Our Mission

Our mission is to ensure that all voices matter in the design and direction of our institutions and communities. We are dedicated to fostering equitable decision-making structures so that those most impacted by ill-designed policies, programs, and services, can influence the decisions that impact them most directly.

Our History

As a trained architect, I have always been concerned by the number of poorly designed systems (or at least outdated designs that are ill-suited for 21st century challenges). As a pragmatic-idealist, thanks in part to my modest rural childhood, I felt that there was a better, more human-centered, and collective way to redesign these systems. Founded January 2017, ByDesign is boutique consulting firm aimed at working across sectors and alongside stakeholders to promote radical collaboration nested within a rigorous design structure for translating often invisible lived experiences into policies, practices, and services that support all communities.

Our Values

  • We don’t know what we don’t know. Those with direct lived experiences understand the full scope of problems and the urgency to address them.

  • Breakthroughs rarely happen in the boardroom. Communities are constantly leveraging existing local knowledge to address challenges independent of “expert” involvement.

  • Engaging with the “usual suspects” will continue to yield the usual outcomes. Bringing together diverse teams is the birthplace of creativity and new solutions.

  • Talk is cheap and a crutch for doing nothing. Creating and rapidly testing solutions alongside community members ensures that lived experiences are translated into action.

  • Invest in people, not projects. Directly investing in the people most impacted by a problem offers the greatest opportunity for positive and sustainable change.

Meet the Team

Jess Roberts

Founder and Lead Co-Design Facilitator

  • Since founding ByDesign in 2017, Jess has been a highly sought-after partner for organizations and governmental agencies that are striving to improve health, wellbeing, and address inequalities through design and innovation.

    Jess is a national thought and practice leader in co-design and engaging communities to create more equitable, healthy, and resilient communities, organizations, and governments. He is currently an affiliate of the University of Minnesota Design Center and an Adjunct Faculty member at the University of Minnesota, School of Public Health where he leads the development and delivery of equitable HCD and co design curriculum. Outside of work, he can be found attending one of his two son’s sporting events, fishing (open water or ice), and being outside with his wife and family.

Jes Springer

Affiliate Co-Design Facilitator and Collaborator

  • Jes is a graduate of Yale College where they studied decision making, social construction, and folk psychologies because Jes believes a deep understanding of people and their perspectives is critical to designing effective life-giving systems. They have supported multiple co-design efforts based in Minnesota as well as a written curriculum to build up co-design capacity. Currently they are a product manager working with emerging tech because they embrace the disruptive potential of technology while looking to and honoring what is already working from local and traditional knowledges. They believe addressing persistent inequalities requires addressing disproportionate power structures and design offers a catalyst to break out of harmful status quos while healing communities. They are often cooking with and feeding loved ones including running monthly mutual aid dinners and skill shares.

Schedule a Free Consult

Schedule a free 30-minute consult to learn more about what co-design is and how it can facilitate equitable and impactful collective action.

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