Why human-centered design is the key to better CX

The federal government plays a crucial role in providing services that citizens rely on daily, especially during significant life changes and challenges. By funding initiatives and establishing technology guidelines to support customer experience strategies and improve service delivery for citizens, trust in government can be built and strengthened.

Recognizing the importance of CX, the White House issued an executive order that directed government leaders to prioritize CX and created a position to champion this action. 

Amira Boland, The Office of Management and Budget’s first-ever federal CX lead, inspired great progress during her time at the White House, but as leadership changes, the progress made and challenges encountered will drive next steps for improved and accessible citizen services.

New CX leadership must continue to prioritize the implementation of human-centered design approaches, platform governance-driven IT modernization and artificial intelligence.

HCD at the center of CX

Effective CX starts with a human experience-centered approach. Citizens’ needs and preferences should drive effective prioritization and mission outcomes. 

This starts with an understanding of these needs and preferences through end user engagement. Project leads and developers should also consider the customer journey. What are all the routes that citizens could take to procure specific services? And how could the process become simpler, more efficient, and more logical?

This feedback is critical when making decisions related to a new modernization project, including updating a website that is frequently visited by citizens who need government services.

Agencies are making significant investments in modernization. For example, the Department of Justice received a $45.5 million TMF investment that aims to allow the agency's antitrust division to rapidly acquire and deploy updated platforms. This has impacted the agency’s CX work by increasing the capability of case management systems and simplifying the public complaints process.

Due to this TMF award, employees will have more time to focus on the enforcement work they were hired to do, making DOJ and the federal government more efficient and effective.

Setting sights on continued CX growth in the federal government requires prioritizing the latest versions of technology in tandem with a human-centric approach.

AI and platform governance

AI is playing a transformative role in CX. Tools that can handle routine inquiries 24/7 allow human agents to redirect their efforts, while providing superior and timely help to citizens.

Natural language processing is one tool that can analyze feedback and respond quickly to concerns, helping agencies continuously improve services. NLP-powered chatbots and virtual assistants can more efficiently support citizen requests, while AI streamlines back-office processes to speed up document processing and data entry.

While it’s clear that modernization is crucial to CX, different departments have their own priorities, complicating IT decision making. Platform governance is necessary as many forms of technology interact with disparate systems and stakeholders to ensure citizens are best served.

In addition, platform governance identifies and manages cross-organizational demands simultaneously, ensuring prioritization will best serve citizen needs. The approach identifies objectives, resources, and procedures, while also determining if the technology is the best overall cross-organizational fit. 

Government initiatives and White House guidance have launched the process and furthered progress of CX-focused efforts, and increased funding and the establishment of CX offices and leads makes this progress actionable.

The next OMB CX lead will have the ability and undertaking to navigate the novel tech terrain. If harnessed effectively, the next official can develop previous efforts and build upon the bolstered federal CX foundation. Advancing federal agencies’ CX plans require harnessing technology to provide better, faster services for citizens – when the two work in tandem, innovation is made possible.