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About the Design Standards
The NSW Design are a set of simple rules government agencies and vendors should follow when designing and building digital solutions. Many of these standards follow industry best practice and also align with the DTA’s Digital Service .
The 10 principles
The 10 principles are:
Deliver outcomes for customers, before solutions for government
Some key takeaways from this principle are:
Digital solutions must focus on the end user
User research is an important part of a project, both at the beginning (to understand the problem space and audience) and during development (to test possible solutions early)
Look at co-designing across agencies/platforms to give users a joined-up user experience
Build in accountability for the desired outcome
Choose the right tech and tools
Key points from this principle are:
Ensure vendors transfer skills to government employees
Use modern application architectures and approaches
Show how technology choices deliver value
Avoid being locked-in to long-term contracts
Take advantage of new technologies
Make it for everyone
Some key takeaways from this principle are:
Make sure everyone can use your solution
Research and test with diverse users
Consider regional and remote users
Ensure the solution is accessible and that it meets level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines , and level AAA if possible
Write in plain English
Build in the open
Key points from this principle are:
Be transparent about the design and delivery of your digital solution
Use open source solutions
Collaborate with others to ensure a consolidated, whole-of-government approach
Dedicate resources to collaboration
Have a multidisciplinary team
Some key takeaways from this principle are:
Ensure the project team has the right skillset (and a diverse skillset)
Use blended teams across internal government employees and vendors
Support teams with engaged stakeholders
Have a flat structure
Measure and improve, don’t spin up and drop
Key points from this principle are:
Budget and set up for continual iteration
Set up a flexible team that can adapt to ensure the solution is fit-for-purpose
Measure your service’s performance
Use evidence and metrics to meet your users’ needs
Make it safe and secure from the start
Some key takeaways from this principle are:
Ensure you’re using cyber security best practices and meeting the NSW Cyber Security
Continuously test your services to ensure they're stable and secure
Identify and assess security risks
Modernise legacy systems that might have inherent risks
Look to reuse and make reusable
Key points from this principle are:
Use the NSW Design and contribute to it
Research what others have done and reuse or repurpose if possible to avoid duplication
Build services/tools that can be reused
Plan and protect users' privacy
Some key takeaways from this principle are:
Protect the personal information you hold about your users
Map how/where your technology collects people’s information
Know your legal requirements for users’ data
Store deidentified data separately
Work in a flexible, iterative way
Key points from this principle are:
Iterate your service based on user feedback and needs
Use agile methodology
Get support from decision makers
Test and release updates frequently, and test using a combination of manual and automated testing
Salsa Digital’s take
The current NSW Design replace the old ‘Digital Design Standards’. The new Design Standards provide an important, yet simple, direction for digital design in NSW Government. They are in line with digital best practice, as well as the DTA’s Digital Service . Importantly, the focus on collaboration provides an excellent basis to drive consolidation, a key purpose for Salsa’s work in government.