Designing website and online applications has always considered user needs, working habits and usability concerns – at least once the Internet eCommerce sites got active, and the so-called “customer experience” (CX) became a clear, measured differentiator. And then the government go into the act, with “eGovernment” initiatives and standards around the “citizen/constituent experience” – mainly focusing on accessibility (i.e. ADA Section 508) vs. usability for conversion or outreach purposes. Many a government site that could’ve used some smart CX tactics, was otherwise diluted to its bare, transactional bones, for Section 508 compliance (like the initial IRS.gov websites, an implementation I fondly remember in the early 2000’s.) USPS.com was a bit better, still 508 “adherent”, but they actually needed to sell things.
Fast forward a decade or so, and “user experience” (UX) democratizes the principles of user-centric design, across the myriad of Internet-connected devices, channels and media formats, on or offline. For any interactive purpose, commercial, non-profit, or public sector. UX design, followed closely by an aligned with SEO/digital marketing design, shifts control of the online experience, interactions and feedback to individual users or audience segments – most often (if not part of a product or service) for selling purposes. The whole scope of digital design for experience, “digital experience” (DX), is what’s now possible and in fact standard, enabled by the proliferation of cloud-based digital services, tools and media.
Selling to the government, however, is very different. While the UX principles are the same, and CX tactics are helpful, government procurement and acquisition processes, language, roles, objectives and campaigns represent a very unique universe to approach, the B2G universe. Therefore, we introduce “government experience” (GX), tailoring and optimizing UX/CX for this universe. Whether the government procurement journey (by procurement officers, market researchers, program owners, solution architects, teaming partners, etc.) is supported by a business as a focused, isolated campaign, or woven into the fabric of the overall corporate UX/CX strategy – GX is necessary for B2G marketing conversions and engagement, which can be very different than typical B2B/B2C outcomes.
Here’s a complex, verbose diagram of some of what we mean – it isn’t simple, but certainly can be simplified and tailored to the need.
Want to know more? Contact our KME.government B2G GX team – uniquely skilled, always informed, and relentlessly practical.