Goal:

Redesign of a flawed experience by identifying 3–5 core user and accessibility problems within the South African Government E-Government Portal.

Project overview:

Re-design the South African Government E-Government Portal / “gov.za” Citizen Service Page.

Aiming to evaluate whether the platform fulfils its intended purpose of providing user-friendly access to government services.

Research Question:

Can the average user navigate gov.za, and what are some key flaws preventing them from confidently completing a task?

Secondary Research

Problem 1: The Design–Reality Gap

A 2026 audit found that many South African government websites fail to conform to basic principles of good web design.

Conclusion:

The South African government website does not fulfil its purpose in creating user-friendly accessibility to services, which will cause a potentially vulnerable user further unnecessary distress.

The website excludes users who rely on government services during high-stress situations such as unemployment, illness, or documentation issues, which are the very users this website is meant to serve.

Problem 2: Assumption of Privileged Users

Research shows that many digital services are inadvertently designed for middle-class or elite users who have high-end devices and consistent internet access.

Conclusion:

The website operates under the assumption that all users are unaffected by impairments, such as sensory, physical and intellectual, therefore do not cater to them.

The website also fails to account for people who use low-end devices, have limited data plans, and who struggle to navigate complex digital interfaces.

Problem 3: Legacy System Constraints

Designers report that older, "legacy" systems are often not customizable enough to implement modern accessibility features.

Conclusion:

The website’s accessibility does not account for users with low digital literacy, their assistive needs or network connectivity.

Research Summary and Design Implications

The above-mentioned findings expose systemic accessibility and usability failures, which directly informed the re-design priorities of this project, which will focus on reducing cognitive load, supporting low-bandwidth environments, and improving accessibility for users with diverse needs.

Comparative Analysis

GOV.UK

Widely considered to be the “gold standard” for its commitment to accessibility & plain language.

Consolidated hundreds of separate departmental and agency websites with one coherent domain, which significantly reduces confusion and navigation burnout for users.

The platforms design prioritizes simplicity and accessibility, making the platform usable for users with low digital literacy as well as vulnerable users.

Thoughts on gov.sa

This portal lacks an accessibility-first approach, this negligence increased visual load, confusion, and difficulty utilizing essential services, which highlights opportunities for simplification, easier navigation and improves accessibility support.

Rationale for Research Focus

“Now, Minister of Communication and Digital Technologies, Si Maladzi says his department has launched a digital transformation roadmap to establish a single digital identity for all South Africans to access all government services. Maladyi says South Africa needs to catch up with other major economies and countries that have converted government services to digital.”

The above quote was taken from SABC News, given that South Africa’s minister of communications and digital technologies himself said that South Africa’s digital government services needs to essentially catch up with other countries, we can safely infer that our current digital government services, are lacking.

In a statement reported by SABC News, the minister of communications and digital technologies acknowledged the need for South Africa to close the gap on digital transformation endeavors, in order to adhere to international standards and to improve current accessibility to government services.

This acknowledgement from a government official, highlights the fundamental challenges that exist within the digital government platforms, this only strengthens the justification for evaluating the current gov.za platform, and measuring its performance against superior international government platforms.

Therefore, this project adopts a secondary research comparative research approach, focusing on publicly available information and examples, in order to identify the gaps within the South African government portal.

1. Selected Core Task:

Finding unemployment or social grant information on gov.za.

Why this task specifically:

  • People tend to access this information during times of financial stress.

  • This service can be convoluted, and the users may have low digital literacy.

  • Users may be utilizing low-end devices with limited data.

  • If a user makes an error or is confused about how to proceed with the services, it can have devastating real-world implications.

2. User Scenario:

  • An unemployed user who hasn’t had a stable job in the past three years, visits gov.za using a low-end smartphone and limited mobile data.

  • They are under a lot of stress and very anxious about the future, which is further exacerbated by the uncertainty of which department or service to utilize.

