Design
UX Redesign of a Government Digital Services Portal
Overview
What this challenge is about.
Focus on three citizen journeys: (1) Registering a new address (Ummeldung), (2) Requesting a parking permit, (3) Booking an appointment at the Bürgerbüro. For each: create a user flow diagram, design mobile-first wireframes (low to mid fidelity), write UI copy in plain German and English, and annotate with accessibility considerations (WCAG 2.1 AA). Conduct a heuristic evaluation of the current portal (screenshots provided) using Nielsen's 10 usability heuristics.
The Brief
What you'll do, and what you'll demonstrate.
The portal's poor usability is driving citizens to in-person visits (costing the city an estimated EUR 45 per transaction vs. EUR 3 digitally) and violating EU accessibility requirements. Redesign the UX for the five highest-volume citizen services to achieve WCAG 2.1 AA compliance, mobile-first responsiveness, and a 30% reduction in average task completion time.
Your tasks
01
Research and UX Audit
- Conduct a heuristic evaluation of the current portal concept with severity ratings
- Create user personas based on the citizen demographic and the five target services
- Map current user journeys and task flows for each of the five services
- Document accessibility gaps against WCAG 2.1 AA requirements
02
Wireframing and Prototyping
- Redesign task flows for all five services with reduced steps and improved navigation
- Create mobile-first wireframes for the homepage, service finder, and all service flows
- Build an interactive Figma prototype covering the primary user journeys
- Add accessibility annotations (contrast ratios, ARIA labels, focus order) to wireframes
03
High-Fidelity Design and Case Study
- Develop high-fidelity mockups for key screens in both mobile and desktop breakpoints
- Create a mini design system/component library documenting reusable UI patterns
- Compile the UX case study document with all deliverables
- Final review for completeness, consistency, and accessibility compliance
Earning criteria — what you'll demonstrate
- Conduct a structured UX audit using established heuristic evaluation frameworks and accessibility standards.
- Apply user-centered design methods (personas, journey maps, task flows) to diagnose usability problems and generate evidence-based solutions.
- Design accessible, mobile-first interfaces that comply with WCAG 2.1 AA standards and public sector design guidelines.
- Create professional UX deliverables including wireframes, interactive prototypes, and annotated design specifications ready for developer handoff.
Program Fit
Where this fits in your program.
Sharpens the same skills your degree expects you to demonstrate.
Aligned coursework coming soon.
Skills
Skills you'll demonstrate.
Each one shows up on your verified credential.
Careers
Roles this prepares you for.
Real titles. Real skill bridges. Pick the one closest to your trajectory.
Career mappings coming soon.
Frequently asked questions
What students usually ask before they start.
Focus your detailed redesign on the five highest-volume services (residence registration, vehicle registration, building permits, business registration, waste collection scheduling). You should also propose a navigation and homepage concept that ties the services together, but deep design work is only expected for the five service flows.
Figma is recommended for prototyping and is available free for education accounts. However, you may use any design tool that allows you to create interactive prototypes and export annotated specifications.
Use the WCAG 2.1 checklist to annotate your designs with accessibility considerations: color contrast ratios (minimum 4.5:1 for text), focus indicators, ARIA labels for interactive elements, and logical heading hierarchy. You do not need to build a coded prototype, but your design annotations should demonstrate awareness of these requirements.
Yes. The brief states that municipalities may adapt the federal design system. You should reference it for foundational patterns but may propose improvements or custom patterns where they better serve the identified user needs.