Topic: User Research
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Human-Centered Design 
Challenges of participation in large-scale public projects
This paper examines the challenges of participation in large-scale public projects. Taking its offset in a case-study of the development of a new public multimedia library, the paper discusses methods and values of Participatory Design in the face of the challenges that a project of this scale entails. These challenges concern how to address and manage a heterogeneous group of stakeholders and end-users, how to inform stakeholders and establish participation as a relevant activity, the development of new techniques and technologies to scaffold participation, and the interplay between iterative development and institutional transformation.
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Human-Centered Design 
Story-driven experience research on pandemic unemployment
Dana Chisnell describes work leading a team of researchers to interview people from across the US on their experiences applying for unemployment and other benefits during the pandemic.
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Human-Centered Design 
Responsible Design for Digital Communities
Digital interfaces are the bridges to our communities. Technology can’t fix the systemic inequality revealed by COVID19, but it can help make connections with our communities better. This tool kit and website brings together emergent best practices, workflows, and tools that communities, educators, mutual aid groups, designers, artists and activists are using for community building, and how design needs to change to best suit people, right now.
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Human-Centered Design 
How to create an inclusive user research environment
This article describes the necessity of building an inclusive research environment that empowers participants, as well as techniques for creating such environments in both in-person and remote capacities.
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Human-Centered Design 
User research is a team sport
User research requires working as a team, since it necessitates running sessions with participants, observing and moderating research sessions, analyzing and synthesizing results, as well as communicating results effectively.
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Human-Centered Design 
Conducting Research with a Healing Mindset
Code for America highlights the importance of recognizing the effects of intergenerational trauma on communities that have been systemically marginalized when conducting research.
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Human-Centered Design 
18F Methods: Usability Testing
18F describes how to implement usability tests to understand how intuitive a given design is, as well as how adaptable it is to meeting user needs.
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Procurement 
Procuring Differently: How Colorado Used User Research and Active Vendor Management for COVID-19 Technology
In June 2020, the state implemented an innovative and entirely virtual vendor selection process to evaluate these solutions under the direction of the Colorado Digital Service (CDS).