Product Designer
Product Designer
Bristh Columbia
Designing public services around citizen needs instead of government structures
THE PROBLEM
Citizens think in needs.
Government systems think in departments.
Public services are among the most complex digital products to design.
Unlike commercial products, government platforms must serve everyone regardless of age, education level, language proficiency, technical ability, cognitive capacity, or accessibility needs.
At the same time, they must comply with rigorous accessibility standards while maintaining public trust.
Most citizens don't understand how government agencies are organized.
They don't arrive looking for a department.
They arrive looking for a solution.
Whether they need to renew a document, register a business, apply for assistance, or access information, their goal is clear.
We weren't redesigning a government website.
We were redesigning how citizens understand public services.
Common citizen goals
Service discovery behaviors
Content comprehension challenges
Navigation pathways
TARGET USERS
01 Design Decision
Helps small business owners manage inventory and place recurring orders
Connects with thousands of retailers across Mexico, supporting the daily operations of convenience stores, corner shops, and local businesses.
how might we...
→ How might we reduce the complexity of government information?
→ How might we organize information around needs instead of departments?
→ How might we increase trust through transparency and clarity?
→ How might we create experiences that support all users equally?
01
Services Around User Needs
Research consistently showed that citizens approached government services through goals rather than organizational structures. We redesigned navigation around tasks and needs instead of departments and agencies.
Tradeoff
Required significant restructuring of existing information architecture and stakeholder alignment across multiple service areas.
02
Institutional Language
Many users struggled to understand government terminology before they could even begin a task. Content was rewritten using language that reflected how citizens naturally describe their needs.
Tradeoff
Balancing legal accuracy and plain-language communication required extensive collaboration with stakeholders.
03
Accessibility as a Design Principle
Accessibility was integrated from the beginning of the design process rather than used as a validation step.
WCAG considerations informed content, structure, navigation, and interaction decisions.
Tradeoff
Improved usability for all users, not only those with accessibility needs.
DEFINE
Helps small business owners manage inventory and place recurring orders
Connects with thousands of retailers across Mexico, supporting the daily operations of convenience stores, corner shops, and local businesses.
store owners value speed, simplicity, and reliability.
Store owners value speed, simplicity, and reliability.
the experience should be optimized for reordering, not browsing
store owners value speed, simplicity, and reliability.
150+
Many place orders multiple times per week to restock their stores.
6
Order products regularly to maintain inventory and serve customers
18
Content
Many place orders multiple times per week to restock their stores.
store owners value speed, simplicity, and reliability.
Small corner stores
1 to 3 employees. Low digital maturity
Reorder, don't stop
4 to 10 employees. Use digital tools ocasionally
Distributors & Wholesalers
High order volume. More complex operations
Distributors & Wholesalers
High order volume. More complex operations
Distributors & Wholesalers
High order volume. More complex operations
Content
Content
store owners value speed, simplicity, and reliability.
Step-by-step flows that teach and guide users without overhelming them.
Learning moments embedded naturally within the user journey.
Recomendations based on user interests, goals and behavior.
Visual and simple explanations of perfomance risk.
Define
Helps small business owners manage inventory and place recurring orders
Connects with thousands of retailers across Mexico, supporting the daily operations of convenience stores, corner shops, and local businesses.
Store owners value speed, simplicity, and reliability.
Small corner stores
1 to 3 employees. Low digital maturity
Reorder, don't stop
4 to 10 employees. Use digital tools ocasionally
Distributors & Wholesalers
High order volume. More complex operations
Distributors & Wholesalers
High order volume. More complex operations
Small corner stores
1 to 3 employees. Low digital maturity
Small corner stores
1 to 3 employees. Low digital maturity
Small corner stores
1 to 3 employees. Low digital maturity
Small corner stores
1 to 3 employees. Low digital maturity
Define
Helps small business owners manage inventory and place recurring orders
Connects with thousands of retailers across Mexico, supporting the daily operations of convenience stores, corner shops, and local businesses.
FINAL EXPERIENCE
FINAL EXPERIENCE
1 to 3 employees. Low digital maturity
4 to 10 employees. Use digital tools ocasionally
High order volume. More complex operations
High order volume. More complex operations
FINAL EXPERIENCE
1 to 3 employees. Low digital maturity
4 to 10 employees. Use digital tools ocasionally
High order volume. More complex operations
High order volume. More complex operations
FINAL EXPERIENCE
FINAL EXPERIENCE
FINAL EXPERIENCE
1 to 3 employees. Low digital maturity
1 to 3 employees. Low digital maturity
4 to 10 employees. Use digital tools ocasionally
1 to 3 employees. Low digital maturity
High order volume. More complex operations
1 to 3 employees. Low digital maturity
High order volume. More complex operations
1 to 3 employees. Low digital maturity
1 to 3 employees. Low digital maturity
4 to 10 employees. Use digital tools ocasionally
Distributors & Wholesalers
High order volume. More complex operations