eGovernment is revolutionizing
the way we interact with the government. U.S. citizens
can now complete transactions such as filing taxes,
renewing a driver's license, and applying for Social
Security benefits. In fact, a recent look at the www.firstgov.gov list of on-line services revealed more than one hundred
different government services. And, citizens are embracing
this medium. The Pew Internet & American Life Project
reports "fully 77 percent of Internet users—or
97 million Americans—have at some time gone online
to search for information from government agencies
or to communicate with them."1
As more citizens conduct transactions with the government
on-line and as they become accustomed to conducting
more complex transactions, expectations will continue
to rise. However, citizen demand is not the only driver
of eGovernment. Other drivers include the potential
for cost savings, improved customer service, and workload
reduction. Yet, creating electronic applications that
will achieve these potential benefits requires knowledge
of citizen needs and preferences.
Successful organizations have realized the need to
incorporate customer preferences throughout the development
life cycle. Most have begun to develop user-centered
capabilities, but few agencies have connected them
in a way that capitalizes on the cyclical nature of
electronic services development. |
This article was published in the Summer
2004 issue of Perspectives.
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In working with a large federal agency, ICF International
has developed a Customer Insight Program that systematically
links user-centered design techniques to achieve the primary
goal—more effective electronic services. The program
includes three distinct, but interconnected program areas:
Customer Research, Customer
Product/Service Development,
and Customer Post-Launch Feedback.
Customer Research
Many organizations begin to develop solutions without first
assessing user needs and preferences. The Customer Research
stage utilizes three main activities: customer segmentation,
internal research, and external research. Customer segmentation
serves to divide customers into groups who have similar demographic
characteristics, who use the same services, or who use services
in similar ways. A customer segmentation model will help
an agency more effectively identify users when researching
and surveying. Internal research uses existing sources of
customer insight gathered within the organization, such as
ongoing focus groups and satisfaction survey results. Many
external research institutes, such as the Pew Internet & American
Life Project, can provide greater customer insight through
their reports and surveys. Many of these organizations also
can customize their research to meet specific customer insight
needs.
Customer Product/Service Development
Effective electronic services development dictates early
and ongoing customer involvement throughout the entire development
lifecycle. Specifically, these practices encourage iterative
product concept testing against those measures that involve
the customer, practicing more rigorous business case development,
establishing performance measures, and building upon the
internal and external research performed in the Customer
Research program area. Furthermore, customer involvement
and feedback through qualitative, quantitative, and usability
research help inform the development of a service from a
product concept to a prototype to a fully functioning, ready-to-launch
application.
Customer Post-Launch Feedback
Effectively integrating the voice of the customer does
not end with the deployment of a service. The Customer Insight
Program establishes mechanisms to measure the satisfaction
and effectiveness of all electronic services after they are
launched. Several methods exist for gaining this type of
post-launch feedback including focus groups, satisfaction
surveys, and clickstream data. The customer insight information
provides actionable data for the organization to create new
services or enhance existing ones.
Ultimately, the strongest user-centered design projects
are iterative in nature. Customer research drives project
initiation, informs development, and follows the launch of
the service. The information obtained during post-launch
research allows the organization to lay the groundwork for
future projects. Linking user-centered design techniques
through a cohesive Customer Insight Program allows organizations
to build upon their current capabilities and maximize the
value of individual program components.
Learn more about ICF International's eGovernment
and enterprise IT capabilities.
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