Entry points for design for policy: a framework proposal to embrace the contemporary design culture in policy design

Policy design, design for policy, and 'policy design thinking' have influenced policymaking with interdisciplinary and heterogeneous perspectives from design and other disciplines. Whilst public sector policymakers seek creative, design-led methods and tools to enhance policy-making through a design thinking approach, design researchers and practitioners seek a recognised role within these processes. Even though these strands show blurred boundaries, a significant aspect is that they help to define a space of interaction between design and policy-making. Moreover, we see an opportunity to identify lenses that can help interpret, scale, and replicate various experiences within the broad context of policy design, encompassing different perspectives. We believe this is especially crucial for design practitioners and researchers in contexts where this field is not yet recognised and/or explored. Based on this assumption, the research question that this contribution tries to answer is: What framework can define ways to recognise or pursue experiences of design for policy? Methodologically, the authors defined a framework proposal through inductive reasoning, relying on ten years of academic research in design for policy, social innovation, and civic design to select cases. Qualitatively analysed, the selected cases drew our attention to three recurring patterns: (i) the transfer of design culture and expertise to policymakers and public sector actors, empowering non-design-experts to adopt a design-led approach in policy-making independently; (ii) the co-creation of knowledge within policy processes, epistemologically grounded in co-design, through the Research Through Co-Design model; (iii) the transformation of a context by non-expert designers, intended as active citizens and policymakers who systematically design for policy. Translated into ‘entry points’ to the design for policy arena, also by means of comparison and connection to other cases taken outside the authors’ research groups, such patterns are defined as follows: (i) transferring design knowledge to non-designers for policy-making processes, (ii) fostering knowledge co-creation among the involved actors in policy design, and (iii) recognising existing policy design processes led by non-designers through a design perspective. The framework is discussed with regard to its use as an analytical and strategic tool for positioning design possibilities of intervention within policy processes.