By Herman Manson (@marklives) Design Indaba 2013 Public design projects have been getting a bad name of late and Ben Terrett, Head of Design at the GDS – The British government’s Government Digital Service (@gdsteam), wants to reverse the trend with GDS.
Terrett and his team had been tasked to make tangible his governments’ intention to transform its approach to digital delivery of public services from what government needs to what its citizens need.
By focussing on user (i.e. ‘we the people’) experience to cut red tape and speed up service delivery Terrett and the GDS is radically altering governments’ usual approach to its citizenry. Who knew government was about us rather than the political class! Terrett emphasises that the projects’ success rests on determining – and meeting – user needs. His team spends a lot of time thinking about how to make transacting with government easier and more convenient.
The first task of GDS was to launch a one-stop website at gov.uk that will eventually replace the hundreds of smaller government department sites. It means you don’t need to know what part of government handles a specific issue – you will find the information you require in a single digital space. Launched in October 2012 the site has already seen its 100 millionth user.