Service Design Best Practice

Follow our service design approach with the example of the Construction Permit Use Case

Designing along the GovStack specifications

Work on the use cases envisioned for the GovStack Sandbox was done in close coordination with the respective working groups along the Implementation framework and UX/UI specifications.

This documentation can be used as an example of how the service design process for developing a use case can look from As-Is Journey to prototypical implementation.

The goal has been to deliver tangible and usable demos that provide a realistic but generalised representation of the use case, to support the implementing country and to validate the GovStack specifications.

The design of the sandbox Building Permit Use Case within the GovStack ecosystem adheres to a structured and collaborative approach. It involves close coordination with relevant working groups, adherence to the Implementation framework, and a focus on GovStack User Experience (UX/UI) specifications and patterns. The primary goal is to create tangible and usable demos that provide a realistic, yet generalized representation of the building permit use case. This approach aims to support implementing countries while validating GovStack specifications effectively.

Description of the Construction Permit Use Case:

The Construction Permit process is how local governments can decide whether to approve or decline construction permit applications by evaluating submitted building plans, and assessing their compliance with standard building codes and local regulations. A construction permit is an important requirement for countries to ensure buildings and structures are safe, with sound engineering, foundations and construction techniques.

Municipalities and counties/towns have traditionally managed construction permits "over the counter" and through paper or PDF applications. This time-consuming, complex and error-prone tasks has raised issues in some countries - around the accountability and transparency, as well as inefficiencies in achieving timely construction permitting processes, and sustainable urban planning development. As a result, a number of governments in low-and-middle income countries are implementing an online construction permit service. A digital service with a hassle-free online procedure and user-friendly tools to achieve a more streamlined end-to-end approval process that ensures transparency, accountability, and time-bound services.

For the application in the sandbox, the use case was generalised where possible during the design process. The procedure can be roughly divided into the following phases:

pagePhase 0 - Empathy

Generic user research

pagePhase 1 - Research

Receiving country- and use case specific input (i.e. as-is user journey, to-be user journey)
Conduct market research and validate market against received input

pagePhase 2 - Design

Design country-independent and country-specific Service Blueprints
Design Wireframes

pagePhase 3 - Test

Develop prototype
Test prototype with users
Iterate wireframes

pagePhase 4 - Deliver

Share deliverables and findings with implementing country
Develop of country-independent use case demo