APS Experience Design Principles
The APS Experience Design Principles support the Australian Public Service to design and deliver people-centric and inclusive policies and services.
They provide guidance for embedding human-centred design approaches into the creation of new services and the improvement of existing ones – elevating the experience for government customers, staff, businesses and third-party partners. The principles apply across all channels, whether people are interacting with government and its services online, on the phone or in person.
When working on a policy, program, or behind the scenes, the principles can be applied at every stage of the process – from development to design and implementation.
The Seven Principles
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- People find information and communication clear, easy to understand and actionable.
- Services and support are easy to access.
- Tasks and processes are intuitive and easy to complete.
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- People have equitable access to all parts of our services in ways that meet their needs based on their circumstances.
- People understand their options and feel empowered to make decisions based on their needs.
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- People are provided relevant information and/or support at the right time in a way they prefer.
- People have choice in their interactions based on their preferences. Needs are pre-empted and proactively met.
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- People have a connected and consistent experience across channels and government services.
- People have a coordinated and clear pathway to achieve their goals.
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- People understand how and why decisions are reached.
- The whole experience is predictable and clear, so people know what to expect, why and how.
- Information about how data is used and collected is clear.
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- People need to feel and be safe. Steps are taken to prevent or reduce the risk of harm to people.
- This includes reducing risks to their physical, psychological, cultural and cyber safety.
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- People are confident that they can rely on our services and that their needs will be responded to in a timely manner.
- People trust that processes and decisions are lawful, fair and equitable.
The customer experience
Who are our customers?
For this document, a customer is defined as any person interacting with a government product or service. Throughout this document, the terms 'people', 'customers' or ‘users’ may be used interchangeably, reflecting the diverse range of users served by the APS.
Everyone can be a customer of the APS at some point. It is important to understand the various user groups to better meet their needs. These groups may include:
Individuals
Taxpayers, tourists, voters, etc.
Staff
Australian public servants or people employed by the government.
Third parties
Service providers, peak bodies, support people, etc.
Businesses
Includes importers, exporters, employers and small businesses.
Professionals
Healthcare providers, tax practitioners,the pharmaceutical sector, etc.
Communities
Includes First Nations peoples, Pacific Nations workers, community leaders, veterans and their families, etc.
What is customer experience?
Customer experience is the sum of all interactions, both positive and negative, that someone has with an organisation. Every interaction, including how a person feels when engaging with a product or service, contributes to the experience.
Considering customer experience is vital for government, as it directly impacts engagement with services, satisfaction and public trust. By prioritising customer experience, we can ensure services are accessible, efficient, and responsive to the needs of people.
This focus helps to build stronger relationships between government and the community, fosters trust, and enhances the overall effectiveness of public services.
Ultimately, good customer experience is key to creating a more connected, sustainable and mature government service, leading to better outcomes for everyone.
Applying the principles
The principles are part of an ecosystem.
At the forefront of the customer experience design methodology is a focus on human-centred design, genuine co-design, promoting dignity, trauma-informed practices, cultural strengths-based and strengths-based approaches.
The principles are designed to be applied alongside current best practice methodologies and frameworks including the Digital Service Standard and Digital Experience Policy.
The principles and outcomes set the bar for desired experiences.
Customer experience is one part of design.
There are many considerations that may impact customer experience, including legislation, technology and funding.
The principles balance desirability, with feasibility and viability for an elevated customer experience.
Who are the principles for?
Everyone plays an important role in delivering good customer experiences.
Applying the principles in full will only happen with support and commitment across the APS.
The principles are designed to be used by government to enhance both customer and staff experiences. This includes:
- Teams designing and delivering services and products.
- Assurance Officers conducting assessment and assurance activities.
- Policy Officers developing or transforming policies.
- Decision makers ensuring investment and decisions are made with customer and staff experiences in mind.
How to use the principles
This handbook provides practical tips to improve customer experience and can apply when designing new policies and services or improving on existing ones.
The principles are interconnected and non-hierarchical - think of them as puzzle pieces that fit together to provide the desired experience.
Each principle is supported by design criteria and considerations:
- Start with the APS Experience Design Principles. Familiarise yourself with the outcomes under each of the 7 principles.
- Understand what each principle looks like, and how it may impact different people.
- Dive into the criteria and considerations. These are the goals to achieve in order to meet the principles, along with specific actions to support them.
- Read about the principles in action. This section provides examples and detail about why each principle is important.
Conclusion
Thank you
The APS Experience Design Principles were developed in partnership with hundreds of people across government, industry and advocacy groups. Their dedication, expertise and support has been critical to the development of the principles and our commitment to designing people-centric policies and services. A huge thank you to all who contributed.
Contacts
To improve this resource, please share ideas, feedback, comments and requests to mailto:CXSTANDARD@servicesaustralia.gov.au
Disclaimer
Generative AI tools were used to assist with the development of the narrative within this document. It was not used in the development of principles, outcomes, criteria, considerations or case studies.