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Agencies should communicate safety measures, provide clear channels for reporting concerns and resolve issues promptly.

• Actively listen to feedback to understand user needs and identify areas for service improvement. Consider the user experience when providing feedback, including response times.
• Think about how users interact and make changes where needed. Incorporate feedback loops and make sure the service improvement process is transparent.  
• Communicate safety measures, provide clear channels for reporting concerns and resolve issues promptly.

Make sure the service is secure and thoroughly assess for threats and put protections in place. Be ready to identify, respond to and recover from threats:  

• Make the service secure using the:
  • Information Security Manual
  • the Essential Eight 
  • resources from the Australian Cyber Security Centre.
• Plan security requirements during service design, build, operation and decommissioning. 

Document your findings and recommendations on how to apply criterion 3: 

• Ensure your proposal provides evidence of countering scams and misinformation, provides transparency about data collection and usage and offers a feedback mechanism for continuous improvement. 
• Use the Digital Capability Assessment Process (DCAP) template to report on meeting the criterion.
• Make sure the data is collected and documented in a centralised knowledge repository.

• DSS criterion 7. Do no harm | digital.gov.au
• DPS criterion 4. Measure if your digital service is meeting customer needs | digital.gov.au
• eSafety Commissioner: The eSafety Guide
• Queensland Government: Make digital services secure
• gov.uk: Securing your information
• Australian Government: Online Safety Charter
• Australian Signals Directorate: Secure-by-Design
• Victorian Government: Digital Inclusion Statement
• OECD Guidelines for Citizen Participation Processes | OECD

Make content accessible: Simplify language, provide consistent navigation, and minimise distractions on interfaces to help users access content. Use proper heading structures, descriptive links, and alternative text for images to enhance the user experience. Offer multilingual support to cater to a diverse range of users and make sure translations are accurate and maintain the same level of accessibility.

Leverage technology: Leverage Australian Government technology options and anticipate how emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence impact accessibility. Use automated accessibility testing where appropriate, in addition to testing services with real people. These tools can help identify common issues and streamline the testing process.

Keep technology compatible: While services may be inclusive, they can remain inaccessible if they do not work with the tools users rely on. To mitigate this, keep your technology compatible with assistive technologies such as keyboard inputs, voice commands and screen readers. Update software, plugins and third-party tools as your service evolves. As new features are deployed, provide users with time to learn not only the new features of the service, but also how to use them with assistive technologies

Ensure accessibility in procurement: When procuring services, determine if the proposed solution can be used by everybody. Include accessibility requirements in your procurement processes so vendors adhere to accessibility standards when developing components for your digital services. Where appropriate, refer to established standards.

Train your team: Make sure teams are well-versed in accessibility principles that empower them to incorporate best practices throughout the service lifecycle. Engage with accessibility experts during the design and development process and use their insights to overcome potential accessibility challenges.

Regularly update documentation: Keep accessibility documentation current. This includes guidelines, standards and resources. Provide accessible support resources such as tutorials and contact information that will empower users to find the help they need, when they need it.

Understand applicable legislation as well as best practice: Apply the legislation or policies relevant to your service including the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, the latest version of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and the Australian Government Style Manual. 

Consider the assistive technologies required for diverse user groups: 

• Prioritise assistive technology when planning and designing your service and consider including technologies that will assist your users. Assistive technology can be applied across various services.
• Test assistive technologies with users to make sure they meet user needs. Make sure the service is compatible with tools such as screen readers, keyboard inputs and voice commands tools.
• Make sure all users can find and use content and provide alternative types of content to meet user needs.
• Regularly test and refine digital interfaces to address emerging accessibility challenges, using automated tools and real-user feedback.
• Consider accessibility and inclusivity in all new procurements and contract renewals and make sure vendors adhere to established accessibility standards.
• Engage with accessibility experts and incorporate their insights in the design and development process.

Comply with legislation, standards and best practice:

• Design the service in line with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992.
• Make sure the service meets or exceeds current requirements for the Australian Government, including Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). 
• Create content in line with the Australian Government Style Manual.

Document your findings and recommendations on how to apply criterion 4:

• Make sure the proposal is compliant with current accessibility legislation and standards from the outset.
• Ensure the proposal confirms accessibility by testing usability with real users and verify the service meet required standards. 
• Use the Digital Capability Assessment Process (DCAP) template to report on meeting the criterion.
• Make sure the data is collected and documented in a centralised knowledge repository.

