Digital Public Services in Uzbekistan: Why UX Matters More Than the Number of Services

The digitalisation of public services in Uzbekistan is moving fast: the my.gov.uz single portal, sign-in through OneID, public service centres and agencies' own sector services. But what matters to a citizen isn't the number of online services — it's whether they can reach the result on their own, without a phone call, a repeat visit or help from a friend “who knows how it works”. That's where user experience (UX) decides the outcome.

Context: the course towards a digital state

The “Digital Uzbekistan 2030” strategy, approved by Presidential Decree UP-6079 of 5 October 2020, set the direction for developing e-government and moving services into digital form. Since then many services have become available online, and agencies are launching their own portals, personal accounts and mobile apps. The next stage is quality: services that are not just available but convenient for every group of citizens.

Why an online service can fail even when it exists

• Agency language instead of citizen language. The service name matches the wording of a regulation, while people search for “how to get a certificate for kindergarten”.
• Unclear requirements. The document list doesn't explain where to get each document or what format to upload.
• Long forms without saving. One error on the last step and everything has to be filled in again.
• Unclear status. The application is submitted, but it's unclear what happens next, how long to wait and who is responsible.
• Awkward on a phone. Most citizens go online via smartphones, but the interface was designed for desktop.
• Different interfaces across agencies. Each time people have to learn a new logic.

A digital service is successful not when it launches, but when a citizen gets the result the first time, without outside help.

UX principles for government services

1. Start from the life event

People think in situations: “having a baby”, “starting a business”, “moving house”. Grouping services by life events helps people find what they need without knowing how agencies are structured.

2. Plain language

Short sentences, familiar words, explained terms. This is especially important across three language versions — Uzbek (Latin), Russian and sometimes English — each of which must be complete and equally clear.

3. One question per screen

A complex form is better split into short steps with a progress indicator and autosave. Data the state already holds (via OneID and inter-agency databases) shouldn't be requested again.

4. Transparent status

What is happening with the application, when the answer will come and what to do if it's rejected — with notifications via SMS or Telegram.

5. Accessibility for everyone

Older people, people with visual impairments and users on slow connections and old phones are citizens too. Contrast, large type, screen reader support and lightweight pages are essential. More in our article on government website design and accessibility.

6. A shared design system

Common components — buttons, forms, error messages, page templates — make services from different agencies predictable for citizens and speed up development.

How to check the quality of a government service

1. Ask several real citizens of different ages to complete the service from search to result, and watch without helping.
2. See at which step people abandon the application.
3. Analyse call-centre enquiries: frequent questions are signals of interface problems.
4. Test the service on a budget smartphone with mobile data.
5. Check every language version: is it complete and does the meaning match?

Security and trust

Government services handle citizens' personal data, so UX and security are inseparable. Clear explanations of why data is requested, an official domain and a recognisable visual style help citizens tell the real service from phishing sites. Data must be stored in line with the Law “On Personal Data” — including the mandatory localisation of biometric and other categories that remains after the 2026 amendments and the cross-border transfer rules — and with government bodies' internal information security requirements.

Where an agency should start

1. Pick the highest-volume services. Improving five popular services delivers more than launching twenty new ones.
2. Gather data: enquiry statistics, complaints, call-centre questions, applications rejected because of errors.
3. Map the citizen's journey from the moment the need arises to receiving the result — including offline steps.
4. Build a prototype and test it with people before development: fixes are cheaper that way.
5. Launch in iterations: a first version, feedback, improvements.
6. Appoint a service owner — someone responsible for its quality, not just the technical work.

This approach requires changes not only to the interface but to procedures: sometimes the best UX is dropping an unnecessary document or step, not adding a new button.

Example: a citizen's journey before and after a redesign

Take a hypothetical service — obtaining a certificate needed to enrol a child in an educational institution. In the original version, the citizen searches for the service by its official name, which they don't know, opens a twenty-field form on a single screen, enters data the state already holds, and only at the end learns they must attach a scan of a document in a specific format. An upload error clears the form. After submission there's just an application number with no explanation.

In the redesigned version, the service can be found by searching in plain words and under the life event “my child is starting school or kindergarten”. Before starting, the citizen sees what will be needed and how long it will take. Known data is filled in automatically after signing in through OneID, the form is split into short steps with autosave, and the application status and response time arrive as a notification. The service itself is the same — but now it can be completed without a phone call or a visit.

Common digitalisation mistakes

• Digitising the paper form one-to-one. Fields that were needed for manual processing are moved onto the screen without review.
• Launching many services at once without testing. The number of services grows while the quality of each remains unknown.
• Testing only inside the agency. Staff know the regulations and can't see what's unclear to a citizen.
• Treating the Uzbek or Russian version as an afterthought. An incomplete translation shuts out part of the population.
• Providing no offline alternative. Not everyone has a smartphone or the skills — public service centres and phone support remain part of the service.
• Considering the project finished at launch. Without feedback and improvements, a service quickly becomes outdated.

What to include in the brief for a contractor

• user research before design and usability testing of the prototype;
• accessibility requirements and testing on devices of different tiers;
• complete, edited language versions — not just a translated interface;
• use of a shared design system, or creating one if it doesn't exist;
• analytics with service-completion metrics;
• handover of source files, documentation and rights to the agency;
• a period of support and improvements after launch.

Metrics to evaluate a service by

• the share of citizens who started and successfully completed an application;
• the average time to complete the service;
• the share of applications returned because of filling errors;
• the number of call-centre enquiries about this service;
• the satisfaction rating after receiving the result.

Checklist for an agency or contractor

• The service name is clear to a citizen without legal training.
• Before starting, it's visible what's needed, how long it takes and what it costs.
• The form is split into steps with autosave.
• Data the state already has is not requested.
• Errors are explained in plain language with a hint on how to fix them.
• Application status is visible and notifications are sent.
• The service works well on a phone and meets accessibility requirements.
• All language versions are complete.

Bottom line

Digitalisation isn't moving a paper form onto a screen — it's rethinking the service from the citizen's point of view. Agencies that invest in user research and design get fewer enquiries, fewer application errors and more trust. The Dasta Creative team designs interfaces and websites for government organisations — from UX research to web design and design systems.