Issues
Technology’s ripple effects
It’s easy to focus on improving that which has come before. But what possibilities might this perspective preclude? The articles comprising our third issue seek a qualitative change, sketching answers that are as unique as the questions from which they originate.
Topics covered
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Digital bridges
“Digital natives” want change. What’s the best way to bridge the gap between the present we have and the future we want?
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Speculative civics
Designers has always concerned ourselves with both possibility and compromise. How can we create spaces that allow others to do the same?
Published February 2nd, 2015.
Cover illustration by Livien Yin
Sponsored by Microsoft
Designing with, not for
Inspired by themes heard during the Code for America summit, the second issue of Civic Quarterly asks how citizen experience designers might better faciliate interactions that are simultaneously more humane and less isolating.
Topics covered
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New literacies
Every civic technology uses a unique metric to prove its value, but what metrics transcend individual projects? What elements should we measure regardless of the technologies under consideration?
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Community building
Open data is not enough. Usable interfaces are not enough. In order to engage citizens as active participants in the co-creation of their government, civic designers must build community.
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Designing complexity
Both private- and public-sector organizations are using design thinking to solve increasingly complex problems. How might they make their design processes more accessible to a wider audience?
Published September 21st, 2014.
Cover illustration by Livien Yin
Sponsored by Code for America
Starting a new conversation
The first issue of Civic Quarterly was inspired by the 2014 Code for America Fellows’ year-long engagements with cities and governments across the United States. We shared stories of success and failure that resonated beyond our individual experiences.
Topics covered
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Field notes
Field notes offer unique perspectives from the front lines of government. Hear from contributors sharing the byproducts of their work.
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Forms & function
Forms are everywhere. We use them to sign up for food stamps, to pay our taxes and to vote. But they’re often poorly designed. We’re laying out a path to designing them better.