity and successful policies. At Transform we have embedded this into our design practice for many years.

This immersive half-day academy will give senior civil service leaders the chance to learn about the value of participatory design. It is particularly aimed at those from a non-design background. Through case studies, including our award-winning design work for HMCTS' Immigration and Asylum Tribunal (one of the 13 exemplars featured in the PDER case study bank), we will showcase leading examples of participatory practice.

We will show how design enables: 

• Better outcomes: Reduces the risk of policy and service failure 
• Democratic decision making: Builds trust, legitimacy, and accountability 
• Inclusive outcomes: Surfaces and includes voices from minority groups 
• Sustainable & scalable futures: Helps leaders adapt to evolving challenges 
• Solving wicked problems: Opens new angles to challenge ineffective policy strategies

Building on these insights, the session will then give participants the chance to reflect on their local barriers to good design through guided participatory methods.  

Participants will have the chance to consider challenges like the pressures of fast policy cycles, the risks of co-design with citizens, organisations not yet ready for design and misunderstandings about design’s role beyond the digital sphere.

Key take aways:

By the end of the academy, participants will have stepped beyond theory and into participatory design practice. They will have:

• Gained direct experience of participatory design in action.
• Learned how design strengthens the creation of effective policy.
• Identified ways to address the barriers and risks that limit design’s impact.
• Developed clear next steps to successfully embed participatory design locally.

Details

What: Transform Academy: the value of good (participatory) design in public services

When: 5th November 2025

Time: 9.30am - 2.30pm (lunch included)

Where: Transform London HQ - 60 Great Portland Street, W1W 7RT, London

Target audience: senior civil service leaders from a non-design background

To allow attendees to actively participate to this F2F workshop, spaces are strictly limited - if you'd like to join us or to suggest someone from you team, fill the form at this link and we'll be in touch to confirm your spot.

Transform’s Academy programme is a series of workshops delivered every few months, covering a variety of topics around the key areas impacting organisations today.