Corrections Victoria plays a crucial role in upholding the criminal justice system, and maintaining responsibility for the rehabilitation, custody and reprimand of offenders in Victoria.
In an effort to improve efficiency in the workplace, Corrections Victoria are currently undergoing a service reform initiative, redressing internal processes and existing systems. One such reform is focussed on improving the efficiency of their dedicated staff members.
Portable collaborated with Corrections Victoria with the goal of improving existing internal processes and removing inefficiencies, inaccuracies and duplications of offender details. With clear objectives, and a completely user centred approach, we successfully prototyped a digital platform and an innovative central smart-form that pre-populated forms to improve the work experience of Corrections Victoria staff.
"We waste a lot paper in corrections, I'd love to see an electronic file system but I don't think that's going to happen in my time here."
We were entrusted by Corrections Victoria with addressing and improving the efficiency of their internal documentation framework, with the aim of enabling the primary focus of their staff to remain on rehabilitating offenders. This invited a number of unique, exciting opportunities.
We accessed multiple locations for user testing to cultivate the collective expertise of Corrections Victoria staff in order to find a superior solution. Inengaging the staff, both experienced and new, of three diverse Corrections Victoria offices we leveraged their divergent experiences and knowledge.
Facing the workflow problems outlined by management, we explored various solution possibilities. Ultimately, we engaged the expertise of the people who would be utilising the new platform and tools, and with their help successfully co-designed a solution.
Addressing the internal issues often prevalent in large scale organisations, our method of collaboration with staff members allowed us to facilitate the successful workshopping and brainstorming of ideas. With the right support, staff members were an invaluable resource in the co-designing process.
Portable focussed on a user centric approach, working closely with the Corrections Victoria staff to pin-point the core issues within the existing framework, and the desired outcomes for the new processing system.
- To deepen our understanding of the current gaps in the system, we utilised the collective knowledge of Corrections Victoria staff members to understand their current workflow practices and techniques. This revealed that the current form process was ineffective, and those dealing directly with criminal offenders were burdened with the most forms. We refocussed on alleviating these issues by engaging the staff members to co-design an effective digital portal and smart-form.
- Working with Corrections Victoria staff through interviews, surveys and workshops, we developed four consecutive prototypes of design. Each prototype was returned to the staff to be tested, and their feedback shaped how we proceeded in the design process. The final product is the result of extensive research and the valued feedback of the staff members.
- The focus on a digital platform was accompanied by the development of a complementary smart-form, developed in accordance with form best practice. This followed the revelation that many staff members were duplicating information across various forms. Through our work with Corrections Victoria, we were able to alleviate certain overhead administrative duties, allowing staff to focus their time on the offenders themselves.
Outcomes and benefits:
- A digital prototype that simplifies the process of filling out forms by Corrections Victoria staff members.
- A prototype best practice smart-form, simultaneously accessible by multiple staff members that is capable of pre-populating relevant forms.
- Improved processes among Corrections Victoria staff members, which allows them to dedicate more time to the rehabilitation of offenders, and less time on administrative overhead duties.
We prototyped and re-designed one of Correction Victoria’s most complex forms, delighting users with its clean interface. In the process, we co-designed a portal prototype to house the smart-forms and the day-to-day resources of staff. Finally, we uncovered several opportunities to optimise how staff navigate shared resources, helping Corrections Victoria to develop an effective digital roadmap.
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