Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet
Helping the Victorian public service design and procure better outcomes
We partnered with the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet to create the Human-Centred Design Playbook, an open resource for the Victorian Public Service. The playbook helps public servants who are new to design methods understand, scope, and procure HCD projects with confidence.
Outcomes
- A comprehensive print and online playbook helping public servants scope and deliver design-based projects
- An outcomes-based framework connecting common public service needs to specific HCD methods and project plans
- Plain-language descriptions of over 25 design methods and outputs, written for non-designers
- Ready-to-use design plans at varying timeframes and budget scales
- A digital toolkit on vic.gov.au extending access across the entire Victorian Public Service
Building design capability across government
Human-centred design has become a trusted approach for service and product design within government. But as demand for design-led projects grew across the Victorian Public Service, a gap emerged: the people commissioning and managing these projects often had limited knowledge of HCD methods, outputs, and what to expect from a design process.
Non-designers needed a practical resource to help them scope projects, write meaningful briefs, evaluate agency responses, and have informed conversations with design practitioners. Existing HCD guides were available, but none were written specifically for the Victorian public sector context.
Going deep into VPS innovation practices
We started by talking to the people who would actually use the playbook. We interviewed project officers and non-design staff across the VPS to understand the most common desired outcomes from design projects and where they felt least confident.
We also analysed dozens of RFQs and procurement plans to identify patterns in how design work was being scoped and commissioned. These insights helped us understand not just what public servants needed to know, but how they needed that knowledge structured to be immediately useful in their day-to-day work.
Spreads from the 118-page Human-Centred Design Playbook, covering the design process, project planning templates, research methods, output descriptions, and real Victorian Government case studies.
A resource designed to live on
We designed a comprehensive playbook that connects common project outcomes to specific HCD methods and outputs, with plain-language descriptions that demystify the design process. It includes ready-to-use design plans at different timeframe and budget scales, a methods catalogue, and Victorian Government case studies that demonstrate HCD in action.
It was important that the playbook felt like something people wanted to pick up and refer to again and again. We developed a compelling visual identity and narrative structure to support that. The digital team at DPC then converted the playbook into an online toolkit on vic.gov.au, extending its accessibility and reach.
The playbook was converted into a digital toolkit on vic.gov.au, extending its reach across the Victorian Public Service.
Paper Giant went deep into VPS innovation practices and networks to understand what we needed in a toolkit, and they delivered it.
— Project Sponsor
Explore the playbook
The Human-Centred Design Playbook is an open resource available to anyone working in or with the Victorian Public Service. You can browse the digital toolkit and download the full playbook on vic.gov.au.
