2021: Digital, stronger together
Editor’s Note: As 2021 comes to a close, in honour of a strong, borderless digital community that spans ministries, communities and levels of government, we asked the people working in digital, data and tech across the province to look back on the year that was, and share their experiences serving the public during a time of ongoing change. These are their reflections, in their own words.
If 2020 gave new meaning to the word “unprecedented,” 2021 was all about resilience through collaboration.
Together, across teams, ministries, sectors, levels of governments and places, digital practitioners joined up to do what they do best: solve human challenges quickly, effectively and collectively using tech, design and data tools.
Here at home in Ontario, the public service showed the best of its abilities during the ongoing global pandemic. Digital approaches, online options and open data were central to supporting people, businesses and communities throughout 2021.
In particular, data has helped thousands of families and organizations navigate a challenging time, and digital tools have connected people and businesses to the vital services they depend on. Kudos to all of the passionate and talented public servants who persevered, amid personal life circumstances of their own, to serve the public good.
For us, our digital mission was revived this year with the introduction of Ontario’s first Associate Minister of Digital Government, Kaleed Rasheed. Minister Rasheed has been a major champion from day one, embracing the digital ethos of simpler, faster, and better. His leadership at the Cabinet table helped create a strong expectation for modern digital services, such as the province’s Verify Ontario app, which helps organizations quickly and easily confirm that visitors are vaccinated at the door.
The Verify Ontario app demonstrates what’s possible when small, multidisciplinary teams are empowered to work together with ministry partners, privacy experts and industry to meet the end user’s needs — in days and weeks, not months and years. And though the app is just one of many user-centred digital services that were launched this year, it is a stand-out example of the impact we can have when we work together to put people at the centre of delivery.
Digital teams are stronger when we work together. So, as we reflect on another unique year, I’m grateful for the many opportunities that we’ve had to join with changemakers across communities to better understand user needs through research, sketch out new services, design real-time data platforms, release code that helps people, and continuously improve the experience of government, with a specific focus on security, privacy and accessibility from the start.
Here’s to more digital, together in 2022 and beyond!
-Hillary Hartley, CDDO
The numbers at a glance
Data, data, data
- 889 open datasets available at data.ontario.ca
- 40+ COVID specific data sets released
- 250+ dashboards created to support the province in responding to COVID
COVID tools
- 6.8M downloads since launch in July 2020 of the COVID Alert App
- 1.7M downloads and 13M QR code scans since Oct 2021 of the Verify Ontario App
- 12.5M Covid-19 Vaccine ‘Get Proof’ results generated and 49M Covid-19 Vaccine ‘Eligibility Checks’ completed
- 58M COVID screenings and assessments completed on Ontario.ca, including:
- 8.6M COVID-19 online self-assessments completed
- 26.5M COVID-19 online school screenings completed
- 15.4 M COVID-19 worker and employee screenings completed
- 6.7M COVID-19 customer screenings completed
- 995K COVID-19 online courthouse screenings completed
Ontario.ca metrics
- 146M site visits to Ontario.ca
- 194M site visits to covid-19.ontario.ca
- New publishing platform launched on Feb 28th
- 20 major releases to production since Feb 28th
- 26 ministries migrated to new platform
- 15K+ pieces of content migrated to new platform
- 1K+ issues resolved
- 700+ branches (which are a series of commits) merged into code bases
- 1.7K+ commits (which are individual changes to a file or set of files) merged into code bases
- 1K+ files changed
- 40K+ lines of code added or changed
Putting users first
- 35 prototyping projects
- 250+ user research sessions
- 142 Digital First Assessments to help public service teams design great online services
Training, virtually
- 90+ learning events delivered in the form of Ask-Me-Anything sessions, workshops and symposiums.
- 20K+ learners signed up for our events
- 12K+ learners completed training with us
- 1K+ learners were leaders, who registered and/or completed the Discover Digital for Leaders (DD4L)
- 1K+ learners reached through our IAmA Digital … series
- 1.3K+ learners reached through the Equity and Fairness: Anti-Racism in digital government micro-course
Looking back on 2021, what moments stand out?
When it comes to Verify Ontario, the launch was a set of firsts for us: the first app we’ve launched in the App Store, first of many iterative releases to support the proof-of-vaccination program, and the push behind the first in-person usability tests since the pandemic began last year. First App Store/Play Store #1 too! Over 1.5 million downloads and over 10 million scans, just weeks after launch. With incredible, thoughtful contributions from dozens of folks in all areas of government, the app’s success was a testament to the level of care the ODS brings forward for every piece of work. — Joel Schellenberger, Senior UX Designer
The dashboard team has been proud to support the health and safety of the people of Ontario during the COVID-19 pandemic by ensuring decision-makers at Cabinet Office (CO) and around the Central Coordination Table (CCT) have access to the best available data and context on a daily basis.