• Australian Government: Style Manual
• Victorian Government: Make content accessible – digital guide
• Western Australia Government: Accessibility and Inclusivity Guidelines
• South Australian Government: Accessibility toolkit
  • Introductory guides
  • Accessibility testing
• Victorian Government: Communicating data with colour
• Victorian Government: Branding guidelines of Victorian Government 2017
• NSW Government: Accessibility in NSW
• NSW Government: Accessibility matters 
• Western Australia Government: Digital Services Policy Framework
• gov.uk: Dos and don’ts on designing for accessibility 
• Centre for Accessibility: How do I check if my work is accessible? 
  • How do I achieve the WCAG Standard? - Centre For Accessibility Australia
• W3C: How to meet WCAG (Quick reference)
• W3C: Developing for Web Accessibility 
• W3C: Web accessibility evaluation tools list
• Agency for Digital Government: Digital Inclusion
• NSW Government: Your responsibilities 

Incorporate responsive design: Make sure your service has a responsive design that allows for compatibility across various devices and screen sizes, accommodating users who access services through different platforms.

Incorporate adaptable user interfaces: Design services that can be customised and adapted to allow personalised experiences. This may include flexible layouts, themes that support enhanced day and night vision and tailoring the user interface to meet device-specific considerations. Include preferences for written, audio and visual information and other settings that enhance user comfort and accessibility.

Be considerate of time: Implement save and resume functionality that allows users to complete tasks immediately, or later. This is beneficial for processes that may require multiple steps to complete or information gathering. Disperse information gradually to prevent overwhelm. Be mindful to provide enough time to complete tasks and avoid time constraints that may pose challenges to individuals with cognitive or motor disabilities.

Support users to move between service channels with ease: Consider the support users need for a complete service experience and maintain non-digital channels for those who need it. Map user experiences to identify pain points and opportunities and ensure a consistent look and feel across all channels, including websites, mobile apps and in-person interactions.

Enable real-time data synchronisation: Where possible, use real-time data synchronising across all service channels. This prevents inconsistencies and lets users to access to the most up-to-date information regardless of where or how they interact with the service.

Most users use government systems to complete tasks. When designing, consider how to make it easier for the user by taking into account time needs and preferences for interacting with the service online: 

• Conduct user research and user testing. 
• Use the Digital Inclusion resources as a starting point to consider how to assist the users you are designing for. 
• Ensure compatibility across various devices and screen sizes to accommodate users accessing services through different platforms.
• Conduct usability testing across different devices and put mobile-first design principles in place.
• Regularly update and test the service for new devices.

Design customised and adapted services to allow personalised experiences for the user:

• Develop user personas to understand diverse needs.
• Create theme options for users to select. Provide options for users to customise font sizes and contrast.
• Create flexible layouts tailoring the user interface to meet device-specific considerations. 
• Support enhanced day and night vision
• Tailor the user interface to meet device-specific considerations. Include preferences for written, audio and visual information and other settings that enhance user comfort and accessibility.

Allow users to complete tasks immediately or later when creating processes that require multiple steps or information gathering:

• Gradually disperse information to prevent overwhelm.
• Make sure there is enough time to complete tasks and avoid time constraints that may challenge individuals..
• Introduce auto-save features for ongoing tasks.
• Break down complex processes into smaller, manageable steps.
• Provide clear instructions and time estimations for each step.

Provide a complete service experience by maintaining non-digital channels, for those who need it:

• Map user experiences to identify pain points and opportunities
• Provide consistent look and feel across all channels, including websites, mobile apps and in-person interactions.
• Develop a unified style guide for all service channels.
• Conduct regular user feedback sessions.
• Provide training for staff on all service channels.

Document your findings and recommendations on how to apply criterion 5:

• Ensure your proposal supports your decisions and demonstrates that you have considered and applied flexibility in your service design.
• Use the Digital Capability Assessment Process (DCAP) template to report on meeting the criterion.
• Make sure the data is collected and documented in a centralised knowledge repository.

• User research | digital.gov.au
• Delivering for all people and business | Data and Digital
• Queensland Government: Consistent User Experience Standard v3.0
• NSW Government: Towards a customer-centric government
• Agency for Digital Government: Digital Inclusion
• OECD Guidelines for Citizen Participation Processes | OECD