The ways in which governments serve their communities have seen a dramatic shift in the last 10 years toward providing digital interactions that save time and effort for both the public and government staff. As this Digital Era evolves, government services that best meet their communities’ needs are increasingly focusing on understanding the user’s needs and designing digital experiences that prioritise their outcomes.
By leveraging modern technologies, public sector organisations aim to engage with citizens at an individual level and provide customised recommendations and solutions.
In their “Transforming for a digital future: 2022 to 2025 roadmap for digital and data” strategy, the UK government stated that by 2025, “we will create user-centric policies and public services that are more efficient, fit for the digital age, centred on user needs, and deliver the right outcomes.”
However, the implementation and growth of those polices might leave government organisations without the tools to implement those services. Organisations can improve the user experience and deliver effective and efficient outcomes for citizens by establishing testing procedures and understanding the benefits of digital services. A recent paper published by Total Research and Granicus, “Transforming Public Services: Bridging User-Centric Design, Data, and Digital Collaboration,” provides a snapshot of the challenges organisations face as they move toward providing these modern services.
Putting citizens first during digital service development
Today, effective digital services require human-centred design (HCD) at the core of any strategy. This helps maintain a dedication to addressing the needs and expectations of users in all experiences. HCD focuses the development process on real people and relies heavily on user participation and feedback in the planning process, enabling designers to create products and services that resonate and are tailored to citizen needs.
Applying user testing throughout the design process, organisations can stay connected to user needs and maintain that HCD mindset through development and implementation of services. However, as reported in the Total Research/Granicus paper, only around a quarter (27%) of respondents say their organisations always conduct user testing as part of the design of new digital services. Whilst a higher proportion of government organisations are testing new design services than those that are not, the need remains for an increased number of service trials during the design phase.
The slowed growth of improved digital experiences in service delivery
As technology continues evolving, so too do the expectations and needs of users who become increasingly comfortable with that technology. This applies to government, as well, as organisations that do not stay up to date with developments in technology risk alienating communities that have higher expectations of personalised experiences and conveniences.
In the Total Research/Granicus white paper, civil servants were asked their organisation’s level of advancement in four areas of digital service delivery:
- Improving customer experiences.
- Allocating the right resources to services.
- Informing design of services.
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Tailoring services to specific citizen needs.
On a range of “Not at all advanced” to “Very advanced,” 33% of respondents claimed their organisation was at an advanced stage, and more than a quarter (27%) felt they were advanced when it came to using technology that allowed them to better inform the design of services and tailor services to specific citizen needs.
For all the areas of service delivery measured, a higher proportion of respondents described their organisation as “Not at all advanced” than “Very advanced,” with 5% or less seeing themselves at that most developed level.
This research suggests that while organisations recognise the value of HCD-driven experiences, the implementation of these services have been slow in execution. Whether that is due to delays in evaluation and implementation is uncertain. The fact remains that new strategies that enhance citizens’ interactions with digital platforms and enable organisations to open new avenues for improving the overall citizen experience are coming, if slowly.
Understanding community needs when developing digital experiences
It would seem elementary that to create digital experiences that put the user’s needs first, organisations would require a strong understanding of what their users need. The reality of the situation, as suggested in the Total Research/Granicus paper, might suggest otherwise.
For those surveyed in the report, the opportunity exists to significantly increase an understanding of the needs, aspirations, behaviours, and experiences of their citizens. Only around a third (34%) of civil servants claimed their organisation “Uses data to know a lot about the needs and aspirations of our communities,” and less than half (45%) stated their organisation “Occasionally asks questions from our communities to understand them better.”
If the goal of organisations is to create improved digital experiences that reflect the needs of their users, these two areas provide opportunities to gain valuable insights that will help improve the development and execution of digital services.
Other responses in the survey suggest organisations are aware of this gap and intend to address them, as 20% of the survey’s respondents claimed their organisation “Assumes we know enough about our communities and carries on regardless.” The data suggests an outreach mindset exists in organisations, while still creating the opportunity for government to be educated on the importance of using data to deliver better outcomes for citizens.
As organisations continue to expand their approach to digital service delivery, any effective strategy must have assessment plans integral to their development. Analysing user feedback assessments provides government organisations with insights into their customer’s satisfaction levels, the challenges encountered while using the services, and user needs and requirements.
This feedback helps organisations make informed decisions to improve the services provided, meet user expectations, build trust, and drive customer loyalty. Importantly, user feedback assessments also help government understand underrepresented groups to serve them better, rather than building services based on assumptions.
Building a bridge between government services and an increasingly technology-savvy public is an ongoing effort that adjusts with each new step in technology. But by having strategies with a core philosophy of understanding and meeting community needs, civic leaders will be able to better serve their users and better benefit their organisation’s goals.
