Marc K. Hébert, Ph.D. – researcher | designer | facilitator

Hi, I’m Marc.

Thanks for finding your way to my portfolio of work and some writings about applying research, tech and design to solve public problems.

^{Applied Research and Design to Protect Millions of Consumers}

Image with a white background. In the top left is the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Seal with an eagle on the front, a shield over its chest, an olive branch in one foot and arrows in the other. The words, "U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services" is in the top right. Half of an American flag with a brass-looking flag poll is also features. Image is under a Creative Commons license from https://www.uscreditcardguide.com/wp-content/uploads/immigrationUS.jpg

^{Returned 108 Weeks of Staff Time a Year Using Data and Workflows}

^{Used Data to Champion Product Accessibility}

^{Saved $200K in Contracting and Built a Scalable Strategy}

^{Scaled an Approach to Operational Improvement that Dropped Client Wait Times by 70%}

^{Tested A Team’s Assumptions before Spending $100M}

Blue bar graph with five bars on a scale from 0 to 600 # Clients Helped Today. They include Mail & Fax 5, Lobby 89, Phones 157, Text / Chat 236 and App 522.

^{Increased Dashboard Use to Better Manage Operations}

A woman's face with with the words, "Creativity Never Gets Old" written to the left. Her face has a transparent rectangle that goes from the bridge of her nose to above her eyebrows. She appears older and grayer in this section of the picture, but her forehead and hair above the rectangle and below it featuring the tip of her nose, smile and neck appear to be younger. She appears to be darker in complexion.

^{Returned 65 Workdays a Year to Frontline Operations}

California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) is written in black letters on two, yellow brushstrokes.

^{Helped to Increase the Number of Clients Onboarded by 20%+}

"BenefitsCal" is written in white and orange letters. Near it is the outline of a white bear in a circle. The circle seems to be a sunset/sunrise on the top and green earth on the bottom half. The background is blue.

^{Strengthened Operations to Prepare for Large Technical Upgrades}

Child Protective Services. HSA Family and Children's Services (FCS) responds to reports of suspected child abuse, neglect and exploitation.

^{Mapped Gaps and Improved Readiness for Major Service Changes}

Selected Writings

28 Oct 2025 | Stories about experiencing AI in the workplace

7 Oct 2025 | Scaling service design in regulated environments

15 May 2025 | Who are the most overlooked “users” of product teams? The answer may surprise you

21 Oct 2022 | Scoping studies

20 Dec 2021 | An anthropology of civic design

28 Sep 2021 | A government practitioner’s guide to better success metrics

Acknowledgments

I acknowledge the Ramaytush Ohlone People, who have stewarded the land throughout the generations where this digital site was physically created. (What’s this?)