In the rush to digitize everything, it’s easy to assume that more technology automatically means better service. But as our UX designer Estelle Pleuvret explored through the lens of France’s public sector, that assumption doesn’t always hold true. Over the past decade, the French government has rapidly moved services online – by 2022, 83% of the most-used administrative procedures were available on the web. Yet availability didn’t equal success. In fact, about one in three French people abandoned an online administrative process in 2021 out of frustration, underscoring the risk of going “all digital” and leaving many behind. This gap between ambition and reality sparked a shift in mindset: from a tech-first approach to a user-first approach. The evolution of France’s public services offers globally relevant insights into why we must balance online innovation with human touchpoints that support different levels of digital fluency.
Digital-only pitfalls like the digital divide (citizens without access or skills), confusing UX, and over-reliance on technology became impossible to ignore. Roughly 15% of France’s population is “digitally illiterate” as of 2023, lacking the connectivity or know-how to benefit from online tools. And even the digitally savvy can hit roadblocks – poorly designed interfaces, complex workflows, or simply the lack of a human touch when it’s needed most.
The lesson for all of us in product and service design is clear: technology alone isn’t a silver bullet. We need to design services intentionally – sometimes that means high-tech solutions, but other times a paper form or a conversation with a real person might serve users better.
The Digital-Only Trap: When Going Online Isn’t Enough
France’s push for “tout numérique” (everything digital) was well-intentioned, aiming to simplify bureaucracy. But it also revealed the risks of a default digital-only mindset. One risk is exclusion: if your service assumes every user has a smartphone, internet access, and technical skills, you’re inevitably leaving out those who don’t. For example, while two-thirds of French adults have attempted online administrative tasks, a significant 32% gave up on an e-government service due to usability issues or confusion.
Imagine the frustration behind that statistic – citizens feeling helpless, possibly “abandoned” by an impersonal digital system. This is not just a French problem; any organization that moves fast to digitize without understanding user contexts can create services that work technologically but practically fail.
Another risk is over-reliance on tech at the expense of resilience and empathy. Digital systems can go down, or users might encounter edge cases not handled by a script. In France, some early large-scale IT projects infamously collapsed despite huge budgets, precisely because they were too complex and didn’t center on user needs. The French government learned the hard way that a flashy new software isn’t helpful if it’s unusable or if it replaces existing pain points with new digital ones. This “digital-only trap” taught public designers an invaluable lesson: success isn’t measured by how advanced your technology is, but by how well the service works for real people.
Shifting to Service Design with a Human Touch
Confronted with these realities, France’s public sector began shifting from a pure “digital transformation” mindset to a broader service design mindset. Instead of asking “what technology can we deploy?”, teams started asking “what do our users actually need – and what’s the best way to deliver that?” This change in thinking led to more inclusive, blended solutions that mix online and offline channels for maximum reach and impact.
A notable initiative in France is the Conseillers Numériques program, launched in 2021 by the Agence Nationale de la Cohésion des Territoires (ANCT). As of March 27, 2025, about 4,000 consultants will be available throughout the country, working in more than 2,500 local “structures” (e.g., town halls, post offices, or community centers). Their mission is to help citizens and small businesses gain confidence in using digital tools—from completing online administrative tasks to searching for jobs or understanding how digital can support a local business. To date, they have provided more than 4.5 million digital support sessions – either one-on-one or in small-group workshops – to help people become more confident and competent online. Rather than simply introducing new digital platforms, this program emphasizes hands-on guidance to ensure that individuals can truly benefit from the e-services available.
Crucially, this service design approach doesn’t view offline support as a step backward; it sees it as part of a cohesive user experience. For someone without internet at home, a paper alternative or an in-person appointment isn’t a failure – it’s good design. By meeting users where they are, France is slowly mending the trust that may have been lost in the “everything online” era. The “human touch” (whether via a live advisor, a call center, or a well-designed guidance on a webpage) turns digital government from a cold web portal into a supportive service. The French experience underscores a universal principle: design services, not just software. Sometimes that means a website or app, but sometimes it means a person to talk to or a non-digital solution that works in tandem with digital options.
Inclusive by Default: Accessibility and Eco-Design in Public Services
Another insight from France’s journey is that if you choose a digital solution, you must design it for inclusion and sustainability. Otherwise, you risk swapping one form of exclusion for another. Two frameworks from the French public sector highlight this broader, responsible approach to digital design: RGAA for accessibility and RGESN for environmental sustainability.
