Better Access to Government Services

Challenge

A labyrinth of complex government services, especially for marginalised communities.

In my role at the Digital Transformation Agency, I found that everyday Australians, including marginalised communities like First Australians, grappled with navigating complex and often frustrating government services. The challenge involved making crucial services accessible and user-friendly for all whom require them. For example, identity - simply proving who you are, or acting on someone's behalf (e.g. for Medicare or NDIS) when they can't (e.g. accidents, disabilities, etc.), became a daunting obstacle, effectively denying many access to vital services.

Approach

Prioritising research with marginalised communities through ethnography and iterative prototype testing

Bridging the information gap with diverse HCD research, I leveraged my personal networks to engage First Nations and other underrepresented communities in ethnographic studies and prototype testing across Australia from Sydney to Broome. Their insights would shape user-centric identity and authorisation solutions that ensured.

As the design lead, I used a human-centered design approach by:

• Researching diverse Australian communities, including First Australians in Sydney and Broome, to unearth the nuanced user needs when interacting with government services.
• Collaborating with diverse agencies, such as Medicare, NDIA & Department of Human Services
• Life-event journey mapping to identify essential services and interaction points across different timeframes, highlighting opportunities for service improvement.
• Leveraging Behavioural Economics and JTBD frameworks to prioritise ideas and concepts.
• Collaborating with stakeholders to design a risk-based authorisation model for balancing regulatory imperatives with user experience. 

Outcomes

Understanding diverse needs reshapes authorization

My efforts culminated in:

• Establishing a robust framework that guided the government in assessing and applying user-centric regulatory considerations.
• Insights from user research and testing informing future policy decisions and service improvements, leading to a more adaptable and user-friendly services.
• Shaping authorisation processes to better align with cultural contexts and barriers to access, particularly for groups like NDIS beneficiaries and First Australian communities

We developed a model serving as a framework to help the government assess the ideal level of regulatory action based on the level of risk. It aimed to strike a balance between too little compliance action and overreaching. For instance, in areas with high potential for fraud, clear and detailed instructions are ideal for authorisations. Conversely, in low-risk areas, such as community-building activities that rely on volunteers, the government can benefit by reducing compliance actions.