DOJ Launches Initiative to Improve Customer Experience, Make DOJ Accessible
The Department of Justice (DOJ) hopes that a new initiative called Access DOJ, can make the department more accessible to everyday Americans.
Launched under the Office for Access to Justice (ATJ), the program aims to break down barriers and make it simpler and easier to understand and access various DOJ programs. It will also be a bridge for DOJ to improve customer service, as DOJ currently does not a formal customer experience office.
Human-Centered Design
A pillar of Access DOJ is human-centered design, a methodology that studies the impact on end-users throughout the development process to make sure products achieve the results they’re supposed to.
“The Access DOJ Initiative will provide a path for us to make the Justice Department’s services more accessible, effective, and efficient at meeting the needs of the diverse communities we serve,” said Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer. “It will ensure that the Department, for the first time, has a localized hub of expertise focused on assisting components broadly with human-centered design practices.”
ATJ Director Rachel Rossi explained further details on the importance of human-centered design.
“This will require that lawyers and subject matter experts work with designers to get feedback from the public. We cannot be the judge of whether our materials are accessible and effective — only the people using our services can do that,” said Director Rossi.
Among the goals of the program:
· Annually conduct high-impact projects in partnership with offices across the Justice Department to improve and streamline access to programs, services, and resources for the public;
· Provide resources, trainings, and hands-on coaching and support in methods like usability testing and writing with plain language; and
· Chair a newly launched community of practice with representatives from across the Justice Department to share successes and challenges and identify solutions to advance the work together.
Test Runs
Ahead of the launch, ATJ worked with various DOJ offices to get a head start on some of these projects.
ATJ employees worked with the Office of the Pardon Attorney to revise the form people use to request a presidential pardon to reduce burdens on everyone involved. The revisions were based on feedback from the public, usability testing, best practices in design, and access to justice research.
The ATJ team also worked with the Office of the U.S. Trustees Program (USTP) to increase access to Section 341 bankruptcy meetings, especially for people without legal access.
The Section 341 meeting is required under federal law for those filing bankruptcy and can be very stressful as creditors will often attend. To make the process easier, ATJ piloted virtual bankruptcy meetings, with the goal of producing "a series of short videos of mock meetings to give people a preview of the meetings, demystify them, explain them in plain language, and reduce the psychological costs of going through the process unprepared.”
The first formal project under Access DOJ will review crime reporting portals across the department, to improve usability.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) will be the main partner on that project.
“At ATF, if we don't hear about crimes, we sure as heck can’t solve them, and that is a problem,” said ATF director Steven Dettelbach.