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Conduct user research to understand how your target users access government services online.

Use methods and tools such as: 

• interviews, surveys, observation or analytics to gather data on your users' needs, goals, expectations, and behaviours
• existing research from other agencies or sources that are relevant to your service
• past research reports, journey maps or project summaries from historical internal documentation, internal databases, project archives or management systems 
• relevant studies or research papers, from academic and industry journals 
• professional networks and opportunities to engage with experts and practitioners across the APS to share research findings, reports and insights. 

Access points are digital entry points such as websites, portals, or apps. 

Identify the access points users are familiar with and analyse the strengths and weaknesses of these access points to determine how they fit with your users' needs, goals and expectations. 

Embed and apply user research into tools to simulate the current user experience.

Such as: 

• user personas
• journey maps 
• visualisations of user interactions with government services. 

Once you understand the current state and how your users access government services online, evaluate if any existing access points are suitable for your new service. 

Do this by: 

• considering factors such as user experience, context, cost, and feasibility 
• using the relevant decision-making framework (criterion 4) in the Digital Experience Toolkit to assess if you can reuse an existing access point or if you need to create a new one.

Document your findings and recommendations to apply criterion 1. To do this:

• provide evidence to support your decisions
• show how you have considered user needs, existing access points and whole-of-government objectives 
• use the Digital Investment Overview (DIO) Data Collection form to report on how you have met the criterion 
• use the Digital Capability Assessment Process (DCAP) template to report on how you have met the criterion.

Combining user research efforts across the DX Policy and its standards can help to reduce duplication and the cost of research.
 

• Digital NSW: Design Standards 
• NSW Government: State of the Customer reports
• NSW Government: Easy to access services
• NSW Government: Customers of NSW and customer categories
• Victorian Government: Conducting your research
• Victorian Government: Human-centred design playbook 
• Queensland Government: Human-centred design resources
• Victorian Government: Design and develop a digital presence – digital guide
• Digital NSW: Plan your user research approach
• Digital NSW: User research methods
• Digital NSW: Customer journey mapping
• Australian Government Digital Profession: Journey maps
• Observatory of Public Sector Innovation: Putting innovation theory into practice
• NSW Government: Activities and Templates 

Define the scope, purpose and desired outcomes of your service offering and how it aligns with government priorities and outcomes. 

Do this by identifying the outcome you seek and the value it will deliver to users and government. Document your service vision, goals and objectives concisely.

Use tools and methods such as: 

• service design
• business analysis
• stakeholder engagement 
• existing frameworks or strategies that are relevant to your service domain, such as the Digital Service Standard, or the Service Design and Delivery Process.

Describe the features and functions of your service offering and how they meet user needs and expectations. 

To specify the requirements and functionalities of your service use methods such as: 

• user stories
• scenarios/user journey maps
• value propositions.

Ensure that your service offering is accessible, inclusive, secure, and compliant with relevant policies and standards and prioritise the most important and essential features and functions based on:

• user research
• feedback
• testing.

Compare your service offering with existing or similar services across government and identify gaps, overlaps, or opportunities for collaboration or integration.

• use the Australian Government Architecture (AGA) (criterion 3) to find and analyse existing or planned services, platforms, and capabilities that are related to your service domain or target audience
• assess if any of these services, platforms, or capabilities can be reused, shared, or adapted for your service offering, or if your service offering can complement or enhance them
• engage with other agencies or delivery partners (criterion 5) that are responsible for or involved in these services, platforms, or capabilities to explore potential synergies or dependencies.

Document your findings and recommendations on how to apply criterion 2, to do this: 

• make sure your proposal supports your decisions and shows how you have defined and differentiated your service offering based on user needs, government priorities, and existing services
• use the Digital Investment Overview (DIO) Data Collection form to report on how you have met the criterion 
• use the Digital Capability Assessment Process (DCAP) template to report on how you have met the criterion.

• DTA: Digital and ICT Reuse Policy
• Data and Digital Government Strategy (DDGS)
• Australian Government Architecture (AGA)  
  • myGov (AGA)
• digital.gov.au: myGov Platform Capability and Functions Overview
• Digital Service Standard (DSS)
• Department of Finance: Commonwealth Procurement Rules
• Trusted Digital Identity Framework (TDIF)
• Digital NSW: Design Standards 
• Digital NSW: Beyond digital with strategic directions and objectives for customer-centric government
• Victorian Government: Design and develop a digital presence – digital guide
• business.gov.au: Develop your SWOT analysis
• gov.uk: About GOV.UK One Login
• NSW Government: Customers of NSW and customer categories
• NSW Government: State of the Customer reports
• NSW Government: Activities and Templates 
• Digital NSW: Plan your user research approach
• Digital NSW: User research methods

• Use the AGA: Review the AGA early in the design of the service to understand what is available to you.  
• Avoid unnecessary investment: Consider the capabilities available through existing portals and leverage existing government investment. Use existing whole-of-government resources and guidance to help build an understanding of what platforms and capabilities are available.
• Connect and assess: Assess how well the existing capabilities align with the service’s requirements and objectives (Criterion 1). Engage other agencies to gain insights on ways to promote, use or plan for future reuse. 

• Know what’s required: Use the AGA to determine what requirements and policies apply to the service. Consider how to apply these across the service to enhance the user’s experience and support compliance.

• Compare your needs with existing capabilities: Clearly demonstrate how reuse has been applied in the decision-making process by documenting how the needs of the service compare with what existing platforms offer in terms of user experience, cost and efficiency.

• Australian Government Architecture (AGA)
  • myGov (AGA)
  • Digital Portal policy (Position)
• Data and Digital Government Strategy (DDGS)
• Digital Service Standard (DSS) 
• Digital NSW: Design Standards  

Determine the type of users for your new digital service. 

Are they:

• individuals
• businesses
• providers
• or a combination of these.
   

Select the relevant decision-making framework based on the user type. 

• use the relevant framework based on the users of the new digital service (citizen, business or provider facing)
• apply the framework to assess if you can reuse an existing access point or if you need to create a new one 
• consider factors such as user needs, context, cost, feasibility, and compliance.
   

If you decide to reuse an existing access point, work closely with the delivery partners to establish a collaborative and trusted relationship. 

• engage with other agencies or delivery partners (criterion 5) that are responsible for or involved in these services, platforms, or capabilities 
• explore potential synergies or dependencies and explore the future pipeline of capabilities.