Design After the Cuts
Milloin
Ѿä
Tapahtuman kieli
Design After the Cuts
with
Arianne Miller, former Managing Director for the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
For over 13 years, the Lab at OPM partnered with agencies across the U.S. federal government to embed human-centered design practices and improve public services until it closed last year.
As strategic design functions face budget cuts and restructuring across the world, the profession is in identity crisis. This event brings the community together to use this moment as an opportunity to reflect on what makes strategic design practice vulnerable, and find inspiration in the resilient practices that keep innovation alive. Arianne Miller will draw on her experience leading the Lab to open a conversation about what more lasting and human-centered models might look like going forward.
About the speaker
Arianne Miller
Arianne Miller is the co-founder and CEO of Civic Design Collaborative, built alongside four former colleagues from the — a pioneering federal design program closed in early 2025 after more than 13 years partnering with agencies across the U.S. federal government. Civic provides design consulting and capacity-building services to governments and nonprofits, helping them develop people-centered, systems-oriented practices that improve public outcomes. A dedicated bridge-builder, Arianne is known for growing the communities and networks that strengthen the civic design field, grounded in the conviction that when people being served are at the center it steers organisations towards more accurate, inclusive, sustainable, and meaningful impact.
About the Panel
Brenda Vértiz
Brenda Vértiz is a design practitioner and 911 doctoral researcher specializing in participatory design, spatial justice, and feminist design approaches. Her work bridges academia, activism, and public service — including four years with Mexico City's government supporting women and children in marginalized communities — with a focus on public imagination and challenging exclusion in urban and civic life.
Jaana Hyvärinen
Jaana Hyvärinen is a research and design professional working in foresight at Demos Helsinki, building from 20 years of experience leading multidisciplinary, cross-organisational research and innovation initiatives that connect academia, NGOs, the public sector, and industry. Her passion lies in the collaborative pursuit of bold ideas, employing unconventional approaches to tackle complex challenges and create respectful, planet-centred solutions for both today’s interpreted realities and the imagined futures beyond.
