Ministerie van Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport

UX & UI

Web

The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport in the Netherlands, in accordance with the "Wet van Open Overheid'', translated as the "Law of Open Government", sought to create a groundbreaking platform called Open MinVWS. The platform's primary goal was to provide the public, including journalists and interested individuals, with open access to millions of documents, including emails, presentations, meeting summaries, and more. These documents spanned a wide range of topics, including crucial decisions made by the ministry, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Searching for a holiday on the Sunweb website was not meeting the needs of users. The main problem was that the filters were confusing and difficult to use. To solve these issues, the holiday search was redesigned to make the filters more understandable and easier to use, with clear and descriptive labels and logical organization.

open.minvws.nl

Problem

The Ministry of Health in the Netherlands faced an unprecedented challenge: adhering to the "Wet van Open Overheid" (WOO), a pivotal law aimed at enhancing government transparency and accountability. The Ministry was tasked with making all its documents accessible to the public, a monumental undertaking given the estimated volume of millions of files. These documents encompassed a wide variety of content, from emails and presentations to meeting summaries, encompassing critical decisions made during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

In response to this ambitious mission, Joris, the founder of Valsplat, and I were assigned the formidable task of designing and developing a user-friendly platform. Our primary goal was to ensure that not only journalists but also any interested individuals could easily access, search, and comprehend these government documents. However, the scale and complexity of this project presented significant challenges. We needed to create an innovative information architecture, advanced search functionalities, and a highly intuitive user interface to organize and present this vast trove of information effectively. Moreover, we had to ensure that this platform not only met legal requirements but also set a new standard for government transparency and accessibility.

Solution

Our approach to solving this colossal challenge was marked by careful planning and a commitment to user-centric design. We initiated the project with interviews with Dutch journalists, seeking to gain insights into their specific needs and desires. These early interviews provided invaluable information that set the stage for the subsequent stages of the project. Joris took the lead in crafting wireframes that incorporated the journalist's input, ensuring that the platform's structure aligned closely with their requirements.Following this, I took charge of the user interface design. We worked diligently to adhere to the government's design guidelines while also developing entirely new custom components to accommodate the unique demands of the platform.We're proud to report that the platform is now live and operational. It serves as a repository of government documents available for public access, setting new standards for transparency and government accountability. But our journey doesn't end here; we remain committed to continuous improvement. We actively seek and incorporate user feedback, constantly striving to enhance the platform for future releases.In addition to the user-facing aspect, we created the backbone of the platform for Ministry of Health personnel to upload and manage documents. This required a separate user interface and its own set of custom components to facilitate efficient document management.To uphold our dedication to transparency, we've made both the design process and the platform's code open source. This ensures that the public can understand how we arrived at our design decisions and exemplifies our commitment to open government principles, as outlined in the WOO.

Result

The platform's launch represents a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to transparency and accessibility. We have succeeded in creating a user-friendly and efficient system that not only adheres to the "Wet van Open Overheid" but also sets a new benchmark for government transparency. Users, including journalists and the public, now have unprecedented access to a wealth of government documents, spanning emails, presentations, meeting summaries, and critical decisions, including those made during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While we take pride in the platform's current functionality, our journey is far from over. We remain dedicated to enhancing the user experience, actively seeking and incorporating feedback from our users to improve the platform with each subsequent release. Our commitment to continuous improvement ensures that the platform will remain a valuable resource for years to come.

Furthermore, the success of this project opens the door to broader possibilities. As the government witnesses the positive impact of our platform, there is a compelling opportunity to convince them to implement similar solutions across all other ministries. The principles of openness and transparency that guide this platform can serve as a model for other government agencies to follow, strengthening democratic processes and fostering trust between the government and its citizens. We are excited about the potential for this project to have a lasting impact on government transparency not only within the Ministry of Health but throughout the entire Dutch government.

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