First impressions are important. With the increasing number of digital public services made available to citizens, more and more of these first impressions happen online.
Although it can be tempting to simply focus on increasing the number of services available online, it’s important not to overlook how the user experience on these digital platforms significantly impacts citizens’ perceptions of their administration.
A whopping 40% of organizations who were consulted during a recent International Data Corporation (IDC) report state that customers are currently getting lost in the complexity and multiplicity of digital channels. There is clearly work that can be done to improve citizens’ user experience with digital public services.
In this article, we will examine the digital user experience and why it is so important to your organization and users.
Then, take a look at our user experience checklist to help determine how you can get started improving your organization's digital services.
Decoding Digital User Experience (UX)
To the uninitiated, digital user experience might come across as tech jargon. However, user experience is more than just a box to tick when designing digital services: it’s the foundation of every digital interaction.
In essence, the user experience refers to how someone using a digital service will feel while using it. It encompasses a user’s entire journey from their emotions to their perception and the actions they may or may not choose to take during each interaction.
For example, consider how user experience and design influences eCommerce website purchasing. There are often a plethora of options to choose from that a customer can access with just a few clicks.
What makes them choose one vendor over another? Traditional elements such as brand recognition, product quality, reviews, features, and price point will certainly influence their decision, but the user experience cannot be ignored.
Websites that are easy to navigate, pleasing to look at, appear professional, and make it easy for shoppers to find the information that is most important to them are more likely to make sales.
On the other hand, users may choose to leave websites that they find confusing, do not allow them to easily complete their purchase, or where they struggle to find relevant information such as prices, return policies, shipping fees and accepted payment methods.
If citizens do not have a positive experience when first using a digital public service, they may avoid interacting with similar services in the future.
In short, providing a bad user experience isn’t just bad for users: it’s bad for an organization’s bottom line.
What does UX look like in the context of digital public services? A citizen starts navigating through a government website. At first, they may simply search for information relating to a service.
If their experience is positive, they may go on to process transactions or seek out communication avenues with public agencies. The fluidity, intuitiveness, and efficiency of this process underline the UX.
When executed well, it offers a seamless journey, ensuring citizens accomplish their objectives without any friction.
Digital User Experience: A Practical Snapshot
Digital UX isn’t just an afterthought; it’s the central issue that will dictate how your citizens feel about the digital public services available to them.
Let’s examine some of the most important benefits of having an optimized UX in digital public service delivery.
Enhanced Citizen Satisfaction
A user-friendly digital platform is a major aspect of user and citizen satisfaction. Easily navigable websites, clear access to information, and frictionless transactions create a positive experience for your citizens.
This not only encourages repeated interactions but also instills trust and confidence in the institution behind the platform. For example, consider a user who is looking for a service’s opening hours.
If the service’s website is optimized on multiple platforms, the user can comfortably navigate regardless of where they are or which device they are using.
Furthermore, if they are able to find the hours of operation in only a few clicks and without needing to make a call, they will be more likely to have a positive opinion of the website and may decide to return.
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Trust and Credibility in your Public Service
User experience plays a pivotal role in shaping how citizens perceive the credibility of public services. A sleek, visually appealing, and intuitive digital interface becomes the façade of the service.
A consistent look and feel gives citizens confidence in the accuracy and trustworthiness of the information provided as well as makes the institution seem competent and effective. Conversely, a clunky, poorly designed platform can quickly tarnish the image and credibility of the government body.
For example, imagine a user who wants to sign up for city compost collection. They find the collection schedule on the city’s website, but when they click on the link where they can request a bin, they are redirected to a website with a different look and a different URL.
Although the link may be trustworthy, the user may not trust the redirected site as much as the city’s website, which they are more familiar with and have used in the past. Instead, they may choose to abandon the attempt entirely and lose some of the trust they placed in the city’s website.
Operational and Service Efficiency
The efficiency of a digital platform directly translates to service efficiency. Impeccable UX is characterized by intuitive navigation, clear instructions, and optimized workflows.
In short, great UX should enable quicker resolutions, streamlined processes, and heightened productivity. These elements can reduce the time, effort, and potential frustration involved in accessing services or information.
Imagine a user who would like to sign into their account on a website they have used before. However, when they return to the website, they are unable to find the sign in button. Rather, they find pages explaining some aspect of the service they are looking for.
Although the information they find could be useful to them, that is not what they are looking for or expected. Users may get frustrated upon having to search the website or worse, resort to a new search engine query to find it.
Inclusivity and Accessibility
Accessibility is more than just a buzzword: it’s a necessity. Governments across Canada are making web accessibility a clear priority and moving towards a more inclusive society.
