Service NSW – NSW Digital Birth Certificate

Australia’s first digital birth certificate pilot.

Executive Summary

This case study explores the design and implementation of the New South Whales Digital Birth Certificate system. The initiative aimed to streamline the creation, management, and verification of birth certificates digitally while exploring its adaptability for international use cases. By digitising this critical document, we sought to improve accessibility, enhance security, and create a scalable framework that could be integrated into various global identity verification ecosystems.

Partnering with NSW Births, Deaths and Marriages (NSW BDMs), my team designed, built, and piloted the first digital birth certificate in Australia. During the 6 month engagement with NSW BDM we undertook discovery through stakeholder interviews and initial competitor analysis, building out a service blueprint and journey map, and validated our experience via a round of user testing within the Service NSW App.

Our user testing helped to inform a closed pilot group within the Service NSW App. From the insights gathered from our testing, the certificate was issued to the Service NSW app and had a success rate of 92% which at that time was the highest success rate for issuance in NSW.

Accomplishments

Successful Design and Pilot of Australia’s First Digital Birth Certificate System

This project delivered a groundbreaking solution by designing and piloting Australia’s inaugural digital birth certificate system. The closed pilot achieved an impressive 92% issuance success rate, setting a new benchmark for NSW and demonstrating the successful transition from cumbersome manual processes to a secure, digitised credential.

Significant Improvements in Security, Efficiency, and User Satisfaction

Through a user-centric design process, the team effectively addressed critical pain points. The new system led to a 20% reduction in birth registration processing times, significantly enhanced security against fraud (incorporating biometrics and multi-factor authentication), and notably improved user satisfaction by providing clarity and convenience, especially regarding complex issues like name matching.

Established a Scalable and Interoperable Framework for Future Digital Credentials

A key achievement was not just the delivery of the digital birth certificate itself, but the creation of a robust, secure, and accessible framework designed for future expansion. With an interoperable API for international data exchange and adherence to policy requirements, the project laid essential groundwork for global identity verification pilots and provides a scalable blueprint for Service NSW to launch other digital credentials.

1. Discovery & Research

The initiative came from past research indicating users who did not have a passport (only 20% of Australian CentreLink users have a passport) often needed another form of identity to prove who they were in 100 point checks. The Birth Certificate was identified as a good substitutive credential for users, however we also knew that specifically first nations residents often don’t have a birth certificate, and would need further initiatives to unpack their experience.

The traditional birth certificate process in New South Whales was characterised by:

– Cumbersome Procedures: Lengthy manual processes, resulting in delays and administrative inefficiencies.

– Security Risks: Physical documents were prone to loss, damage, or fraud.
– Limited Inclusivity and Accessibility: Difficulty in sharing verified documents with international institutions or across different government agencies.

The project’s goals were to:

– Digitise the birth certificate process to improve accessibility and reduce processing time.

– Leverage secure, verifiable credentials technology to protect citizens’ sensitive information.

– Explore integration with international identity systems to support global mobility, education, and employment opportunities.

2. Data Matching and Integration

From past insights we knew that certain credential types could confuse users when onboarding, specifically through name matching. Users with low risk credentials would often use short names or initials when identifying themselves. The team used this to test a new feature assisting users at the beginning of the onboarding process by teaching users the importance of name matching, specifically for a higher risk credential like a birth certificate.

We then engaged with Security and Fraud in Service NSW to collaboratively build out an experience which would inform the user of the needs for data matching.

We had a success rate of 92% for this credential which was the highest onboarding pilot success rate for any credential in the SNSW App.

3. Design Process

Stakeholder Interviews

Interviews were conducted with:

– Government Officials & Administrators: To understand regulatory requirements and current system bottlenecks.

– New Parents: To identify pain points in accessing and sharing birth certificates.

– International Agencies: To assess the requirements for cross-border document verification and trust frameworks.

Competitive & Contextual Analysis

We examined digital document systems globally;

– European Digital Identity Frameworks: Emphasised the need for cross-border interoperability and robust security measures.

– Other National Digital Certificates: Provided insight into design patterns, user onboarding, and accessibility challenges.

Personas & User Journeys

The team had an existing set of archetypes, which had been created during an internal archetype workshop with the innovation team. We defined a range of users which we can use for our user journeys which the team had created across multiple cross disciplinary workshops.

Taking our archetypes through our journey maps we identified friction points and how our product may ease these.

Ideation & Brainstorming

Key workshops involved;

– Modular Design: Planning for scalability to adapt the system to various international standards and requirements.

– User-Centric Features: Focus on intuitive interfaces for both tech-savvy users and those less familiar with digital processes.

– Prototyping: Developed interactive mock-ups simulating real-world scenarios like international verification requests.

4. Prototype

Our prototype for the digital birth certificate went through a large number of rounds of feedback as we had some many different areas of government across both Service NSW and BDM.

The initial prototype was built and tested within Figma with an inclusive audience. Unfortunately due to the time frame the accessibility of the initial prototype was lacking, however in the pilot phase the team redeemed itself with a fully accessible experience.

5. Impact & results

Our final release included;

– Interoperable API: Enabled seamless data exchange with international systems, ensuring that digital certificates are trusted and recognised globally.

– Robust Security Framework: Employed encryption, digital signatures, and multi-factor authentication to safeguard sensitive data and ensure compliance with international data protection laws.

– Policy Alignment: Adhering to the policy requirements for a digital birth certificate.

Our onboarding screens went through refinement and were launched into the app to great success. Users were able to understand and correctly match their data which lead to a very high issuance rate, an obstacle SNSW had been trying to solve for some time.

Post-deployment, the system demonstrated significant benefits;

– Efficiency Gains: Reduced birth registration processing times by 20%, streamlining workflows for healthcare providers and government officials.

– Enhanced Security: The digital system minimised fraud and document tampering, building greater trust among citizens.

– User Satisfaction: Users reported improved clarity, convenience, and confidence in the digital process.

6. Trust and Fraud prevention

After an initial internal validation of the prototype, we updated the designs and functionality and built out the journey with our engineers and associates from Trust and Fraud.

Users praised the simplified process and clear visual feedback during document verification and onboarding. Our close work with the privacy team meant we were able to minimise the time needed to issue a digital birth certificate, as well as including fraud prevention steps such as biometrics and 2 factor authentication within high risk transactions.

7. Insights & Next Steps

Some next steps for the credential;

– Global Integration: Pilot programs with international agencies are planned as next steps.

– User Education: Comprehensive onboarding is crucial, particularly when introducing new digital processes in government services and may need to be regularly updated via SNSW’s feedback channels.

– Adapt and Innovate: Using our learnings and processes for the next credential SNSW will launch.