Redesigning the NSW Spatial Services System for a Better User Experience

The Brief

Experience Digital was approached about updating the NSW Spatial Services system, which had become aged and unsupported. The User Experience was reported to be very poor, frustrating users and placing extra pressure on the Spatial Services maintenance team trying to address the support demands.

One major pain-point was the lack of self-service and automating features, which forced users through an unnecessarily lengthy process with several manual or offline tasks to complete. This not only created delays, but also increased the likelihood of errors within the system that would later need to be corrected and add extra demands to the support team.

The structure of the legacy system posed another challenge, as it was difficult to adapt to changes in the workflow or administration. This would in turn increase the likelihood of needing to use work-arounds or risk incorrect or lost data for the system.

In addition to these issues the current system also did not meet the required user interface accessibility standards set by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), and thus risked becoming inaccessible to some users.

Our Approach

To address these challenges, a comprehensive solution was devised through collaborative discussions between the client and the design team. Given the size and complexity of the application, a list of Use Cases was meticulously created to capture the various scenarios and functionalities required.

Each Use Case was assigned a unique ID and Title, providing a structured framework for understanding the specific needs of different user types. Detailed walkthroughs of the workflows were documented, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the requirements for each relevant user.

Armed with this information, the design team embarked on creating high-fidelity wireframes using Sketch, a powerful design tool. The focus was on creating reusable components to promote consistency and efficiency, allowing changes to synchronise seamlessly across multiple screens within the application.

To facilitate collaboration and feedback, the wireframes were uploaded to Invision, a platform that enabled team members, including the design team, development team, and the client, to review, comment, and suggest revisions. This streamlined communication and ensured that all stakeholders were involved in the design process, promoting a sense of ownership and shared vision.

Furthermore, the uploaded Invision wireframes were systematically broken down into their individual Use Cases. This granular approach enabled the tracking of changes and revisions, ensuring that each Use Case received the necessary attention and modifications as required, thereby enhancing the overall user experience.

The Outcome

By following this structured and collaborative approach, the team successfully addressed the problems associated with the old system. The new design, grounded in detailed Use Cases and supported by intuitive wireframes, laid the foundation for an improved user experience, reduced support demands, and streamlined user creation and management processes.

About

Spatial Services (DFSI), a division of the Department of Customer Service, plays the central role in New South Wales Government’s spatial and land information services. Their authoritative data products provide the foundation for NSW’s mapping and spatial information systems and are used for building better services across the community, government, industry and the environmental sectors.

Authoritative spatial and land information is a vital tool that enables the community, business and government to derive maximum benefit from land and property information to generate economic growth and prosperity. Spatial information is also increasingly used for socio-economic and demographic initiatives.

“We needed a service provider to gain a deep understanding of the challenges we were facing, and to assist us to build a new service that would firstly, overcome those challenges so we could do a lot more than we were previously able, and then provide a platform upon which we could execute some of the key strategic objectives we had for the near and mid-term future. Crucially all of this needed to happen without any business interruption. The team achieved that with aplomb, and we are incredibly appreciative of the role their AWS skills and expertise played in the success of the project.” – Christian Dowling, Senior Project Manager.

About Experience Digital

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Experience Digital is a trusted national digital software, data, automation, and systems integration house that has vast experience in assisting clients to transition to a digital future.