Global design pattern workshop • International Design in Government community

We’re planning to hold a workshop on global design patterns in Berlin, Germany, on the morning of Friday, 14 June 2024. It will be adjacent to the Creative Bureaucracy Festival, which happens the day before. Many of us are looking at design patterns for good public services – directly or indirectly. We all have varying degrees of maturity, different circumstances and differing capabilities. Our design systems often already cover styles, components and page types but frequently lack broader design patterns for public services. Building on the excellent work of the international GovStack project, we would like to spend the morning after the Creative Bureaucracy Festival reviewing the design patterns developed there. We want to review what’s good, what’s applicable nationally and internationally, and what’s still missing in the GovStack library. It will be an international in-person exchange facilitated by the International Design in Government community and hosted by the German Federal government’s DigitalService in the Berlin-Kreuzberg neighbourhood. We expect that various countries will attend the workshop. Coffee, croissants, and sticky notes will be served. Let us know if you’re interested in joining! Privacy notice

The seasons of Berlin

Week #81 at the Digital Service: Notes for 13–17 November 2023

Martin travelled across Germany in his week 81 at Digital Service. He attended the autumn conference of the community of practice network NExT in Wiesbaden to present his design community and give a talk. Afterwards, he co-ran the Public Service Lab Day, a conference in Cologne, together with the ci

How to write good alt text for screen readers

What is alt text? Why it matters. And, how to avoid common mistakes.

Week #76 at the Digital Service: Notes for 9–13 October 2023

In week 76, Martin worked closely with the team, developing the digital court claims service. He also co-led a session at the NExT camp and joined a community workshop of the Creative Bureaucracy Festival. During a lunch break, he gave his recent conference talk on the long slog of public service de

Week #74 at the Digital Service: Notes for 25–29 September 2023

Discussing people’s performances and possible salary changes, participating in workshops and having many conversations throughout the short week, Martin was busy in week 74 at Digital Service. He also started preparing for the coming week, which includes a conference talk, a community gathering and