Taking the Guesswork Out of Digital Services

A digital service may look efficient from an agency’s perspective while being confusing or frustrating for the people expected to use it. This guide from GovLoop explains the importance of understanding people’s experiences before redesigning or upgrading digital services. It introduces customer journey mapping and human-centered design as tools agencies can use to identify where people encounter problems and create services that are easier to navigate.

For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners, this approach can be useful when thinking about online applications, eligibility processes, appointment systems, document submission, and other digital interactions with families. Instead of assuming that a difficult process is simply a user problem, practitioners can examine the process from the client’s perspective and identify where confusion, unnecessary steps, or unclear instructions create barriers. The guide can help TANF leaders and staff ask practical questions about what families experience at each stage of accessing services and use that information to make improvements. Its emphasis on listening to users makes it a useful resource for agencies working to make digital services more accessible.