Workshop | Human-Centered Design in Action: Building Inclusive Public Services

How do we make public services work for everyone–especially for communities who’ve been historically left out? In this interactive workshop, Suzanne Boyd, Founder and CEO of Anthro-Tech, will demonstrate how human-centered design provides a powerful framework for building more inclusive, accessible, and effective government services.

Drawing on 25+ years of experience partnering with government agencies, Suzanne will share real-world stories, tools, and methods that public employees can use in their day-to-day work—whether designing digital tools, rethinking forms and applications, or improving in-person service delivery.

Participants will engage in hands-on group activities, analyzing real-life service scenarios to spot barriers, uncover pain points, and applying HCD techniques to improve them. You'll learn how to uncover unmet community needs, design with accessibility in mind, and bring more voices into decision-making—including people with disabilities, non-native English speakers, and underserved populations.

This workshop features examples from agencies that have used user research, co-design, and usability testing to reimagine services with inclusion and accessibility at the core. Attendees will leave with a ready-to-use framework, practical resources, and renewed energy for building services that work better for everyone.

Barry Johnson-Smith is the founder of BJS Consulting, a DEI consulting company supporting small businesses and organizations with their DEI initiatives. Barry created BJS Consulting because he saw that people wanted to make their organization more diverse, equitable and inclusive, but struggled in implementation/execution. He wants to provide that guidance to organizations. Some of the services he provides are trainings, analyzing organizations’ DEI strategies, and writing DEI content such as blogs and articles.

Johnson-Smith is a 28 year old Black male who has been living in Hillsboro, Oregon since 2019. He is originally from Lawrenceville, Georgia, and he graduated from Georgia Tech with a B.S in Computer Engineering and a minor in Computer Science. In his free time, Barry practices martial arts, plays trading card games, and spends quality time with friends

You can learn more about Barry’s DEI services at bjsdeiconsulting.com