  • Their goal is to understand what support is available to them and what steps to proceed with.

3. Translating Research:

Design Goals:

  • Reduce cognitive load for users under stress.

  • Lay information out in clear and concise language.

  • Prioritize task-based guidance as opposed to department-based navigation.

  • Limit heavy visuals in favour of supporting low-bandwidth environments.

  • Make all following steps clear and actionable from the get-go.

Ideation:

  1. H1 Title :
    "    Find Support After Losing Your Job"

  2. Body text :
    “We’ll help you find the right government service.”

  3. Three stacked Primary buttons :

  • Apply for unemployment benefits (UIF)

  • Find social grant information

  • I’m not sure where to start

  1. Divider

  2. Help section :

  • “Need help?”

  • “Call the Department of Labour”

  • “Visit your nearest labour centre”

Low Fidelity Prototype:

Pros:

  • The structure repeats consistently across services

  • Low literacy friendly

  • Low data friendly

  • Older-user friendly

1. Clearer service differentiation

Low-fi issue:

  • All services (UIF, Relief of Distress, Old Age Pension, Child Support) looked and read very similarly.

  • Users had to infer whether a service applied to them.

Final improvement:

  • Each service card now includes:

    • A clear descriptor (who it’s for / what it’s for)

    • Stronger visual grouping per service

  • Users can quickly self-identify the correct service without reading everything.

2. Improved entry-point decision making

Low-fi:

  • Users chose between a few broad CTAs (“Apply for UIF”, “Find social grant info”, “Not sure where to start”).

  • Logical, but still cognitively demanding for stressed users.

Final:

  • Services are now presented as scannable cards

  • Each card clearly communicates:

    • Eligibility cues

    • Required effort

    • Next step (“View details & apply”)

3. Stronger information hierarchy & scannability

Low-fi:

  • Information blocks existed, but everything carried similar visual weight.

  • Users needed to read more carefully.

Final:

  • Clear visual hierarchy:

    • Title → Purpose → Steps → Requirements → CTA

  • Improved spacing, alignment, and grouping

  • Headings and lists guide the eye naturally

4. CTA clarity and intent alignment

Low-fi:

  • “Start application” appeared early and could feel slightly premature.

Final:

  • CTA language is now more supportive and accurate:

    • “View details & apply”

  • Users are encouraged to understand first, then a

5. Better handling of eligibility anxiety

Low-fi:

  • “You may need” appeared early and felt rigid.

  • Risked intimidating users who lacked documents.

Final:

  • Requirements are:

    • Clearly grouped

    • Framed as preparatory, not blocking

  • The flow reassures users that this is informational, not final

6. Low-bandwidth support is now intentional, not hidden

Low-fi:

  • Offline / low-data options existed but blended into the layout.

Final:

  • Low-bandwidth support is:

    • Clearly surfaced

    • Consistently placed

    • Treated as a first-class feature

7. Consistent interaction patterns across mobile & desktop

Low-fi:

  • Mobile-first thinking was strong, desktop wasn’t defined yet.

Final:

  • Mobile and desktop designs:

    • Share the same mental model

    • Adapt layout without changing meaning

  • Cards, CTAs, and hierarchy behave predictably across breakpoints

8. Reduced cognitive load through visual grouping

Low-fi:

  • Content existed linearly.

Final:

  • Use of cards, sections, and containers:

    • Improves comprehension

    • Prevents overwhelm

  • Users can focus on one service at a time

9. Improved navigation confidence

Low-fi:

  • Back navigation existed but was abstract.

Final:

  • Page relationships are clearer:

    • Users know where they are

    • Users know what happens next

  • Navigation supports exploration, not just task completion

10. Overall tone shift: from functional → supportive

Low-fi tone:

  • Correct, efficient, neutral.

Final tone:

  • Clear, calm, reassuring.

  • The design acknowledges that users may be:

    • Stressed

    • Uncertain

    • Emotionally vulnerable

Improvements: