Public Design

Insight

The Public Service Design Handbook is a practical resource for innovative work in public administration. Created by CityLAB , Berlin’s public innovation laboratory, it is aimed at providing public sector employees with an array of effective tools and methods. After a significant success, the need arose to make this resource accessible to a wider audience in a web format.

Process

The handbook follows a structured approach comprising five phases of the design process, encompassing preparation, idea exploration, design, and testing. This organizational framework is visually represented in the book through the use of distinct colors and illustrations. However, when we initially encountered the content, it existed in InDesign and was not suitable for digital use.

The initial step in the process involved restructuring the content to make it compatible with a digital format — in our case, utilizing markdown with some custom components. This transformation included the creation of wireframes and high-fidelity designs, with multiple feedback rounds refining the output. Subsequently, the pages were coded using Docusaurus . The framework not only provides built-in search functionality but also offers support for internationalization. These essential features made it an excellent choice, contributing significantly to the enhancement of search engine visibility and overall user accessibility.

Personal role

Throughout this project, my primary focus has been on adapting the analog book’s layout and structure to the new format. I’ve created a design system, redesigned the navigation, the text, the method layouts, respecting the initial structure while capitalizing on the unique qualities of the web. Assets, graphics, and templates were adjusted to function seamlessly in a fully responsive context. Finally, I worked on configuring, styling, and extending the functionality of the Docusaurus documentation framework to meet the specific needs of this project.