Writing
Featured
Policies create the frameworks and rules for government programs, but people don’t experience a policy until it is delivered through a program, process, or touchpoint. Designers and policy practitioners can use policy, process, or touchpoint prototypes to get feedback and iterate on policy.
A. Quicksey and C. Meierling, Design Museum Magazine, October 2022
A primer on service design in a policy setting: what service design is, how it compares to related fields, and how it is used as part of the policy cycle, with a focus on implementation. Includes a brief on the New York City Office of Opportunity. Originally researched and written as part of an independent inquiry for the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
A. Quicksey, Medium, September 2018 and The Mandarin (republished), July 2019
What my concussion taught me about technology and accessibility, and why accessibility must be part of the conversation in civic tech and government digital services.
A. Quicksey, Civicist, August 2017 and LinkedIn (updated and republished), Sep 2018
All Writing
Civic tech has lost its way…again
Two years ago I was hopeful about the future of civic tech, but now we’re making many of the same mistakes from the early days of the movement (along with some new ones). A. Quicksey, Medium, Sep 2022
Predictions and Hopes for the Next Decade of Civic Tech
Reflecting on the past and looking toward the future of the field. A. Quicksey, Medium, Jan 2021
Black Past, Present, and Future Technologists: Celebrating Black History Month at Nava
In the last week of Black History Month, Nava celebrated the contributions of Black men and women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)—and I wrote about it. A. Quicksey, Nava PBC Blog, Feb 2020
Making Stronger Connections
Options for cities to promote broadband equity. An internet connection is a gateway to the modern world, but 19 percent of U.S. households are excluded from the benefits that come with being connected. A. Quicksey and E. Broas, Kennedy School Review, May 2018
The Perils of Data-Driven Policy Decisions
Quantitative data and analysis can help us design better policies and programs, but we have edged alarmingly close to a worldview that suggests data automatically scrubs away ideology and prejudice. A. Quicksey, Kennedy School Review, Dec 2017
How Human-Centered Design Contributes to Better Policy
Explore. Experiment. Evaluate. Be delightful! A design approach in the Boston Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics that demonstrates design is more than a visual discipline; it can be a tool to achieve policy outcomes. A. Quicksey, Kennedy School Review, Aug 2017
Finding Your Fellowship in Civic Tech
A guide to civic tech fellowships for those searching. M. Stempeck, K. Shroff, and A. Quicksey, Civicist, Aug 2017
Breaking Bread and Bridging Differences
Three projects tackle partisanship and attempt to reclaim civility in a divided America. A. Quicksey, Civicist, Jul 2017
Eric Gordon on Valuing the Inefficiencies of Civic Life
A discussion of play, meaning, smart cities and civic life with Eric Gordon, professor and director of the Engagement Lab at Emerson College. A. Quicksey, Civicist, Jul 2017
Inside an Open Source Force for Progressives
The Progressive Coders Network is a dispersed group of volunteers committed to supporting grassroots organizations through new software applications. A. Quicksey, Civicist, Jul 2017
Tech Surge: Silicon Valley Mobilizing
Silicon Valley underwent a political awakening in 2017. Catherine Bracy and Derecka Mehrens are harnessing the political moment to engage tech workers and service workers in the fight for a more equal Bay Area. A. Quicksey, Civicist, Jun 2017
Better Procurement, Better Outcomes: Technology and Design Interventions in Boston
“Put simply: governments can be bad at buying things, which sometimes makes them bad at serving people,” writes Angel Quicksey, a Fellow who worked with the City of Boston, about the process of procurement. Here she explains the roots of many of those challenges and shares opportunities for improvement. A. Quicksey, What Works Cities, 2016