Public Design Hackathon

Course summary

Public Design Hackathon is an immersive one-day course that introduces participants to how the seven universal public design practices connect across an end-to-end piece of public design work.

Working in multidisciplinary teams, participants respond to a realistic public problem using a prepared evidence pack. They frame the challenge, create and compare options, prototype a response, test it with selected users or stakeholders, adapt their thinking and pitch their final response.

The course provides practical familiarisation with public design. It is not a coding event, a course on running hackathons or a route to an implementation-ready solution.

The hackathon is the learning format; the focus is how public design practices work together.

Who this course is for

This course is designed for public servants who want a practical introduction to how public design practices are used in response to public problems. It is suitable for:

• officials from any profession or function (including policymakers, operational delivery professionals, communication professionals, and digital & data professionals);
• all grades and levels of experience;
• non-designers, aspiring designers, or current designers;
• multidisciplinary teams that want to develop a shared understanding of public design practice.

You do not need any prior knowledge, experience or training to take this course.

Introduction to Public Design is not a prerequisite. The two courses are complementary: Introduction to Public Design explains the field and its value, while Public Design Hackathon provides an applied experience of how the seven practices connect.

What you will learn

The course is designed to help participants recognise how the seven universal public design practices connect in use. It provides applied familiarisation rather than professional competence in each practice.

How the course works

This is a highly interactive, team-based course. Participants learn through a combination of:

• short introductions from the teacher;
• a realistic public-sector scenario;
• collaborative group activities;
• practical design exercises;
• a simulated user or stakeholder testing activity;
• peer discussion and feedback;
• team presentations;
• individual reflection and capability self-assessment.

Participants work in multidisciplinary teams throughout the day, applying public design concepts to a structured challenge. The emphasis is on practical experience, collaboration and reflection rather than theory alone.

Assessment and accreditation

There is no formal assessment for this course. Participants who complete the course receive a certificate of completion from the Government School of Design.

The course provides a foundation for further study through the school’s Design for Everyone and Design for Experts programmes.