User Needs First
User Needs First focuses on an accessible, usable and comprehensible digital government, providing inclusive services that everybody can and is willing to use, which have been developed for and with citizens. User Needs First is part of the Dutch Gebruiker Centraal initiative. Members of our community are deeply committed to inclusive and accessible governmental services and communications. Read more about what we do. Join our community and connect with peers in international governments during online meetups and on our LinkedIn group.
News
We Should Not Build Bridges Together
In an elaborate interview, Fredrik Scheide, special strategic advisor at the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (Nav), shares his view on international government service design. A deep dive into best practices from Norway, law-making and legislation, clear language and accessibility, whistling for lost canaries, ziplines and the necessity to stop building bridges together… but to…
Podcast series ‘User Needs First Across Borders’
During the User Needs First International Conference, we sat down with leading experts and practitioners to explore how governments can truly put user needs first. The result? 4 podcast episodes packed with honest, practical, and sometimes provocative conversations about human-centered design in policy, digital services, and cross-border collaboration.
Key takeaways from Morten Meyerhoff Nielsen’s keynote on user-centric public sector digital transformation
Dr. Morten Meyerhoff Nielsen, a global expert in digital transformation of government, delivered an insightful keynote at the User Needs First International Conference in Amsterdam. These are the key takeaways.
Upcoming events
We regularly organize online meetups for Community User Needs First. Check out the events and join the discussion!
Recap User Needs First International Conference 2025
Inspiring, connecting, instructive, fun: some of the positive feedback we received from participants on the successful User Needs First International Conference 2025 which took place on April 9, 10 and 11 at the Meervaart Theatre in Amsterdam. Check out our recap of the conference.
Visit the recap page
Service Design Toolkit
This toolkit consists of manuals and tools that support the adoption of a user-centric approach in the design of digital public services. We’ve copied this from the former UserCentriCities website so you can still use it. UserCentriCities was the former name of Community User Needs First.
Use the Service Design Toolkit