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Government: Why it’s important, now more than ever, to optimize digital user experience

When the Australian Federal Government set its 2025 vision to be a world leader in the delivery of digital services, nobody predicted the coronavirus pandemic was around the corner.

But it shouldn’t stop this vision from being completed. Quite the opposite, in fact. The pandemic, and all the rapid change it brings, demonstrates the urgency of building optimal digital experiences for Australians.

People around the world are forced to rethink how they live and work; having been thrown into a world where they interact less face-to-face, and more online. As a result, organizations are having to adapt the way they work, operate, and how they fulfill customer expectations. Now, more than ever, is the time to ensure digital experience is optimized for users and employees.

Industry impact

Every industry is impacted by the pandemic, but around the world, one industry, in particular, is the Government. With people working from home and “socially distancing” from others, the pandemic has deepened the reliance on digital services – specifically those provided by the Government – as organizations and individuals look to the Government for support and answers.

There’s been an influx of people trying to access services that many have never needed before. For example, those who have been left without a job are now requiring access income assistance. As a result, organizations such as Centrelink that provide this service have experienced long queues outside offices around the country and the myGov website has spiked over 123,000 concurrent users since the pandemic began. For the latter, ensuring the digital experience is perfect and user impact is minimal is imperative so individuals get the services and results they need.

Necessity is the mother of innovation

Public and private sector organisations are moving fast to build the necessary digital services for users during the pandemic. Some services have been spun up in a matter of days to provide people with the information and resources they need.

In Italy, the government set up a Digital Solidarity site to provide support to those in lockdown as companies have signed up to provide their solutions and services to citizens, free of charge. Some examples include; technology companies that have given homebound citizens access to cloud computing platforms; mobile phone companies which have given extra data allowances; and magazines which are providing free subscriptions.

In Australia, before the outbreak, there was some progress made in providing access to simple, clear, and fast digital services. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the progress of this change as government agencies are now, more than ever, realizing the benefits of fast-tracking digital transformation.

Government agencies are now also discovering that it’s not just the short-term solutions we need to focus on, but long-term solutions too and the pandemic will adapt our behavior and habits for the future. Not only will it change the way people operate within their own organizations, but the way we use online services, interact with colleagues and family members, and how we deliver information. To keep up with the pace of change, organizations need to adapt their operations now to better prepare and serve communities and individuals in the future with safe, secure, and reliable services.

Looking forward

The pandemic is throwing a lot of unexpected challenges to us all, but it’s also bringing an opportunity to re-evaluate current strategies, plans, and processes to optimize the digital user experience and achieve the vision our plans have.

For more best practices on how to optimize digital user experiences, download our whitepaper and see how software intelligence can help you drive simple, clear and fast public services. And, if you want to hear how Dynatrace can help you and your organisation through these challenging times – check out our webinar on best practices for Government bodies during COVID-19.