Accessibility (RGAA)
France has enshrined accessibility in its digital services through the RGAA (Référentiel Général d’Accessibilité pour les Administrations). In essence, RGAA is a comprehensive set of guidelines to ensure websites and apps can be used by people with disabilities. It covers everything from providing text alternatives for images, to ensuring navigation works via keyboard, to readability for users with cognitive impairments.
Why is this noteworthy? It reflects the understanding that going digital doesn’t automatically mean everyone can use your service. A visually impaired citizen using a screen reader, or an elderly user who needs larger text, must be considered in the design phase, not as an afterthought. By mandating accessibility, France’s public services are saying: “digital for all” means all, not just the tech-savvy and able-bodied. For digital product teams, whether or not you’re bound by RGAA or similar standards (like WCAG internationally), the principle is key – bake accessibility into your definition of quality. It’s not just about compliance; accessible design often improves usability for everyone.
Sustainability (RGESN)
In recent years, France also recognized that digital services have an environmental footprint – data centers consume energy, constant device upgrades create waste, heavy websites burn bandwidth, etc. Enter the RGESN, a general framework for eco-design of digital services. France even passed a law (often called the REEN law) requiring large local authorities to define a “Responsible Digital Strategy”, which explicitly includes the eco-design of digital services. This means new government apps and websites are encouraged (or required) to be lightweight, energy-efficient, and longevity-minded. For example, designers might optimize code to make pages load faster (saving data and electricity) or avoid unnecessary high-definition videos on a public information site.
The big message: just because something is digital doesn’t mean it’s environmentally neutral. Being intentional about what we build and how we build it is part of responsible service design. Digital leaders globally can take a page from this approach by considering the sustainability of their products – not to mention that faster, leaner applications also tend to offer a better user experience, especially in areas with slow connections.
Together, accessibility and sustainability considerations broaden the definition of “success” for digital projects. It’s not just about usage metrics, but about equitable usage and minimizing unintended negative impacts. Whether you’re designing a government portal or a commercial app, thinking beyond the happy path (to those who might struggle with your service, or the downstream costs of running it) leads to more resilient, trusted solutions.
What Digital Product Teams Can Learn from Public Service Design
France’s foray into service design holds mirror up to any organization building digital products. Here are some key lessons to take away and apply in your own context:
- Don’t default to digital – default to usefulness. Before you commission that new app or automation, make sure it truly addresses a user pain point. Sometimes the best solution might be improving a paper process, adding a help dialog, or integrating with an existing tool rather than starting from scratch.
- Blend online and offline for a seamless service. The most inclusive services let users transition between digital and human assistance as needed. Provide channels for those who can’t or won’t use your digital offering. A phone hotline, a live chat, or a physical help desk can dramatically increase your reach and effectiveness.
- Measure success by user outcomes, not tech metrics. It’s not about how advanced your tech stack is, or how many features you rolled out. The question is: did it make life easier for the user? Metrics like task completion rates, drop-off rates, and user satisfaction will tell you if the service really works. High abandonment or low uptake might signal a need to rethink the approach.
- Build for trust and simplicity. Fragmented experiences erode user trust. Consider unifying platforms to reduce friction. Be transparent and secure with user data to earn confidence. And above all, keep the experience as simple as possible – complexity behind the scenes is fine, but the interface should feel easy.
- Embrace inclusive design (for accessibility, literacy, etc.). When designing, assume a wide range of abilities and circumstances. Follow accessibility best practices from the start. Use plain language to accommodate different literacy levels. Test your service with real users from diverse backgrounds – you’ll uncover issues that pure tech teams often miss.
- Think sustainably about tech. Every digital service has a cost beyond the budget. Optimize for performance not just for user experience, but for lower energy and data use. Longevity is part of good UX – users appreciate services that are reliable and don’t constantly require the latest device or endless updates.
Conclusion: Designing Services, Not Just Software
The evolution of France’s public services – from a digitization sprint to a thoughtful, inclusive service design approach – is a wake-up call to all of us building products in the digital age. The core message is universal: Technology is a means, not an end. “Going digital” is not a strategy on its own; serving your users is. Sometimes the best innovation you can offer is a simpler form, a shorter login, an empathetic help session, or a lighter footprint – not necessarily an AI-powered app or a radical new platform.
In a world enthralled by the next big tech trend, let’s remember the human side of every service. France’s public sector journey shows that even amid high-tech progress, it pays to pause and ask: Is this truly serving the user? By stepping back and designing with that question in mind, we ensure that digital innovation remains a tool for empowerment, rather than a barrier. In the end, the most impactful services are those that seamlessly blend the power of digital with the wisdom of human-centered design – because the best answer is not always digital, it’s whatever makes the experience better for everyone.
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