About User Needs First

An accessible, usable and comprehensible digital government. Providing inclusive services that everybody is able and willing to make use of. Because it has been developed with people in mind rather than on the basis of government systems. That’s what we are about.

Gebruiker Centraal (loosely translated: User Needs First) is an active community by and for professionals. All of us are deeply committed to government services or communications. We are engaged in the following topics:

  • Digital accessibility and inclusion
  • Understandable texts and visual language
  • Support and awareness
  • Researching, testing and measuring
  • Human-centred thinking and design

Design principles

A human-centred government does not simply create itself. It helps if you can work on the basis of clear design principles. Have a look at them and use them in your work.

Have a look at the design principles (in Dutch)

Teams and ambassadors

The project team ensures that meetings, tools and good practices are published on this website. It does so with the aid of an action team and ambassadors.

How it works

Together, we are deeply committed to achieving better digital services. Services that are widely accessible, usable and user-friendly. That sounds good, but how does it work, exactly? That is simple: by sharing knowledge and good practices.

After all, Dutch government has already implemented many services and communications initiatives. Most of these can easily be reused. This means that an initiative by a small municipality can also work at, say, the tax administration. And vice versa.

We share inspiring and reusable examples on this website, so that you can use them straight away. Regardless of what government services or communications you are working on.

What can you find here?

On this website, you can find a mixed bag of content to really put user needs first. Ranging from background articles to webinars. And from community meetings to various tools. You are bound to find something of interest to you:

  • Articles, podcasts and videos. We regularly replenish the platform with new articles, podcasts and videos. So, you can read, listen and watch interesting content. And use the knowledge for yourself.
  • Sessions, meetings, conferences. Content-specific sessions. International meetings and activities, UserCentriCities community meetings. You’ll find it all on our Events page.
  • Tools to use for yourself. Solutions you can work with. Do use our handy tools by all means, for there’s no need to reinvent the wheel.
  • Communities you can join. We like meeting up to share knowledge. If you’re active in user-centricity within governmental bodies, join our UserCentriCities Community.

Colophon

Gebruiker Centraal works on behalf of the Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK). Our implementing partner is ICTU, an independent consulting and project organisation that is part of the Dutch government.