Design types in diversified city administration

Design is increasingly used to develop public services, and considerations have arisen regarding how to gain best value from it. Design ladders and design maturity models are commonly referenced also in the public sector, but we argue that their adequate use must rest on an informed view of the diversity of design activities in the public sector organizations. The world’s major cities are large and highly diversified organizations. Our case study of one of them, the city of Helsinki, reveals 23 distinct types of design activities, distinct in terms of the process, outcomes, and agency that design has. These activities can be grouped into six different clusters. These lay the ground for each other and support the cultural transformation of the organization towards being a more citizen-centric organization. At the same time, they also create a design management challenge and confusion over what “design” is and what it can do.