Integrating user experience into public policy

Imagine a world where interacting with the government is as seamless as ordering food online.

- AVINASH PANDEY

This isn't utopian thinking but logical evolution of public policy in the digital age. Yet most government policies, though designed with best intentions, do not achieve a great citizen experience. The result then is that, policies may achieve statistical targets but fail the people they're meant to serve.

As a citizen and an administrator, I've observed a critical gap: policies excel at measuring outcomes and outputs but rarely consider the journey citizens must navigate to access these services. This oversight frustrates transformative policies into sources of inconvenience and inequity.

WHEN USER EXPERIENCE GETS IT RIGHT

India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) exemplifies citizen-centric design. UPI created a simple, universal language for digital payment. It went beyond digitisation outcomes and reimagined how people should interact with money. Today, a vegetable vendor and a tech executive use the same intuitive interface with ease, democratizing financial inclusion.

Similarly, the Delhi Metro succeeded because it prioritized user experience alongside engineering excellence. Clear signage in multiple languages, predictable timing, clean stations, and logical route planning created a system that users could navigate effortlessly. Delhi Metro didn't just move people faster, it changed how citizens perceived public transportation, making it aspirational rather than a last resort.