Empowering Utahns: How DHHS is transforming digital access to vital services

February 3, 2025
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Imagine a single parent, struggling to make ends meet, desperately needing support for a child with special needs. If they can’t easily navigate Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) websites to find information about early childhood programs, they may be forced to choose between providing for their family and staying home to navigate services within the healthcare system. 

Or, consider a senior with limited income facing increasing health challenges and wanting to remain in their home or community-based setting. Being able to understand who qualifies for Medicaid waivers can be difficult, especially if the information is buried within a complex website, which may result in missing out on vital healthcare benefits they desperately need. These are the real-life consequences of inaccessible digital information. 

The Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is dedicated to serving Utah residents through a vast network of essential services and programs, but even the most valuable services are ineffective if people can’t easily find and access them. Recognizing this, DHHS Division of Customer Experience (DCE) and Division programs, teamed up with the Division of Technology Services’ Statewide CX initiative to focus on enhancing its digital channels and streamlining access to these crucial resources.

The challenge of a decentralized digital landscape

With numerous divisions and services, the department oversees about 50 websites. Each site is typically managed by a different team, leading to inconsistencies in design, navigation, and information presentation. This decentralized structure has created barriers for customers to efficiently connect with the services and support. User feedback corroborated these challenges, with many of those who left feedback reporting difficulties finding specific information and expressing frustration with the search experience across DHHS websites.

Building a framework for improvement

To address these issues systematically, DHHS undertook a thorough assessment of 10 of its websites. This assessment utilized a comprehensive Website Quality Assessment framework, directly inspired by the principles of “Good Services,” developed by Lou Downe, founding director of the School of Good Services, during their work with the UK Government Digital Service. This framework provided a structured approach to evaluating website effectiveness, focusing on key principles, such as easy-to-find sites and content, clearly explaining the service purpose, setting user expectations,  and being usable by everyone.

Taking action: Prioritizing user needs and clear communication

Using this framework, DHHS identified areas of strength, as well as improvement opportunities. 

Strengths: Website accessibility, sites meet basic standards for users with disabilities. 

Improvement opportunities: Add clear expectations and timelines in application steps, use plain language, limit extensive text, and ensure websites are mobile friendly. 

DHHS prioritized improvements in the following areas:

Universal help access: DHHS has implemented a consistent “Need Help?” option on every page across its websites. This feature allows users to submit requests for assistance and receive timely responses from DHHS staff. This way, users can easily request help whenever they encounter difficulties. This centralized system also allows DHHS to track common user issues and identify areas for further improvement.

Rewriting service descriptions and process outlines: DHHS completed an inventory of all its services and programs. The inventory includes the creation of plain language service descriptions that are easy to understand and avoid jargon. Process workflows will be created for programs, clearly explaining to users the steps involved in accessing services. 

Developing standardized “How to get started” pages: DHHS is actively developing “How to get started” pages for services. Each page will include a plain-language name for the service, a concise description of its purpose and target audience, clear steps to get started, and timelines. This is a core focus of the current website development work.

Improved search functionality: DHHS is currently working with 211 Utah to make sure all DHHS services and programs are searchable, accurate, up to date, and easy to find.  

A tangible impact on the lives of Utahns

Now envision that same single parent in the future, finding the answers they need about Care Coordination through the Office of Children with Special Healthcare Needs on a straightforward “How to get started” page, understanding exactly what’s required to apply and access services, all in plain language. See that senior citizen, now confidently navigating to crucial information about the Medicaid Aging Waiver with just a few clicks, thanks to improved navigation and searchability. These ongoing DHHS improvements directly support the statewide customer experience program’s goal of creating a “better government” by making it easier for all Utahns to access the vital services they need.