PD Newsletter #34: On starting with user needs

This week in the newsletter there's a lot about starting with user needs (it must be on my mind). For the best digital services out there, this isn't optional. Much like delivering pizza on accessible websites - more on that below.

🌏❤️Call for session proposals for the 2020 @codeforamerica Summit are open. This year I've joined the Content Committee, and it would be great to see to see proposals from around the globe.

Last year Dan Abadie spoke about building Argentina’s Government-as-a-Platform. I'd love to see more stories like this. We have loads to learn from each other.

The Call for Proposals is open until the October 16
👉 http://bit.ly/2oVv0Hw #CfASummit

Emma
@egawen

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GDS have published a new iteration of Design Principles posters.

👉Find them on the GDS design blog.

Ways of working

🏖
This one is likely familiar to UK readers, but a good case study for those elsewhere. Thomas Cook, a travel company founded in 1841 in Derbyshire went bust a couple of weeks ago, stranding 150,000 UK holidaymakers. Zoe Gould takes a look at how their failure to adapt to the digital era contributed to their demise. She notes that "digital is more than just a shiny front end". We couldn't agree more.

🍕
Earlier this year, the 9th Court in the U.S ruled that Domino's website and app should be accessible to the disabled. The Supreme Court this week declined to review the lower court decision, but this doesn't mean the fight is over. The case particularly hangs on whether the the American with Disabilities Act applies to websites, and legal uncertainty remains. One thing is for sure though: access to the internet is not optional.

🙌
If you'd rather take action on making sure your product can be used by as many people as possible, have a read of Part 1 of Geri Reid's guide to scaling accessibility with a design system (at Lloyds Banking Group).

🤦‍♀️
Meanwhile, the City of Chicago has decided to merge IT operations with fleet and facility. Pushing your IT services to be treated even more like infrastructure is going in completely the wrong direction. And to save just $1M. HT @tomshenkjr.

Digital Government

✅
Adam Silver, from the UK's Ministry of Justice, shares how they designed and launched the child funeral fund service in just 6 weeks, including time taken to do research with bereavement charities. For those inclined, documentation and code for the Form Builder platform which the service uses is available on Github.

👋
Jaimie Boyd, newly appointed Chief Digital Officer for the Government of British Columbia sets out some Habits of Highly Effective Digital Governments: obsessed with users, agile and open.

🇦🇷
Dan Abadie shares what Argentina did to develop Chat Crecer, an award winning virtual assistant for pregnancy and early childhood. The depth of research and study which supported the development of the assistant is impressive.

🇳🇿
New Zealand is shuttering it's Service Innovation Lab (part of a wider reorganisation). It's a shame to see this go, as in the few years it's picked up some real momentum delivering user research and user led services. A recent example: their user research on Rates Rebates. Here's a question: how can a central unit "chart direction" of digital across government, if it's divorced from users and delivery?

News from Public Digital

🔥New this week on the PD blog, Emily talks about we've gone about understanding a new set of needs for our work in International Development, including how to accelerate digital government in sometimes significantly different economic and operational contexts.

"Having really good websites and mobile stuff that works, that just gets you to the table. If you haven’t got that, don't talk about innovation and, whatever you do, don't talk about Blockchain; instead, just fix your website!"

A write up in Diginomica of Mike's talk at the New Methods conference in London.

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