Introducing democracy.redesign();
democracy.redesign(); is a user-centered design project that looks at the US socioeconomic system like designers treat any product that isn't serving its users. We're studying it, testing our assumptions, and inviting everyday people to help fix it. We dream of an economy built and maintained by worker-owned co-ops, where democratic participation is built into the system. We believe in reform for the working, consumer class, too. But this project is about figuring out what a future for and by the people could actually look like, and actually building "The People's Economy".
Learn more about what we're doing, our methodology and process on our about page.
Starting With Pain Points as Data
In User Experience research, pain points are valuable data. They tell you where a system is failing users. Right now, millions of Americans share the same pain points: housing costs that are impossible, healthcare tied to employment, wages that haven't kept pace with productivity, a future that looks worse than the past. These aren't individual failures. They're signals that the system needs to be improved or redesigned.
But expressing our pain isn't enough. Right now, that's where we are stuck as a society. We believe it's a system design problem, and the culture war noise only results in stagnation and resentment. We start by identifying and verifying the data and lived experience of the labor/consumer class (our pain points), seeing what we actually have in common, and advocating for change, while providing the shared vocabulary and data to back it up.
Why This Matters: Moving From Division to Consensus
Research shows most Americans agree on over 100 out of 155 policy issues. We don't disagree as much as we think. But manufactured division keeps us from seeing our common ground. This project cuts through that noise by focusing on shared pain points, not partisan battles.
Our Methodology: Design Thinking Applied to Systems Change
We use design thinking, a methodology for understanding complex problems, to examine the US socioeconomic system as if it were a product or platform we need to improve for our users (everyone). Design thinking has six phases, and each publishing format serves a specific role in that process.
🔄 The Design Thinking Process
Our research and publishing workflow maps directly to the six phases of design thinking:
1. Empathize
Understand user pain points and lived experience
2. Define
Clearly state the problem being solved
3. Ideate
Generate possible solutions
4. Prototype
Build working models to test
5. Test
Learn from real-world examples
6. Implement
Scale solutions into reality
Our Research and Publishing Process
Each format serves specific phases of design thinking. Together, they create a complete research-to-implementation workflow where you can join us in understanding the system and building alternatives.
Research & Discovery
Phase: Empathize
Conversational research published as interactive dialogue. You see our thinking process, not just conclusions.
- Join the discovery process
- See sources questioned in real-time
- Contribute feedback in comments
Findings Made Visual
Phase: Define
Interactive dashboards and infographics that make complex patterns visible and accessible.
- Pattern recognition across data
- Equip yourself to speak confidently
- Visualize the shared story
Mapping the System
Phase: Define
A living document examining 27 economic sectors to understand how the system works and who it serves.
- See how sectors connect and reinforce each other
- Understand power structures across the economy
- Identify where alternatives could work
Building Solutions Together
Phases: Ideate & Prototype
A collaborative framework where civic-minded individuals design alternatives together.
- Move beyond culture war narratives
- Identify shared pain points
- Co-create the solution
Real-World Proof Points
Phase: Test
Stories of people and organizations already building the people's economy.
- See solutions in action
- Understand how to scale what works
- Imagine what could be normal
Scaling & Systems Change
Phase: Implement
Advocacy, policy analysis, and concrete next steps for scaling alternatives into reality.
- Policy changes that enable alternatives
- How everyone can participate
- Building the future together
How they work together: Each research investigation produces content across multiple formats. The journey moves readers from understanding the problem through exploring solutions to taking action. You can enter at any format and find clear links to others.
What to Expect From This Project
We're building this in public, showing our work as we go. Here's what that means for you as a reader.
Transparent Research Process
We don't hide our research behind polished final products. You see the conversations, the source vetting, the moments where we discover something surprising. This builds trust and invites you to question our work.
Living Documents
The Economic Landscape and People's Economy Framework aren't published once and forgotten. They evolve as we learn more. We'll show you what changed and why.
Multiple Entry Points
Some readers want deep research. Others want visual summaries. Still others want to jump straight to solutions. Our linked format lets you choose your path through the material.
Honest About Uncertainty
When we don't know something, we say so. When sources conflict, we show both sides. When we make assumptions, we label them clearly. This isn't weakness—it's how real research works.
Built For Action
Every piece of research asks: "What does this mean for building alternatives?" We're not just documenting problems. We're identifying leverage points for change.
Collaborative by Design
Your feedback shapes what we research next. Comments questioning our sources make us better. Suggestions for topics help us see blind spots. This is a conversation, not a lecture.
Who This Is For
This project serves anyone who senses something is fundamentally wrong with how our economy works but lacks the framework to articulate it or the belief that alternatives are possible.
You might find this valuable if you:
Feel politically exhausted
You follow the news, understand the issues, but feel like neither major party offers real solutions to systemic problems. You want analysis that goes deeper than partisan talking points.
Work hard but fall behind
You do everything "right"—work hard, follow the rules, try to save—but can't afford what your parents could at your age. You're starting to suspect the problem isn't you.
Want to understand the system
You sense patterns but lack the historical context or economic framework to connect them. You want to understand how we got here before discussing where we go next.
Believe alternatives are possible
You're ready to move past just complaining. You want to know what's being built, what's worked before, and how you can participate in creating something different.
We Especially Need Builders and Organizers
Understanding the problem is just the beginning. Actually building alternatives requires people with skills, experience, and the commitment to design systems that work for everyday people.
Developers & Engineers
You've built products for venture-backed companies extracting value from users. You know how to design systems that serve their actual users. We need that expertise applied to building open-source infrastructure for worker-owned cooperatives.
Product Managers & UX Designers
You understand user needs, design workflows, and build products people actually want to use. Co-ops need governance platforms, member management systems, and tools designed for democratic organizations—not hierarchies.
Organizers & Community Builders
You've brought people together, built coalitions, and created movements. The People's Economy needs organizing at every level—connecting co-ops, building networks, creating collective power.
Researchers & Analysts
You know how to find data, vet sources, and identify patterns. We need people who can help map the economic landscape, document what works, and design frameworks grounded in evidence.
Legal & Financial Professionals
You understand how systems operate within existing legal and financial structures. Co-ops need governance models, capital formation strategies, and legal frameworks that resist capture while remaining viable.
Educators & Communicators
You know how to make complex ideas accessible and build shared understanding. The movement needs people who can translate research into action, teach cooperative principles, and build the shared vocabulary we need.
Most importantly: This is for people who believe we can do better than the current system—not through revolution, but through evolution. Through building alternatives while pushing for reforms. Through organizing collectively instead of struggling individually. And through applying our professional skills to design systems that actually work for their users.
A Work in Progress
The American capitalism that created unprecedented prosperity is breaking down. Not because people are greedy or lazy, but because the balance of power has shifted so far that the system no longer works for most people.
We can see this in the data: wages decoupled from productivity, housing becoming unaffordable, healthcare tied to employment, the first generation doing worse than their parents. These aren't unavoidable, they're symptoms of systemic design failures.
But acknowledging what's broken isn't enough. We need to understand how it broke before we can fix it. We need to know what's worked before to avoid repeating mistakes. We need to see what's working now to believe alternatives are possible.
That's what we're trying to do here. We're not writing a blog, we're organizing the story of American Labor and Consumerism, and inviting you to question our assumptions, challenge our conclusions, and help shape what we build.