Streamlining Digital Identity for All Australian Businesses
Challenge
Usability roadblocks emerged with AUSKey's DIgital Identity replacement
With the sunsetting of AUSKey, the Australian government faced a critical juncture: transitioning businesses to a new digital identity ecosystem comprising myGovID and Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM). While promising broader service access and enhanced security, early trials exposed usability challenges and inefficient processes. The fragmented oversight model, with the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) managing entry processes and the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) handling myGovID and RAM, further complicated efforts to streamline the experience.

Approach
Refining business-government interactions with a comprehensive user experience overhaul
An across-agency team was formed, uniting experts from DTA, ATO, and the Department of Industry to pinpoint usability issues, prioritise solutions, and design an optimal application for RAM.

As the DTA Design Lead, my focus was on transforming usefulness and usability of the ecosystem, this entailed:
- Conducting focused research to pinpoint business users' specific needs and challenges with the new system.
- Applying Behavioural Economics and Jobs-to-be-Done frameworks to dissect and enhance business-government interactions.
- Bridging DTA and ATO efforts to dissolve silos and streamline the user journey.
- Innovating with EEG and cognitive load metrics for deeper insights into user emotions and mental effort.
- Implementing a cycle of ongoing testing and refinement, aimed at easing onboarding, clarifying user paths, and enhancing the overall experience.


Outcome
Boosted adoption of myGovID and RAM, paving the way for more streamlined, user-focused government-business interactions
This project led to unique advancements in government service authorization:
- Establishing a user-friendly and unified digital identity ecosystem, bridging the gap between DTA and ATO and delivering a consistent user experience for businesses.
- 100% of our participants successfully onboarded and authorised an individual in our final prototype
- Significantly improving the accessibility and ease of use of myGovID and RAM, leading to higher adoption rates and user satisfaction among businesses of all sizes.
- Developing and implementing novel usability testing methods, providing rich insights into user behaviour and cognitive load, informing future enhancements and innovations.
- Laying the foundation for a more integrated, efficient, and user-centric future for digital identity management in government-business interactions