This movement towards greater inclusion comes in the form of digital public service enhancements and with legislation such as the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).
Now more than ever, digital public services need to be universally accessible, irrespective of physical ability, technological literacy, or socio-economic status.
Effective UX integrates features like alternative text for images, keyboard navigation, and discernible colour schemes for those with visual impairments.
This ensures all citizens, including the 20% of citizens who need accessibility accommodations, are on an even playing field when accessing digital services.
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Civic Engagement and Collaboration
Platforms that resonate with users, are responsive, and encourage interactions naturally enhance civic participation.
Just ask the Government of Bermuda: their user-centric approach transformed digital citizen access, making Bermuda the country with the highest level of citizen engagement in North America!
When government portals and websites are user-centric, they foster open feedback, active dialogues, and the co-creation of opportunities.
This bridges the gap between government bodies and citizens, facilitating a symbiotic relationship that strengthens democratic processes.
Branding and Public Image
Just as businesses heavily invest in UX for brand reputation, public sector entities need to recognize its role in shaping their image.
A stellar digital experience elevates the entity’s public perception, fosters loyalty, and can be instrumental in attracting investments and collaborations.
It also ensures continued engagement from younger citizens, who view digital infrastructure as a high priority.
According to the 2022 What Citizens Want - A Guide to Informed Decision Making survey by Rock Solid (conducted in the USA), Gen Z respondents were least likely to say they could easily contact their governments and less confident in the government’s technological capabilities as a whole.
In fact, only one third (33.85%) of Gen Z participants agreed with the statement, “I can communicate with my government easily” and almost the same number (27%) stated they either disagree or strongly disagree with the idea that their government is “tech-savvy”.
In order to improve citizen engagement in the coming years, governments and public services must address the needs of the younger generations regarding digital services.
Mastering UX in the Public Sector: A Checklist
Given the undeniably pivotal role government organizations have in providing easy access to digital services to citizens, here are 6 steps public sector entities can follow to ensure they’re at the top of their digital UX game.
1. Adopt a User-Centric Approach
The end user, in this case the citizen, should be at the heart of any UX strategy. This means understanding their needs, preferences, habits, and pain points.
Strategies such as regularly conducting surveys, setting up feedback loops, ensuring robust tracking and reporting capabilities, and comprehensive data analysis within a government-grade Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system can offer invaluable insights, shaping services that genuinely resonate with user expectations.
2. Provide Usability as a Cornerstone
While aesthetics are important, functionality and usability are paramount. Platforms should prioritize essential features that cater to the majority of their users’ needs.
This includes clear navigation structures, intuitive interfaces, simple forms, and streamlined processes that collectively enhance the user journey.
3. Prioritize Web Accessibility
As discussed earlier, the diversity of communities necessitates a deep commitment to accessibility. This isn’t just about compliance but about genuinely ensuring that platforms are usable by everyone.
This could mean offering translations in multiple languages, establishing compatibility with screen readers, or even integrating voice-command features.
4. Enable Performance Optimization
In the digital realm, speed and responsiveness are crucial. Slow-loading pages or glitchy functionalities can deter users.
Therefore, constant monitoring and optimization, from refining the backend code to compressing multimedia elements, are essential to ensure smooth user interactions.
5. Iterative Design and Continuous Improvement
The digital world is dynamic. What works today might become obsolete tomorrow.
To stay ahead of the curve, regular updates based on user feedback, emerging technologies, and evolving user habits are essential.
This might mean periodic redesigning, introducing new features, or phasing out redundant ones.
Trusted partners and solutions that are innovative and updated regularly can streamline this process and reduce internal administrative burdens.
6. Involve Citizens in the Design Process
Last and potentially most important, take a leaf out of the commercial playbook when considering usability and design updates. Public sector entities can benefit from involving end users in the design and testing phases.
Design, prototyping, and beta testing with a diverse group of citizens can offer ground-level insights, ensuring the final product is well-rounded and widely accepted.
The Digital User Experience: Another Way of Putting Citizens First
In summary, the importance of digital user experience is both profound and far-reaching, especially in the Canadian public sector. Canadians, now more than ever, are demanding a better user experience.
By integrating user-centric designs, focusing on inclusivity, and committing to continuous improvement, government entities can craft digital platforms that truly serve their populace.
Simply put, good UX comes from putting citizens first and focusing on their needs.
For example, by using CitizenOne, Portage CyberTech's trusted citizen portal, we have helped our provincial partners achieve a whopping 77% citizen adoption rate!
This not only elevates citizen satisfaction and trust but also fortifies the very fabric of democratic interaction in our increasingly digital age.