People point at the screen of a laptop

Our Human-Centered Approach

The Digital Engagement team builds digital experiences with the goals and needs of the people engaging with City services. We believe this human-centered approach will ultimately serve the business goals and needs of City departments.

Design Thinking Methodology

  • We focus on user-centric research.
  • New features undergo usability testing and iteration.

Building Digital Experiences

We use human-centered design principles and activities to empathize with the needs and goals of people who interact with City services.

These design principles are requirements for all public-facing digital properties:

  • People first
  • Purpose
  • Simplicity
  • Usability and Accessibility

Digital Engagement Team Resources

Digital Equity Commitment

With guidance from the Digital Engagement team, the City ensures that all residents and businesses have access to essential services. The following are fundamental to our approach:

  • consideration for internet bandwidth,
  • design for mobile devices,
  • consideration for reading level, and
  • inclusion of Google Translate for multilingual translation.

Learn about the City of Seattle's progress towards internet connectivity for all of Seattle. View the Technology Access and Adoption Study.