Conducting experiments on large social systems

One barrier to applying a design approach to areas of public policy is the difficulty of conducting experiments on large-scale social systems. Concepts such as rapid prototyping work well on small-scale interactions such as customer service experiences, but not on big systems where the scale is large and the implications of making change significant. That's one reason why system-level reform is slow and requires courage to take a big step without necessarily being able to test the potential impacts beforehand.

The CoVid19 crisis though has upended the usual risk aversion and slow pace of policy change. Massive shifts are occurring very rapidly. Huge social experiments are playing out before our eyes. We have a unique opportunity to accelerate learning about what works and what doesn't, to gain insights about major policy moves that were previously unthinkable, to gain direct experience of the impact of major disruptions to the systems that we administer. And with all this fast-tracked learning there will be exciting opportunities to apply the design mind to creating lasting social innovation. We just need to make sure we maintain the courage and flexibility that we are seeing from our leaders now into the new post-CoVid world.