Digital public services should start with the human perspective, not technology or processes

Digitalisation creates opportunities — but requires a different perspective

Municipalities are investing a lot of time and effort in improving and digitising their public services. An important building block for providing digital services, is “MijnServices”. Rather than every municipality building a separate custom portal from scratch, MijnServices provides standardized, pre-tested digital tools based on comprehensive user research. These components integrate directly with municipal software and provide a unified, accessible experience across various devices.

This brings exciting opportunities but it also raises an important question: how can we ensure that digital solutions genuinely contribute to what people need?

According to Barbara, the answer starts with understanding the perspective of inhabitants and entrepreneurs. Customer journey mapping is an excellent tool to gain insights into the behaviour, pains, experiences and needs of inhabitants or entrepreneurs.

As Barbara explains:

„When we digitise public services, we should not simply digitise existing processes. We should use digital tools to improve the journey inhabitants and entrepreneurs go through when interacting with governmental organisations.“

Start with the needs of inhabitants and entrepreneurs

Through the Customer Journey Programme at Gebruiker Centraal, Barbara and her colleagues from Gebruiker Centraal help public-sector professionals on human centred services. At the same time they build a common language, skills and knowledge base  improve public services from a human point of view.

A customer journey is a tool used to systematically map the activities and experiences of customers. This provides insight into the customer’s experience and needs, which public service providers can respond to.

Customer journeys and service blueprints as practical tools

During the MijnServices Festival, Barbara had a dialogue about the value of customer journeys and service blueprints. Approximately half of the participants were familiar with customer journeys. Some were actively applying journey maps, while others still experienced barriers to get started with journey mapping.

The Customer Journey Programme at Gebruiker Centraal helps public-sector professionals develop the skills and confidence needed to work with customer journeys effectively.

Customer journeys help organisations understand how inhabitants and entrepreneurs interact with public services and how they experience those interactions.

Service blueprints make visible the processes, systems and collaborations behind the scenes that influences those experiences.

Together, these tools provide a powerful foundation for organisations striving to deliver both human-centred services and successful digital transformation.

The “One Government” experience requires collaboration

A key insight was that the current wave of digital transformation offers an opportunity to align public services more closely with the realities of inhabitants and entrepreneurs.

The event also reinforced the importance of collaboration between organisations. People do not experience separate departments, municipalities or government agencies. They experience one government.

Creating a seamless experience therefore requires collaboration across organisational boundaries and a shared focus on the end-to-end customer journey. Only then can public services feel coherent, understandable and easy to navigate.

Technology should support service delivery

The developments surrounding MijnServices demonstrate that municipalities are actively investing in the future of public service delivery. That is a positive development.

„First understand what inhabitants and entrepreneurs need and the steps they take to get it. And then use digital tools to support those needs and improve the steps. Organisations can create services that better aligned with everyday reality.“  – Barbara van Duin

Watch the aftermovie

Curious about the atmosphere and key themes of the MijnServices Festival 2026?

Watch the official aftermovie of the event. Barbara van Duin appears from approximately 1:52 onwards, representing the Customer Journey Programme at Gebruiker Centraal.