Chelsea directs the Public Policy Lab, a New York City nonprofit dedicated to improving public services. As an editor, information architect, and urban planner, she works to translate complex policy requirements into engaging, easy-to-use services and public spaces. She previously led initiatives in urban design and economic development at the Montague Street Business Improvement District and the Design Trust for Public Space. Chelsea received her MSc in city design and social science from the London School of Economics; her BA in English and social science is from U.C. Berkeley.

Government and other public-sector organizations are not motivated by profit, but they still can derive business value from service design – cost savings and resource efficiencies that result from designing and delivering services that delight citizens. This talk will explore barriers to public-sector service design, suggest strategies for designers to best communicate to public-sector clients the insights and impacts that come from a service-design process, and document significant examples of government efforts to improve services, with particular focus on the ‘business case’ for each project.