Design Meets Democracy 🇺🇸 with Chelsea Mauldin

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When Chelsea Mauldin began bringing design thinking into the U.S. government, she was met with scepticism — design was still seen as “throw pillows and pretty fonts.”

In this deep and fascinating episode, Chelsea — Executive Director of the Public Policy Lab in New York — joins Gerry Scullion to share her journey from urban planning to pioneering human-centered design in federal and municipal agencies.

They discuss: ✅ How design entered the public sector during the Obama era. ✅ Why half the real work happens after the design phase. ✅ Building trust, ethics, and change in complex systems. ✅ The People Say project — a groundbreaking, public repository for civic research. ✅ What AI means (and doesn’t mean) for the future of public services.

🎧 A must-listen for anyone working in service design, policy, or civic innovation.

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Gerry Scullion - Host

Chelsea Mauldin - Guest

Stef Murphy - Producer

Serdar Mele - Editor

Click here to view the episode transcript.