Vol. 19, No. 1, Winter 2008

Karyn McLean, Specialist Portfolios Manager, Inland Revenue; Jim Scully, Design and Project Management Group manager, Inland Revenue; Leslie Tergas, Design Development and Innovation Manager, Inland Revenue

The business world is realizing that well-designed, user-centered services can increase customer satisfaction and create brand differentiation, as well as generate new income streams and greater profits. But in a regulatory context, where people are obliged by law to interact with these services-what is the percentage in improving them, to be blunt? Well, more than you might think, say the writers of this article. McLean, Scully, and Tergas all work for New Zealand's Inland Revenue (IR) department-the tax-collecting arm of the national government-and they offer a refreshing take on government services. (Imagine thinking of the IRS as a service! And yet that's what the S stands for.) First and foremost, well-designed, user-centered services encourage those who use them to comply with regulations. (One would think of that as a no-brainer, but given the way most citizens think of their government's tax authorities, that doesn't seem to be the case.) Second, the user-centered part of the equation, in fact, means that these services are intended to help the people who use them. (For example, IR offers a Parenting Information Pilot-a set of resources designed for parents who are new to the child support system and are learning how to parent effectively even though they are separated.) Just because a service is mandatory doesn't mean it has to punish those who use it.

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