Transforming Citizen Services Through Digital Applications

When was the last time you made a dinner reservation by calling the restaurant? Odds are, you’ve likely just used an app on your smartphone. The reasons are obvious – digital services implemented with modern technologies—cloud-native, mobile, and cognitive/analytics—and modern techniques—user centered design, agile development, and devsecops—are simply the most efficient way to find information and access services today. So why would you create extra steps for yourself to explore on our federal lands and waters? You wouldn’t.

When we plan for experiences, from booking your dream adventure to visit the top 10 national parks to escaping the city for a day hike in one of our National Forests, we want to be able to quickly find relevant information and the ability to conduct transactions, such as booking a campsite, very simply and securely. For the most part, the commercial service and hospitality industries get these features right. We know that updating or canceling reservations is a straightforward process, comparing hotel prices is more comprehensive and data driven than ever before, and accessing reviews or pictures of what you’ll be experiencing are expected. There are only a few other industries that anticipate consumer needs and overwhelmingly deliver.

New data shows these features are exactly what Americans want from the Federal Government, too. 

A new survey by Booz Allen Hamilton called Rise of the Digital Citizen shows that federal websites face a real perception issue. Only 59 percent view federal websites as being easy to navigate, 62 percent as secure, and 38 percent as mobile-friendly. Comparatively, 78 percent of consumers viewed commercial websites as easily to navigate, 66 percent as secure, and 52 percent as mobile-friendly. When compared to leading commercial digital companies, the gap is even greater. These results tell us that Americans see a gap between the functionality of federal websites and commercial websites.  

It’s time to change that. Over half of survey respondents are optimistic that the Federal Government can improve .gov websites and create more responsive platforms in the same way as leading commercial websites do today such as booking an organic farm cooking class on Airbnb, easily returning a pair of Adidas NMDs bought on Zappos, or sharing stories with your friends and family on Snapchat. In addition to websites, today’s consumer also demands efficient, streamlined, and comprehensive engagement on mobile devices. Federal websites and mobile apps enable access to relevant, valuable information, so it’s imperative that these digital services are brought into the modern era.

So, how will our citizens and international visitors find a campsite at Yosemite National park, enter the lottery for the Easter Egg Roll at the White House, or buy a ticket to honor our heroes at the USS Arizona Memorial?

Later this year, a modernized Recreation.gov will be launched, becoming the model for how the Federal Government incorporates human-centered design, agile development, cognitive/cloud technologies, and secure DevOps to transform user experiences. The site will be a one-stop resource for information, trip planning, and reservations for facilities and activities, offered by seven federal agencies. The digital service will be modernized to be more responsive through improved personalization, increased engagement through social, content, sharing, and mobility, with continuous improvements based on insights gleaned from data analytics. And, given what’s known about how consumers tap into digital platforms, it’s clear that consumers everywhere will value the easy navigability, significantly improved search, strong security, and immersive design experience in the site’s new capabilities.

The new Recreation.gov will:

• Improve access to information about national lands and waterways
• Provide modern, easy-to-use trip planning tools, such as being able to search recreation opportunities between stops on a road trip route or discover new activities in a certain area
• Adapt to our mobile and dynamic lifestyle with fast, convenient, and reliable access

The site is reimagining the reservation, permitting, ticketing and lottery processes from top to bottom to make the experience intuitive and familiar, guarding against information overload and allowing users to quickly and easily find new treasures to discover.

Refreshing federal websites reflects the pride Americans have in our past, present, and future. It sets a new foundation for growth. Embracing technology’s flexibility and vast capabilities in a conventionally untraditional setting is a recognition of the gifts that citizens, international visitors, agency employees, and the facilities themselves give to our nation.  

Recreation.gov will empower people to dream, plan, experience, and share memorable recreational experiences of the many national treasures our country has to offer. Technology is just the stepping-stone to improve our most human experiences to create lasting connections and share stories between people and the wonders of the country.