Build Ontario government services
Use our guides to create, test and run user-centred services and products that meet the Digital Service Standard.
Help achieve the goal for government
We are working to create government services that are:
- simpler, faster and better
- built for and with the people who will use our services
To do this, we developed and continue to maintain a Digital Service Standard that:
- defines what a simpler, faster and better government service looks like
- identifies the steps a multi-disciplinary team needs to take to create a service
- supports multi-disciplinary teams building and maintaining services and products
The standard and our guides work together to help staff and vendors deliver high-quality services. This helps government keep pace with developing technologies and best practices.
Multi-disciplinary teams include:
- digital and data practitioners
- policy and program areas
- communications teams
- IT partners and vendors
- legal, privacy and security teams
Get to know the Digital Service Standard
Any government project that involves creating or improving a digital service, in-house or with vendors, needs to meet the Digital Service Standard.
We evaluate digital services against the standard through an assessment process. We share advice to help teams continuously improve their services and products.
Review our case studies
Our case studies explain how government teams used the Digital Service Standard to build better services and products.
Read how teams:
- used data and open source code to create Ontario’s COVID-19 school screening tool
- rebuilt the Ontario Environmental Registry
- made it easier and faster to access health care in Ontario
- helped students learn how much financial aid they can get for college or university
- turned paper-based Orders in Council into an accessible, searchable catalogue
Learn how to design or improve a service
Start with the Service Design Playbook.
This guide outlines what to do before and after you launch a new or improved service.
It also helps you:
- build the right team
- understand your users and their needs through research
- test ideas and prototypes to continuously improve
Use guides, tools and resources.
You need to know what best practices to follow at different times during your service’s development. Use these guides to design and improve your products, policies, programs and services.
Use our guides, tools and resources
Understand users and meet their needs
User research guide
Learn how to plan user research, choose a research technique, recruit participants, and turn your findings into services and products. The guide includes user research method cards, consent and compensation forms for user research interviews and testing.
Inclusive design toolkit
This toolkit includes books, templates, and downloads to help you make accessible and inclusive services and products. The toolkit includes inclusive design cards and an accessibility guide for digital services.
Deliver consistent user experiences
Ontario Design System
Use this repository of reusable styles and components for building digital products. It enables teams to save time and avoid duplication of work while delivering a consistent, accessible user experience.
Ontario.ca style guide
Write and design plain language content that will make your services easy to find, use and understand no matter what type of device people use.
Be a good data steward
Application Programming Interface (API) Guidelines
Build stable, scalable, reusable and connected digital services that reduce duplication of work by allowing applications to share common data and processes.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Guidelines
Read a draft framework for clear, transparent and ethical use of artificial intelligence. Learn to communicate and manage the risks and benefits of using data-enhanced technologies in government processes, programs and services.
Ontario data catalogue
Learn how we share government data. Browse thousands of datasets on the Ontario data catalogue including hundreds that are open and available for use.
Champion new ways of working
Agile in government
Learn how Agile principles help you manage your workflows and build user-centred government services and products.
Digital era leadership
Share and promote our content on Ontario.ca and GitHub with your peers and network.
Internal training and events
Attend our learning events and drop-in coaching sessions for Ontario government staff. We cover a range of topics, including digital inclusion, content design, leadership, lean service design, user research and more.
Contact us
If you have questions or feedback about the Digital Service Standard or resources shared on this page, email our team servicedesign@ontario.ca.