What if building better systems started with listening more deeply? In this talk, Sarah shares a story from her time improving digital services in government, where connecting with the people using these services reshaped how she approached complexity, trust, and inclusion. Through the lens of service design, she explores how human-centred tools can help engineers move beyond technical fixes and design for the realities people face every day.
Sarah Kirkby is an organisational development specialist with a background in digital product development and a focus on shaping culture, strengthening teams, and enabling meaningful change. She brings deep expertise in human-centred design, capability building, and systems thinking. Sarah takes a thoughtful, people-shiva approach, creating the conditions for people to feel good and function well while turning strategy into meaningful action.