NSW’s Design Standards

About the Design Standards

The NSW Design Standards 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 Standard. 

The 10 principles

The 10 principles are:

1. Deliver outcomes for customers, before solutions for government

2. Choose the right tech and tools

3. Make it for everyone

4. Build in the open

5. Have a multidisciplinary team

6. Measure and improve, don’t spin up and drop

7. Make it safe and secure from the start

8. Look to reuse and make reusable

9. Plan and protect users’ privacy

10. Work in a flexible, iterative way

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 (WCAG), 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 Policy

• 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 System 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 Standards 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 Standard. Importantly, the focus on collaboration provides an excellent basis to drive consolidation, a key purpose for Salsa’s work in government.