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Listen to and understand diverse user needs 

Consider diverse user needs from the outset to make sure your service caters to as many users as possible. Consider the different identities, characteristics, and perspectives of users to make your digital service
welcoming and inclusive for all.

Conduct usability testing with diverse user groups

Do usability testing with individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those with different abilities, ages, and cultural
contexts. Adopt inclusive prototyping techniques, to simulate the experiences of users with different abilities and identify potential challenges. Recognise that various aspects of a person’s identity, such as race, gender, and age all intersect to shape their digital experience.

Co-design with users 

Involve users throughout the Service Design and Delivery Process to make sure their perspectives, needs and feedback are incorporated into the final service. Encourage shared ownership by co-designing accompanying artifacts, such as tutorials and guides, using language that is meaningful for all.

Consider cohort specific digital inclusion requirements (outlined below)

Tailor your digital service to meet the specific needs of users to promote inclusion and make sure support is provided at the appropriate level. Consider how you will apply the following cohort specific requirements when designing and delivering digital services.

When to apply

Apply Criterion 8 during Discovery and Alpha to deliver a modern, high-quality services.

Consider this criterion throughout the  Service Design and Delivery Process to keep the service at pace with changing user expectations. 

How to apply

Questions for consideration: 

• how does a new technology benefit your service? 
• how will you validate a new technology is interoperable with services? 
• what can you learn from other agencies’ experiences? 
• what are the ongoing requirements of supporting a new technology? 

Stay current: Technology can advance at a staggering pace. If available, refer to government guidance on risks, opportunities and developments for up-to-date advice on critical or emerging technology that may impact your service.  

Regularly check the Australian Government Architecture: Follow published guidance in the Australian Government Architecture for the adoption of critical and emerging technologies.

Consider interoperability: Consider whether new technologies will impact your service’s interoperability. Plan for its introduction or implementation in partnership with other affected agencies to prevent further divergence or disconnection. 

Be digital ready: Undertake an assessment of your preparedness for new technologies. Consider the resources and training for a new technology that will be required by your agency and team. 

Track adoption: Prior to implementing a new technology, determine whether it aligns with the clear intent of the service and whether it risks leaving certain types of users behind. If implemented, monitor how users respond to the new technology and respond to any accessibility or useability concerns. 

Put the human first, and disability second 

Use empowering language in the design and delivery of your digital service. Avoid defining a person by their disability.

Support independence

Support users to complete their service by providing clear explanations and instructions up front. Advise the user on the documentation they will require at the start of the transaction, so they do not have to get all the way though to understand the requirements.

Avoid story repetition

Where appropriate, seek consent from your users to share data about their accessibility needs with other channels and services, to avoid them having to repeat their story.

Consider alternative log in approaches 

Support your users to access alternative log in approaches, such as voice-identification, instead of the more traditional pass ord entry
methods.

Tag and code headlines

Support users to complete their service by providing clear explanations and instructions up front. Advise the user on the documentation they will Ensure your information is easy to read and navigate by screenreaders by making the information architecture as simple as possible. Tag and code headline types appropriately to support those with vision impairment.

Make it audible

Offer information in audio formats, where appropriate, to support easy access to information. Consider if you can provide audio instructions for how to complete the service to support users to complete their interactions digitally end-to-end.

When to apply

Apply Criterion 9 during Beta and Live and consider it during Discovery. Collate metrics and monitor your service with a holistic approach and report your results to build government’s view of its services landscape. 

Adhere to Criterion 9 across the Service Design and Delivery Process to promote continuous improvement. 

How to apply

Questions for consideration: 

• what attributes are currently being measured? 
• what do existing results say about the service or opportunity? 
• what is the story that the data tells us? 
• how have results changed over time? 
• what service improvements are necessary? 

Understand your current state: For existing services, determine the current state by identifying and reviewing existing metrics. For new services, establish a baseline for the problem identified in Criterion 1. Both are a yardstick to measure progress.

Use benchmarks to gauge performance: Compare your service to similar services or existing standards to identify areas of improvement. Seek out best practices of similar and well-performing services to consider if they can be adopted. 

Select meaningful metrics: Collect metrics that accurately capture your service’s ability to deliver the outcomes your users expect. These might include adherence to design standards and privacy legislation, site/app performance, security benchmarks or tasks completed by users.