The main focus for this month's Melbourne Drupal Meetup was understanding and implementing digital service standards in web projects. The session explored the Australian Digital Transformation Agency's (DTA) Digital Service Standard (DSS) 2.0, offering practical implementation tips for creating effective user-centered digital solutions.
Building digital experiences that align to Digital Service Standards: a summary
Paul, who recently presented this topic at DrupalSouth , shared essential information about the Australian Digital Transformation Agency's (DTA) Digital Service Standard (DSS) . The standard, which evolved from the original 13 criteria established in 2015, now comprises 10 refined criteria with increased emphasis on accessibility, security, collaboration, and service connection.
The presentation compared digital service standards from various countries, including the UK Government Digital , Scotland, the UN, Canada, and the US, highlighting significant overlap in core principles despite their different origins. This global alignment suggests that understanding Australia's standard provides insight into digital service best practices worldwide.
Practical implementation tips
The core of the presentation focused on practical tips for implementing each of the 10 criteria:
- Have a clear intent
- Know your user
- Leave no one behind
- Connect services
- Build trust in the design
- Don't reinvent the wheel
- Do no harm
- Innovate with purpose
- Monitor your service
- Keep it relevant
Drawing from his extensive experience managing large-scale digital programs, including , NSW's 1CX, Victoria's Single Digital Presence, and , Paul offered valuable implementation strategies for each criterion. He emphasized practical approaches such as establishing success criteria early, creating user personas, conducting accessibility testing, and implementing effective service monitoring metrics to drive continuous improvement. He also stressed that service owners should continually validate that their digital offerings remain relevant as user needs evolve.
Conclusions
The March 2025 Melbourne Drupal Meetup provided valuable insights into the practical application of digital service standards. While these standards were created for government services, the discussion highlighted how these principles apply universally to any digital project. Participants noted that platforms like and themes like already address many requirements out of the box, demonstrating how established solutions can help teams deliver better digital experiences more efficiently.
The session concluded with the observation that these standards aren't just theoretical guidelines—they're practical frameworks that can be scaled appropriately to improve any digital project, regardless of whether it's for government, non-profit, or commercial use.