Use the right technology

Use the simplest, most appropriate tool, and avoid being locked into contracts for specific technologies.

Let your team use the tools that work for them. Encourage them to use tools that meet open standards, are cloud-based and are widely supported. 

Why this is important  

Technology choices have a huge impact on how organisations create, iterate and run services. Technology must not hamper teams’ ability to work cooperatively. 

How to get started   

You should: 

• make user-led technology decisions, ones that enhance the team’s ability to meet user needs 
• develop services in common software languages 
• take advantage of cloud-based, open technologies and break dependency on inflexible and expensive systems 
• if you need to buy technology or services from a vendor, include these digital service standards as part of the procurement process and ongoing supplier management 

Digital services must protect sensitive information and keep data secure. You should address ethical issues associated with all digital services at every stage of their development.  

Why this is important  

Public services hold personal and sensitive information about users. Services must be secure to maintain users’ trust. 

How to get started   

You should: 

• consider the intended and unintended consequences of the service on users – if there are negative consequences, think about how these will be solved or influence decision-making
• identify information security and privacy threats to the service and resolve them so systems remain secure and protect privacy 
• make security testing part of your maintenance routine 

Constantly measure how well services are performing for users. You should use performance data to prioritise improvements. Where possible, that data collection should be automated and real-time, to make it as objective and easy to collect as it can be.

User-test iterative changes to services. Senior leaders should also take part in research on a regular basis, so they understand the user experience. 

Why this is important 

You need to understand what data will help you to meet the needs of users. Data tells you more about the service and can be shared among relevant organisations to improve users’ experience.

Monitor the performance of the service to know it’s still solving the problem for users. Real-time analytics show how users interact with the service and whether there are any problems that need to be fixed.

How to get started

You should: 

• think about what data you already have and how it could improve the user experience  
• think about what data you can get from others or share about your service to better meet user needs 
• define performance metrics upfront so you know what good looks like and how it will be measured  
• monitor the behaviour of users in real-time through analytics to determine how well the service meets user needs  
• use performance data to make decisions on what needs to be improved