Citizens interact with their governments (local or national) every day, and they increasingly do this via websites, phone apps, or other types of technology. Many of these interfaces are uninformed by the design and experience practices that have become a standard part of commercial product and service development. In fact, few government agencies have the budget in these times to hire a staff of web and experience practitioners. Over the last several years, a vibrant culture of hackathons has grown up, with developers spending weekends building apps based on government data. Designers and researchers, however, haven't yet begun to participate in numbers.

This talk will discuss the challenges of public/citizen experiences and the great potential to improve Americans' lives through informal design and prototyping collaborations. We'll explain how designers and developers can build communities of public service around our talents and industries. We'll inspire the audience to use their powers for good and contribute to the growing movement known as Government 2.0