What’s Next for Digital Government? Reflections from Think Digital Government 2025

By Amanda Payne, Government Services Director, GAIN Experience 

At Think Digital Government 2025, one question cut through almost every conversation for me: “How do we keep trust at the centre of public services while accelerating digital transformation?” 

As I moved between sessions, panels and conversations, it became clear that we are entering a new phase of transformation. Technology continues to evolve at pace, but culture, collaboration and clarity of purpose need to become the real drivers of change. The day reaffirmed a belief I hold strongly: digital transformation in government is not something that happens to people. It’s something that must be shaped with them, as early as possible. 

These were the themes that stood out most. 

Digital transformation must begin at the policy stage

A consistent message throughout the event, and something I see across many organisations, is the gap between policy intent and service delivery. Too often, delivery and service design teams are brought in after key decisions have already been made. At that point, the space for experimentation, user research or practical problem-solving becomes limited.

If we want to create services that genuinely work for the public, digital, data and design expertise need to be part of policymaking from the very beginning. When policy, service design and delivery form a single conversation rather than three separate stages, it becomes easier to test assumptions, identify real user needs and align goals across teams. It also drastically reduces the risk of costly rework later because the teams are collectively considering the impact of the policy implementation.

Embedding digital thinking at the policy stage isn’t about prioritising technology. It’s about grounding decisions in evidence and outcomes, rather than assumptions and tradition. 

We need a shared understanding of what service design actually means

The role of service design came up repeatedly, yet the maturity and role of service design differs widely across teams and organisations. That variation slows down progress and makes it harder to scale good practice across government.

Over the course of the day, many leaders told me they want a shared language and clearer expectations around service design. Without that clarity, digital teams and policy teams often believe they’re aligned. Even when they’re working toward different goals.

Therefore, it’s important that service design is seen as a whole-system discipline rather than a stage in a project, it becomes easier for teams to collaborate and stay focused on the full end-to-end experience a user has with a service. Not just one touchpoint.

A clearer and more consistent definition of service design across government would remove one of the biggest barriers to meaningful transformation.

Collaboration across departments is becoming essential, not optional

Cross-government collaboration was another strong theme. While collaboration has always been encouraged, speakers and delegates spoke openly about the real barriers that still get in the way: siloed funding, conflicting priorities, and pressures that make shared ownership difficult. 

Despite these challenges, I sensed real optimism. There was a real sense of how quickly progress can accelerate when teams solve problems jointly instead of passing them between departments. When organisations focus on collective outcomes rather than boundaries, the work becomes clearer and faster.

If we want joined-up services, then we need joined-up ways of working. The conversations at the event made me feel that more public sector organisations are ready to make that shift. 

AI in government is only valuable when we ask the right questions

To no surprise, AI dominated much of the discussion. But the most meaningful conversations went beyond tools and focused on intent. For me, the value of AI hinges on the quality of the problems we choose to address and the clarity of the outcomes we hope to achieve.

AI can automate processes, inform decisions and personalise services. But none of that matters unless we start with a clear understanding of user needs. It also MUST be used in ways that are transparent, ethical and inclusive.

What stood out to me is that AI should never replace human-centred design. It should support it. Successful AI requires experimentation, evidence and continuous learning. It requires teams to ask thoughtful, sometimes uncomfortable questions about where AI adds value and where it doesn’t.

The conversation is finally shifting from adopting AI because we can, to using AI where it genuinely improves outcomes for people. That shift is both necessary and overdue.

Trust must be treated as a core part of digital transformation 

During the panel, I asked: “How do we keep building trust in public services? How do we keep the human at the centre of all the decisions that we’re making?” 

Trust emerged as one of the strongest themes of the day. It isn’t a soft concept. It’s the foundation that makes digital government possible. 

People trust services when they are simple, predictable and transparent. They trust them when their data is used responsibly. They trust them when decisions feel fair and understandable.

Trust grows when services reflect real user needs. It grows when people can complete a full journey without unnecessary friction. It grows when technology enhances the experience rather than complicating it.

Trust MUST be designed into every stage of digital transformation. Without it, innovation cannot scale. 

The shift from outputs to outcomes is accelerating

One of the most encouraging trends I heard was a renewed focus on outcomes over outputs. Leaders spoke less about individual features or milestones and more about whether services actually help people achieve their goals. 

This shift matters. When outcomes guide the work, teams can focus on the whole service rather than isolated components. It becomes easier to prioritise what is essential, remove complexity and measure progress meaningfully.

Outcome-based thinking is becoming the anchor for the next phase of digital government. It will help align teams around user needs and support change that has lasting impact.

Where we go next 

Think Digital Government 2025 made one thing very clear for me: the future of digital government will be shaped by people, not technology. 

The public sector already has the expertise, insight and commitment needed to deliver better services. What we need now is stronger collaboration, clearer service ownership, earlier alignment between policy and delivery, and a more thoughtful approach to emerging technologies like AI. 

Above all, we need to stay focused on trust, outcomes and human-centred design. If we keep designing with the people who rely on public services every day, we can build services that are genuinely supportive, accessible and equitable. 

That is the future we should aim for. And after the conversations at this year’s event, it feels more possible than ever.