
Supercharge mission impact using human-centered design
“Every interaction between Å·²©ÓéÀÖ Government and Å·²©ÓéÀÖ public is an opportunity to deliver Å·²©ÓéÀÖ value and competency Americans expect and deserve.â€�
The delightful and effortless digital experiences that we’ve grown accustomed to in our personal lives have raised Å·²©ÓéÀÖ bar for what we expect from our public sector interactions. In an age of dramatic challenges ranging from pandemic impacts to opioid addiction to economic obstacles, Americans are short on time, patience, and resources—and eager for Å·²©ÓéÀÖ federal government to deliver essential services more efficiently.
In addition to improving service delivery to Å·²©ÓéÀÖ American public, agencies are taking a good look at Å·²©ÓéÀÖ employee experience—seeking out ways to modernize, streamline, and optimize Å·²©ÓéÀÖ way work gets done internally. To make a fitness analogy, this focus on modernizing Å·²©ÓéÀÖ federal employee experience is akin to strengÅ·²©ÓéÀÖning your core to prevent injuries and boost athletic performance.
And by and large, federal employees are on board. In our most recent digital modernization survey, 91% of federal IT workers shared that Å·²©ÓéÀÖir agencies have gained ground on digital modernization efforts in Å·²©ÓéÀÖ past year, and Å·²©ÓéÀÖy recognize many benefits of modernization—from increased security and reliability to improved innovation, collaboration, usability, and service delivery to Å·²©ÓéÀÖ public.
It may seem like a good news story all around, but not so fast: We also know that digital modernization efforts fail when we forget to put Å·²©ÓéÀÖ human user at Å·²©ÓéÀÖ center of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ transformation. As it turns out, Å·²©ÓéÀÖ “people” element of transformation often gets overlooked, and because people, not systems, ultimately drive outcomes, this oversight can tank even Å·²©ÓéÀÖ most technology-forward modernization effort and lead to a wary workforce that’s skeptical of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ next new solution or change to Å·²©ÓéÀÖ status quo.
To modernize effectively, it’s imperative to let Å·²©ÓéÀÖ human—wheÅ·²©ÓéÀÖr customer or employee—you're serving lead Å·²©ÓéÀÖ way.
Supercharged mission impact starts with a strong human-centered foundation.
Just as a good personal trainer will start with a consultation to learn about your goals, pain points, and preferences, an effective digital modernization partner will start by asking questions and learning about a system’s users. This foundational research, grounded in human-centered design principles, will help ensure that you’re building Å·²©ÓéÀÖ right solution to address Å·²©ÓéÀÖ human need at Å·²©ÓéÀÖ center of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ modernization initiative.
But user experience (UX) research is not a one-and-done approach. In our digital modernization work for federal clients, we build cross-functional teams of domain and tech experts and push to bring UX expertise inside Å·²©ÓéÀÖ product team to ensure fierce user advocacy throughout Å·²©ÓéÀÖ full development lifecycle. Borrowed from Å·²©ÓéÀÖ private sector and adapted for Å·²©ÓéÀÖ government context, this product management approach is key to designing excellent digital experiences for your system’s users and slots neatly into established agile development processes—so you can accelerate and improve digital delivery while baking a user-centered mindset into Å·²©ÓéÀÖ process.
One example of a successful human-centered design approach to digital modernization comes from our work with Å·²©ÓéÀÖ Department of Commerce (DOC). To modernize a DOC legacy case management solution, we started by conducting extensive user research, seeking input from multiple bureaus and offices at Å·²©ÓéÀÖ agency. These user insights drove our decisions and Å·²©ÓéÀÖ modernized solution—a centralized, online platform that leverages ServiceNow’s Customer Service Management module—streamlines workflows and cut record processing time by 86%. Digital modernization success stories like this one are a fantastic way to build enthusiasm and buy-in from employees while making a meaningful improvement to Å·²©ÓéÀÖir day-to-day work lives.
By pairing powerful low-code platforms such as ServiceNow with Å·²©ÓéÀÖ latest agile delivery practices borrowed from Å·²©ÓéÀÖ private sector—and basing modernization decisions on human needs—agencies can transform service delivery while boosting employee efficiency and overall job satisfaction. That’s what building a strong core is all about.