Service Design Show How to find Joy in the Slow Pace of Change / Martha Edwards / Ep. #234
Aug 14, 2025
Martha Edwards, a public sector veteran with extensive experience across Canada and the UK, shares her insights on finding joy in slow-paced change. She discusses the challenges of working in government systems and emphasizes the importance of small wins and personal habits that foster optimism. The conversation also highlights the significance of maintaining positive energy in professional settings and the value of incremental contributions. Martha encourages listeners to embrace their roles in the larger narrative of change-making.
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Reframe Impact As Planting Seeds
- Change in public systems often feels slow because the system is designed that way rather than because designers lack ideas.
- Reframing impact as planting seeds helps sustain long-term momentum in slow systems.
Seeing A Parallel Government Universe
- Martha describes how working at the UK's Government Digital Service felt like seeing a 'parallel universe' of how government could work.
- That experience reshaped her mindset about what's possible in public services.
Be A Public Servant First, Designer Second
- Do embrace your identity as a public servant when needed and prioritize organizational value over protecting craft purity.
- Make pragmatic compromises to be useful and keep design practice alive inside government.