Citizen-Centric State Government Portal

It is no secret that many government websites do not offer the best experience for their users, and this State government was no exception. With over 90 agencies, each with their own mandates and divergent digital presence, publicly available information was outdated and scattered, making it extremely difficult to provide the right content to the right people, resulting in declining citizen trust and engagement.

In partnership with this State* government, the SAP Design and Co-Innovation Center team designed a portal to help change the existing state of affairs, by providing citizens with a one-stop-shop that helps them find and use public information, and ultimately restore their trust in their government through increased transparency. The team approached this project in a highly consultative process, developing relationships with citizens representing various user groups as well as State government staff and officials. As such, the portal was designed while listening to their inputs and using them to test, iterate, and improve the final solution. Through various participatory workshops, the users themselves determined what information the portal would include, and what navigating the portal would feel like.

The result is an easy-to-use portal that allows for the personalization of publicly available information based on identifying, at the onset, the type of user that is seeking it. Once identified, the content and information architecture of the portal are tailored to fit the needs and usage patterns of the user, using big data and machine learning-based technology, making it easier for citizens to immediately find the information that is most relevant to them. Not only has emphasis been put into showcasing this information, but the team has also focused efforts into making it as consumable as possible: the user has the ability to use filters, add or remove layers and granularity of data, and customize the visualizations and guides shown so as to meet their specific expectations.

Ultimately, by delivering valuable information through meaningful, intuitive, and actionable visualizations that captures people’s attention, this citizen-centric portal represents a powerful channel for the State government to re-connect with its citizens and regain their trust, as well as a proof-of-concept to better engage with them moving forward, online and offline.

*State not disclosed for confidentiality reasons.