Overview
Digital channels — websites, apps, chatbots, social media, texts, email newsletters — are standard when it comes to government services and information. But just having an online presence isn’t enough to qualify as “going digital.”
Be intentional and build government digital services that truly focus on the needs of the people.
Problem
Despite widespread use, many government digital practices do not meet the needs of the people they serve. Digital services are often poorly managed and hard to use. Users face fragmented customer experiences that can erode their trust in government’s ability to adapt and improve.
Solution
Digital services that work well require a digital-first product mindset and agile approaches to technology procurement and delivery. Transparency and collaboration are the default way of operating internally and externally.
To achieve a digital experience that is easy to use, accessible to everyone, effective and efficient to manage, governments need to:
- Identify relevant and high-demand services
- Improve internal processes for better delivery
- Digitize services and make them easy to use
Context
Digital is the primary point of engagement in everything we do. Governments must prioritize this to meet the needs of the public.
Going digital often means transforming analog or legacy processes into new formats and systems. Simply digitizing a form that was created decades ago does not equal going digital.
Service implementers also need to make sure services and processes are easy to use and address the needs of the public. Going digital means leveraging data, modern technology, user-centered design, and agile processes to deliver better digital services.
Governments use various digital channels to serve the public: websites, apps, emails, social media, chatbots, and more. They also need to think creatively when coming up with digital solutions and not be tied to what already exists.
Digital in government
Government now recognizes the importance of digital transformation. Initiatives like the Digital Service Playbook modeled by U.S. federal government initiatives provide a framework and guideline for developing effective services.
California’s Digital Strategy is an example of how state governments can prioritize a digital-first approach to its service delivery. Local governments can achieve this too, although they may need to innovate creatively and do more with less, relying on technology vendors and local partners.
Digital product
Product ownership
Having an accountable and designated leader ensures that digital services are continuously improved and aligned with user needs.
Accountability for product outcomes must start and end with the product owner, not their partners and stakeholders. Lack of product ownership can lead to digital solutions that are:
- Over budget
- Poorly executed
- Hard to use
- Failing to meet the needs of the people
Product teams
Successful digital services are built by teams that:
- Are empowered to make decisions quickly
- Iterate on digital products based on user feedback and data
Ideally, product teams are composed of people with diverse skill sets, including product managers, designers, engineers, and data analysts. Smaller governments can create effective product teams by focusing on upskilling and cross-functional collaboration internally while leveraging external vendor help to fill gaps.
Process
Agile practices are essential for delivering digital services that are responsive to changing needs and user feedback. It is critical to understand customer pain points and behaviors to deliver valuable products. Rather than focusing on specific frameworks and methodologies, teams should prioritize agility, adaptability, and collaboration. Adopting a minimum viable product (MVP) approach helps to deliver valuable services early and iterate based on real user input.
Technology and data
Technology usage
Governments should adopt technologies that are widely supported, open source, and interoperable. Avoiding proprietary technology solutions can improve sustainability, efficiency, and scalability.
Prioritizing best practices, accessibility, and performance across different devices will help deliver government services to more people — especially those who have low-performing devices and limited bandwidth.
Data usage
The data collected through digital services should be used to:
- Improve service delivery
- Inform decision-making
It is equally important to manage this data responsibly, with a focus on privacy and security. Data often presents opportunities for better transparency — improving trust in government services.
Mantras
- Digital first
Checklist
- Design for everyone by building services that are user-centered, accessible, and intuitive.
- Appoint a product leader and set outcomes-based goals towards a minimum viable product (MVP).
- Use agile practices and buy better while testing your assumptions and products early and often.
- Default to open by being transparent and collaborative while working with widely supported tools.
- Build and empower the team, establishing a team playbook that includes a decision-making framework.
- Protect privacy of your end users and manage data rights.
Questions to ask
- Are we doing the hard work to make it easier for end users?
- Who has the responsibility to make sure the product meets its goals?
- Do our processes and tools allow for changes in direction based on data and testing?
- Is our implementation flexible enough to succeed even if we face challenges with technology or vendors?
- Does the team have the tools and support they need and feel empowered to make decisions based on a shared framework?
- Are we building trust with end users and protecting access to user data?
Learn more
- Digital Services Playbook, U.S. Digital Service8
- Design principles, U.S. Web Design System9
- Guides: Principles and standards that shape our work, 18F10
- Requirements for delivering a digital-first public experience, Digital.gov11
- Government Design Principles, Gov.UK12
- Manifesto for Agile Software Development, The Agile Alliance13
