Comment by willvarfar | Hacker News Reader

Comment by willvarfar | Hacker News Reader

My government uses an in-house designed and built self-serve portal for pretty much everything from tax to healthcare etc. Its been around a long time - I remember being impressed with it when scheduling childcare benefits - and its grown in features if not so much in looks.

A government agency employs normal average developers etc.

They offer non-stellar wages in an economical backwater so has quite a boost on the local economy and gives programmers wanting to live more rurally employment opportunities, but I imagine today a lot could be remote too.

And it works great. No thrills but functional. Excellent value for money.

(The uk's gov.uk websites that I've had to interact with have a similar look and feel if a less integrated feeling; I don't know how they are developed.)

I've seen and known the the outsourced contractor systems in normal companies from the big names and all have always been an unending disaster. The goal is to 'grow the engagement' not finish. The incentives that keep it going in normal companies are not really about getting a good system quickly.

The UK's gov.uk is done by the Government Digital Service, which used to be part of the cabinet office. In my view it's one of the great successes of the Cameron ministry (without breaking the rules on politics, I take a dim view of his premiership in general).

They focused a lot on UX. For example, they avoid dropdowns - "the select component should only be used as a last resort in public-facing services because research shows that some users find selects very difficult to use." [Source](https://design-system.service.gov.uk/components/select/).

It's worth reading their design principles: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/government-design-principles

The civil service and GDS are always trying to do the right thing.

If we had (user) research driven policy the way the digital departments build software, the country would look very different.

Not saying they are perfect institutions but on the whole the departmental digitisation efforts are run quite well within the constraints they have.

I'm currently managing several Government contracts for a third party, and the GDS + Government Technology Code of Practice are woven into the contracts and milestone evidence we have to provide. The two standards are clear and sensible.

I have had many meetings with Government back-end and dev staff and they all seemed knowledgeable, rational, non-beaurecratic and keen to listen as much as talk. They are also accessible and helpful.

What country are you from? Is there a link to the agency that maintains the portal? I worked in local government in a unit that was arguing for in-housing developers rather than hiring contractors. That team could maybe learn from your country's experience.

I'm in Sweden. I'd guess the nordics and baltics are all as far or further ahead.

I actually once knew some programmers who worked there, so know its in-house etc, but don't remember exactly what it is called etc.

A quick google found this, hope it is the right thing and helpful https://www.government.se/government-agencies/the-agency-for...

Just checked back to see if you replied and you did! Thanks for the info, it is very helpful!

Anytime my (developed and well-educated) country's government tries to build or have built any IT system it ends in disaster. I wish we could have what you have, but at this point I don't trust my government to do anything themselves when it comes to digital.

Has it ever been breached?

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