Friday, January 25, 2013

Thimk--for more efficient government


Referencing the David Kelley interview (below, scroll down), Steve Ressler of Government Technology magazine, Jan 24, 2013, says even 'crats can use "design thinking" to zip up government services.

In design thinking, teams observe human behavior--how people use a product or service--to see how it could be improved. Example: People leave ATM cards in the slot--so why not eject it before the transaction?

To improve government services, there are 10 questions one could ask.

1. Where are people getting stuck in the process?

2. What is the experience like filling out your forms?

3. What hours do you need to be open to meet needs?

4. Does the language and documentation make sense to people?

5. How can design thinking reinforce good employee behaviors?

7. How do people learn about your agency--and how can this be improved?

8. Where do citizens normally interact with you? From home, the library, in person, with family, alone?

9. What are the biggest frustrations? How can you increase delight?

10. What assumptions are you making? That people still call from home? That everyone who calls does not know there is a website?

Yes, the term efficient government is an oxymoron--but maybe we can make it little more oxygenated and a little less moronic.