Navigating complexity with HCD to uplift digital experiences for federal government
Creating a streamlined digital licencing experience while embedding HCD into a government organisation
Industry
Federal Government
Duration
6 months
Deliverables
6 current state insights
Current state service blueprint
High-level future state service blueprint
Future state end-to-end digital experience and supporting business requirements
High-fidelity wireframes
Impact
Designed an intuitive and streamlined licensing application experience for internal and external users
Enhanced the consistency and speed of licensing decisions
Piloted and embedded human-centred design (HCD) as an approach in the organisation
Uplifted HCD capability in the organisation
WHAT was the problem
In the ever-evolving landscape of digital services, our partner, a major government body, was confronted with a two-fold challenge: the need to elevate their digital service experience for users, while also embarking on a substantial journey of digital transformation across the organisation. They wanted to use Human-Centred Design (HCD) to help them navigate this difficult terrain.
They approached WAVE to partner with them. Their vision? To pilot the use of HCD to enhance their complex licensing application process, while simultaneously nurturing their budding internal HCD capability.
With all this in mind we set out to:
Design a new, intuitive digital experience for licensing applications and processing,
Enhance the consistency and speed of licensing decisions,
Prove how HCD could be used in the organisation’s context in order to drive better project and design outcomes, and
Uplift the internal design team’s HCD capability.
APPROACH we took
Meeting them where they were
When we joined, the project was in a state of flux. Discovery in some areas had begun and business requirements were at various stages of maturity, with different levels of supporting evidence. Alongside this, multiple vendors had been brought on at the same time — each with their own methodologies and competing requests for time with key business stakeholders. To navigate the projects’ complexity and support effective collaboration, we worked alongside our partner and the vendors to align on processes and identify co-dependencies between the various streams of work. We assessed existing work and collaboratively identified areas where additional research was required, allowing us to build on what had already been discovered, while also gaining a holistic understanding of the domain.
Taking the time to build trust
As HCD was new to the organisation, we spent time explaining our methodology, providing context and rationale for our recommendations and decisions. We dialled up our engagement at key points with business stakeholders to ensure buy-in, while also dialling down where possible to alleviate time pressures as result of the numerous work streams.
Using ethnographic research to understand the current state
Delving deeper into the current state, we employed ethnographic research techniques. We looked at internal and external experiences of the licensing process, drawing on insights from international agencies grappling with similar challenges. This rigorous approach yielded six key insights that shed light on the commercial realities faced by licence applicants and the internal hurdles encountered by licensing staff, ultimately identifying three key areas for improvement.
Collaboratively designing the future
Harnessing storytelling expertise and collaborative co-creation methodologies, we brought diverse stakeholders and staff from the licensing function together. We reimagined the end-to-end experience, resulting in an initial portfolio of concepts that addressed the opportunities identified through our research. With key business stakeholders, we prioritised the concepts according to the value they would provide and their difficulty to implement, ultimately landing on three to take forward.
Iteratively proving the value, feasibility and viability of the solution
We then worked closely with the technology development and business teams to understand the technical feasibility and viability of the solutions. We iteratively tested low-cost, simple prototypes with internal and external users of the function, allowing us to make informed trade-off decisions about the designs as we went. This approach allowed us to progressively design further detail while continually proving the solutions would work, could be delivered, and would provide value for money. In the end, we delivered a series of highly detailed wireframes (mockups of the real digital solution) and supporting documentation articulating the end-to-end experience and processes to inform the business requirements.
VALUE we created
HCD as an approach to align projects and support decisions
Working alongside the technology development and business teams, and taking an iterative approach to design, the future state vision created provided a unified view of what we were working towards, which had been missing up until that point. This was a ‘north star’ for the project — creating alignment between the various project parties, supporting and providing evidence for key decisions to be made.
Heavily engaged internal staff
Active involvement of internal staff was pivotal. Their deep contextual knowledge and insights into the practical workings of the licensing process proved invaluable. Through collaboration, we designed and validated solutions that streamlined their workload, reduced processing times and promoted enhanced collaboration and assessment consistency.
A proven improved, practical and affordable digital experience
Our iterative testing approach, involving users, technology teams, and business teams, systematically reduced assumptions about requirements, effectiveness, and value. The end result? Future state designs grounded in evidence, practicality, and value for money.
EMPOWERMENT we embedded
Driving the design forward
Our journey went beyond design; it was about driving change. To empower our partners, we formed a blended team of their staff and our designers. We started by establishing our collaborative ways of working and introducing core HCD methods. Throughout the process, we adopted a "learn-by-doing" approach, working hand-in-hand with the internal team. We shared our knowledge and methods, aiming to instil a sense of ownership and equip them to continue the journey once our engagement concluded.
As our engagement drew to a close, our internal team members were not just passive observers but active drivers of change. They facilitated intricate tradeoff discussions, championed the designs, were able to explain the underlying rationale, and propel the designs forward towards implementation.
In conclusion, our partnership with our forward-thinking partner showcased the transformative power of HCD in the context of digital service enhancement and digital transformation. Our approach fostered alignment, empowered internal teams, and ultimately delivered a future-oriented, practical, and cost-effective digital experience. WAVE, always at the forefront of service and strategic design, left a lasting impact, positioning our partners for a future of success and innovation.
Project Reflections
One of the core ideas in Human-Centred Design is that the end-user’s needs are the top priority, but the reality is that any innovation created within a larger organisation has many end-users with a multitude of needs that should be considered.
From the Company’s director, to the service delivery worker and everyone in-between; there are human factors that come into the equation. It might be a specific use case for a frontline staff member, or a need to understand the HCD process better for a middle manager — whichever the need, the best innovations are the ones that address as many as possible.
This was an incredibly important part of this project for us, and a key factor behind its success. By understanding each stakeholder’s needs we were able to not only create a more desirable solution for all, but were able to bring a very diverse set of stakeholders to a place of understanding one another in a way they previously hadn’t.
- Daniel Ieraci | Senior Service Designer, WAVE
Daniel has worked in Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, San Francisco, Rome and London, experiencing a wide range of cultures and sectors. He has helped create new ventures, digital products, large-scale service innovations and internal policies. Daniel’s North Star in every domain is his passion for addressing important problems in meaningful ways by finding the human insights that lead to inspiring solutions.
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