People are not satisfied: Why governments need to refocus their practice in the Digital Age

This article contains highlights of the panel discussion ‘How to be a mature human-centered government?’ at the User Needs First International Conference 2025.

“I would just ask you to raise your hand if you are fairly satisfied with the current level of public service offering in your country.”

A critical question asked by Tone Dalen, a customer experience specialist from a Norwegian train operator. As she surveyed the large red theater hall she notices less than half of the audience raised their hands.

“Okay. Well, we have some work to do then,” Tone concluded with a smile. And just like that, a compelling conversation about creating truly human-centered government services was started.

The challenge was clear: How do we build mature human-centered governments when bureaucracy so often gets in the way? Despite being fundamental to public service, putting people’s actual needs at the center of services remains surprisingly difficult in practice.

To address this problem, Tone brought together a diverse panel: Martijn Lentz from the Dutch Chamber of Commerce, Cecília Barreto de Almeida, a researcher in human rights and digital government at the University of Groningen and University of São Paulo, Fredrik Scheide, a special advisor at NAV (the Norwegian Labor and Welfare Agency), and Harry Kruiter from the Institute for Public Values in Utrecht, the Netherlands.

What makes a ‘mature human-centered government’?

The conversation began with different perspectives on what truly makes government human-centered.

Cecília emphasized that such a government deeply understands its people and territory, establishes clear rules and citizen rights, and openly acknowledges inequalities. For her, trust forms the foundation of this relationship.

Bringing a customer experience lens, Martijn suggested that human-centered government starts from the outside in – first envisioning the ideal user experience, then designing everything around that vision. As an experienced leader in customer experience transformation within the Dutch government, Martijn has seen firsthand how this approach can transform organizations.

Fredrik, with extensive experience scaling design capabilities in the public sector, believes human-centered government should represent users in the political arena. He questioned whether this ideal truly exists in practice, with bureaucracy often standing in the way.

Harry shared this skepticism. As an action researcher focused on improving public service delivery, Harry noted that today’s welfare state tends to be system-centered rather than human-centered. He pointed out how government often focuses on managing scarce resources or trying to change people’s behaviour instead of addressing what people actually need.

When bureaucracy gets in the way

Cecília pointed out that, during crisis response, governments can be innovative and overcome bureaucratic barriers. However, these moments can also reinforce systemic issues and exclude populations – like denying access to emergency aids to homeless people who lack IDs or transgender individuals with name discrepancies on documents and government records. Her research specifically examines the challenges citizens in vulnerable situations face in accessing public services in digital governments.

Getting leadership support

Securing buy-in from top management remains a critical challenge.

Fredrik stressed the importance of speaking management’s language by connecting user needs to business outcomes like cost reduction and risk mitigation. Show how good user experience actually reduces organizational risks, including legal exposure.

Martijn believes creating a human-centered organization requires everyone to feel they can personally impact the user experience. His work at the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce has involved reshaping the organization into a more customer-focused, agile structure.

Harry recommended understanding what matters to each leader – whether law, money, or empathy – and crafting stories that resonate with their specific priorities. Sometimes, though, you need to accept that some leaders won’t listen and focus your energy elsewhere. The key takeaway? Prove the value of user-centricity with data and connect it directly to organizational goals.

Navigating politics while staying human-centered

For government agencies, reputation can be a powerful motivator for prioritizing citizen needs, especially following public scandals, as Cecília noted. She also pointed out that strong legal frameworks help protect citizen-centric approaches during political transitions. Fredrik suggested a clever approach: “Bring your own law into the room.” Find existing legislation, like accessibility requirements, that can support your arguments for user-centered design. This turns legal requirements into advantages rather than constraints.

Practical steps you can take now

The panelists offered actionable advice anyone can implement:

• Harry recommended developing innovative, human-centered solutions outside of government for a year or two before attempting to introduce them internally.
• Fredrik advised identifying and leveraging existing laws to strengthen your case for addressing user needs.
• Cecília reminded us that we’re all citizens who can vote for politicians prioritizing human-centered governance. She also emphasized that anyone can become vulnerable due to changes in their contexts and life circumstances, making inclusive design essential.
• Martijn encouraged regular customer conversations and implementing small, quick improvements that make meaningful differences. Start small, learn fast, and use successes to build momentum.

Moving forward together

Creating truly human-centered government isn’t easy, but it’s absolutely necessary. It requires deeply understanding people’s needs, dismantling bureaucratic barriers, convincing decision-makers, and keeping citizens at the heart of everything.

By applying the insights and practical tips in this article, we can all contribute to making public services more effective, empathetic, and genuinely human. The journey may be challenging, but the destination – government that truly works for people – is worth every effort.