Inspiring keynote from yesterday from Lisa Welchman at the UXPA International 2019 conference on digital governance by design. On the heels of the IJIS blockchain summit, this was a timely reminder to consider governance frameworks for emerging technology in parallel with innovation in justice and public safety.

It was a wake-up call for anyone involved in creating digital products, services and technology of our responsibility as makers and creators to participate in governance.
It was a reminder that if we're not intentional about governance, we end up with 'accidental governance' and unintended consequences.
It was an encouragement that rather than stifling innovation, "standards enable collaboration and healthy growth of technologies".
It was a call to action that we should be intentionally considering what it is we're making, who is making it, what will be the impact on those who will use it and who will be accountable AND, proactively establishing a governance framework.

So, who should be involved?

It seems obvious, but BEFORE determining who should be involved, you need to: define what you want to govern, and the scope of what you've defined. Only then will you know who needs to be in the room to create standards; both creators and consumers (who better to understand the impact).

Lisa shared a timeline showing the relationship in timing between when innovation happens and when standards happen based on the invention of the 3-point seat belt. This is a helpful way to think about when standards are introduced and how we might take a more proactive approach.

And, another book for my reading list: Managing Chaos: Digital Governance By Design

Comparative timeline showing the relationship between innovation, standards, testing and legislation