Delivering Effective Public Services in the Digital Age

[0:00-0:03 Text on screen: Sarah’s Story. Sarah is wearing eyeglasses and is sitting in her home office, typing at the computer while wearing a pair of green headphones. A white and red cane is resting on the wall next to her.]

Meet Sarah, a busy professional planning her dream vacation. That's when she realizes, she needs a passport.

[0:04-0:06 Close-up on Sarah and a thought bubble appears above her head, with the image of a passport.]

As Sarah navigates the application process, she moves through a system where data, design, technology, and other elements come together to shape her experience.

[0:07-0:16 Sarah appears standing and looking quizzical under the heading “Application Process”, while several rotating gears appear to next to her. The words “data”, “design” and “technology” each appear on a gear.]

To start, Sarah needs to provide personal information to Service Canada, because passports can be identification documents.

[0:17-0:23 Sarah hands a manila envelope to a Service Canada agent at the passport office.]

She needs to trust that there are processes and systems in place to protect her privacy and keep her information safe and confidential.

[0:24-0:30 Animated graphics of a computer screen with a lock on it, a key, a calendar, a cellphone and a magnifying glass appear, along with an image of a smiling Sarah.]

There is also information that Sarah expects to receive in the application process, like how long it takes for her passport application to be processed, and what date she can expect to receive it.

[0:31-0:40 Sarah chats with the Service Canada agent at the passport office; speech bubble appears above her with a question and a calendar.]

Public servants can use data alongside other aspects of design to better understand and consider what’s important to Sarah.

[0:41-0:47 A computer with various types of bar graphs, pie charts and data figures.]

That understanding means that Sarah’s expectations are more likely to be met, and she can trust in the process.

[0:48-0:53 The Service Canada agent speaks to Sarah at the passport office and a speech bubble with a calendar and a date circled on it appears.]

Nowadays, Sarah can access information about the process, and even perform many of the steps online and on her phone.

Robust technological infrastructure has the potential to make the process more efficient and expands the ways in which people can interact with government services.

[0:54-1:08 A cellphone scrolls through the Passport Canada website. A graphic appears next to it, featuring various technological icons.]

Sarah uses a screenreader to navigate the Service Canada website.

[1:09-1:12 Sarah looks at her cellphone wearing her eyeglasses and green headphones.]

When websites and applications are designed well, they enable people with disabilities to complete the necessary tasks using screenreaders, keyboard navigation, and other assistive technologies with ease.

[1:13-1:24 Various icons representing different forms of accessibility appears in a circle on screen, while the words “screenreaders”, “keyboard navigation” and “other assistive technologies” appears one at a time.]

Building accessible services is also a legal requirement, which means that tasks like accessing documents or submitting information need to be designed to be easy for everyone.

[1:25-1:35 The phrase “accessible services” appears inside the circle and then an arrow points to the phrase “legal requirement”.]

By understanding and connecting design, data, and technology, public servants can build trust with clients like Sarah, by making their service experience a positive one.

[1:36-1:39 Sarah stands in the middle of several rotating gears again, with the words “data”, “design” and “technology” each appearing on a gear. She smiles as a passport appears in her hand.]

[1:40-1:47 Sarah is sitting in an airplane, with her passport in hand and then she is at the beach, seated and smiling.]

[1:48-2:58 The CSPS logo appears on screen. Text appears on screen: canada.ca/ecole. The government of Canada logo appears on screen.]

[0:00 Text on screen: Lahan’s Story. The din of a busy office. Three office workers with headsets are sitting in front of their computers, speaking to clients. In the middle is Lahan.]

Meet Lahan, a dedicated public servant in a call centre where he helps the public get the benefits they need.

[0:11-0:17 In a new scene, three different clients appear, in various states of distress. Underneath each of them is an icon to represent process, status and delivery.]

However, Lahan finds himself overwhelmed by angry phone calls from members of the public asking about the process, who don’t know the status of their application, and complain that their benefits delivery is taking too long.

[0:19-0:30 An animated graphic appears on screen, to represent the complex process behind benefit delivery.]

The policies and processes involved in benefit programs are incredibly complex, due to strict regulations public servants need to adhere to. This complexity often creates frustrating hurdles for clients.

[0:30-0:35 A hand writes on a piece of paper: process too long and status of application.]

Lahan takes notes of the reasons why people are calling in and brings them to share at his next team meeting.

[0:36-0:46 Lahan and a co-worker in a boardroom with their colleagues, speaking in front of a whiteboard featuring a male client, surrounded by post-it notes.]

[0:38-0:46 Text on screen: agile and design thinking approaches, examine root cause of problems, experiment with different solutions, adapt to changing circumstances & client needs.]

Lahan’s team uses Agile and Design Thinking approaches, such as examining the root cause of the problems and experimenting with different solutions, to adapt to changing circumstances and client needs.

[0:46-0:52 Lahan appears smiling on screen, while next to him four other co-workers of diverse races and genders pop up, one at a time.]

Lahan’s team is made up of policy analysts, governance officers, service designers, and IT specialists.

[0:53-1:01 A different boardroom, where Lahan and his co-workers meet a disgruntled male client, while listening to him and taking notes. He leaves looking satisfied.]

They create and implement a research plan where they interview clients to better understand their needs and expectations around understanding the process, that lead to them calling the centre.

[1:01-1:08 The team continues to discuss, asking questions of themselves and suggesting solutions.]

Based on these research insights, the team brainstorms and implements solutions that aim to address the clients’ needs and to reduce the call volume.

[1:09-1:19 An overhead view of Lahan and his team at a roundtable, thinking and discussing, before switching to an isolated shot of Lahan thinking and then having an “aha” moment.]

Bringing multiple perspectives together and empowering those team members to focus on solving clients’ problems and removing internal blockers is a powerful way to deliver meaningful value to clients.

[1:20-1:31 Lahan and his team at the roundtable again. This time Lahan is standing proudly and smiling. The male client from earlier pops up in the right corner, smiling and waving.]

[1:26-1:31 Text on screen: privacy concerns, ethics, compliance with standards.]

Having diverse perspectives at the table, including the clients themselves, also means that important considerations, like privacy concerns, ethics, and compliance with standards, influence decision-making around the service.

[1:31-1:37 A flashback to earlier scenes: Lahan at his desk, a co-worker with a disgruntled client, Lahan at the whiteboard in a boardroom with his colleagues.]

[1:37-1:42 Another set of flashback scenes: Lahan speaking in the boardroom, a co-worker coming up with an idea to reduce call volume, Lahan and his team looking pleased at the roundtable.]

By getting feedback and data from real people, then working as a team to analyze, imagine, and test improvements, Lahan and his team have full visibility into the service experience and what’s working and what’s not.

[1:43-1:51 Lahan is back at his desk with a headset, speaking to clients. He finishes the conversation smiling.]

And both Lahan and the clients can see the results: faster transactions, fewer angry phone calls, and more people served.

[1:52-2:02 The CSPS logo appears on screen. Text appears on screen: canada.ca/ecole. The government of Canada logo appears on screen.]