ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the question of ‘agency’ in today’s design work from a personal perspective of using design with policymakers in governmental and social sectors. It is argued that the concept of ‘agency’ has been foundational to definitions of design. But today’s design work needs to challenge a legacy of individualism by asking whose experiences and ingenuity are not being adequately represented in its production and consumption. This chapter questions who is being included and excluded from design, looking beyond the world of professional design for inspiration. Can this approach be insightful to consider unconventional forms of designing—like domestic service design—as part of its practice? Design is a brilliantly plural, nosy way of working and thinking. The more expansive designers can be about whose agency counts in design processes, the richer and more ingenious design as a whole will become.
