In today’s fast-paced world, residents expect government services to be as seamless and accessible as the private sector. At last year’s Government Innovation Showcase New York, Jessica Houle, Director of Digital Service at the New York State Office of General Services, shared how her team is transforming the state’s digital landscape to meet that challenge.
When the Digital Media Services Centre was created nearly a decade ago, New York faced a patchwork of siloed websites and applications—some supported by teams of one, others with no dedicated resources at all. The mission was clear: build consistency, improve access, and design services around the people who use them.
The team’s first major project—redesigning the state’s website—was the beginning of a new approach. By engaging every agency, identifying their top services, and creating user-centered “one-stop” pages, New York doubled its website traffic in just a few months. But the real success came from the cultural shift: a commitment to putting users first in every decision.
Since then, Houle’s team has created a thriving community of over 200 digital practitioners, hosted statewide conferences and roundtables, and redesigned more than 30 agency websites. Their work has led to measurable improvements in critical services like voter registration and professional licensing—often through small, low-cost changes that dramatically improve user experience.
The next step? Expanding this culture of digital-first thinking by developing statewide digital standards, leveraging real-time feedback data, and aligning with the Governor’s customer experience initiatives. The goal is simple but ambitious: create seamless, consistent, and trustworthy experiences that improve satisfaction, build trust, and deliver better outcomes for all New Yorkers.
What’s Next: Join Jessica Houle at This Year’s Event
Building on last year’s conversation, Jessica Houle is back at the Government Innovation New York on November 12th, 2026 with an all-new session:
Human-Centered Design in Action: Building New York’s Next Era of Digital Services and Customer Experience
With growing digital service projects, new accessibility requirements, responsible AI adoption, and workforce training, Jessica will explore how human-centered design can help New York turn modernization into real resident impact.
Don’t miss this critical conversation. Register here today (free and exclusive for public sector).
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