Over the course of the year, our team worked daily with 13 data partners to produce over 250 dashboards that support the timely and accurate flow of over 40 pandemic-related datasets to inform pandemic response and recovery discussions at CCT.
Our colleague David Wai, former ADM at CO summarized the impact of our team’s work best: “CCT Dashboard was a critical resource in the government’s response by providing an up-to-date, consistent, concise summary of the COVID-19 pandemic situation. It enabled decision-makers to quickly identify developing areas of concern and those requiring government action”. — Antonio Brieva, Senior Policy Advisor, on behalf of the CCT dashboard team
I’m deeply proud of the policy team, which has been literally running a marathon since I joined this summer. They brought together stakeholders to hear their vision for a provincial Data Authority, held focus groups to inform the design of digital policy initiatives and continue to engage our ministry partners to build a product where government data can be used to enhance communities across Ontario. And, this was only their work on one file!- Thana Dharmarajah, Senior Policy Advisor on behalf of the Policy Chapter
My highlight the past 6 monthes has been co-chairing the People Board with Diana Hilton, which has been very rewarding. People Board is unique to government: it is a staff-led, culturally focused, elected group of people from across the ODS who, among other things, hold space for informal conversations for staff and managers to discuss anything on their mind, or topics related to digital and organizational culture. It’s been a joy to work with the outstanding PB members, to lead discussions unique to government, and to work with and hear from ODS’ tremendously talented staff across chapters. I’m proud that our work has resonated with many people, and I look forward to continuing this work next term. — Shira Honig, Co-Chair, People Board and Senior Policy Advisor
Working with Google Canada to provide key data that enables accurate COVID test and vaccination locations to appear on Google maps was significant and rewarding work. — Senior Product Manager, Chris Bell
User research sessions: they are always so insightful and inspire good reflection about why something is the way it is. Sometimes they’re also situationally funny when participants are blunt and articulate. — Sharon Lam, Senior UX Designer
What stands out? Having over 20,000 learners sign up for our 90+ learning events over the year! Working with a team of faculty facilitators to deliver over 30+ Discover Digital for Leaders courses to over 1,000 registered participants! The ODS makes it all possible by fostering a culture where everyone belongs and everyone is willing to help and cooperate to make things happen. — Nadine F. Lacelle, Senior Policy Advisor (aka Culture and Learning Influencer)
I hosted 19 bi-weekly content design drop-ins between February and December of 2021. I did my little part to teach people that content design is a discipline and that they can apply it to their work too. — Bridget, Team Lead of Content
Including co-op students, interns, and new hires, the ODS welcomed almost 150 new people to the organization in 2021. The Talent team worked hard to on-board and welcome all our new members of the ODS and get them settled into their new roles. — Sameer Vasta
The opportunity to help transition Ontario.ca from Drupal 7 to Drupal 9 was a big learning experience. The ODS fostered an environment of collectivism, co-creation, sharing ideas and making impact. — Alireza Tayari, Software Developer
We formed a dedicated Finance and Operations team, led by a Manager. This included creating a fully remote onboarding and offboarding process, successfully obtaining approvals for additional funding and Full-time roles to help support key initiatives and grow the organization. We look forward to the growth of the FinOps team and transitioning from a fully remote to a hybrid working model. — Finance and Operations team
The job of a content designer was crucial, especially in the early days of COVID-19. Public health messaging needed to be clear, concise, and helpful. We really think about the words and how they will be read. People were stressed, scared about an unknown virus spreading rapidly, and trying to navigate new societal rules. We needed to help them. Often the way that regulations and policies are written are not meant for a wider, “general” audience. Especially not for people going through a self-assessment to see whether or not they should get a COVID-19 test. I, along with my product team, was vigilant and constantly fighting for usability and human-centred design. — David De Medicis, Senior Content Designer (COVID-19 tools)
What are you most looking forward to in 2022+?
Notify was launched in March 2021 as a private Beta and since then it has sent more than 1.5 million messages. It is the only product within OPS which provides three channels of communications (emails, SMS and automated voice calls) in a single platform. Notify is the enabler for ServiceOntario’s paper renewal notice elimination by providing digital communication options. The team is looking forward to establishing Notify as an Enterprise Service so that any OPS Ministry can send digital communications to the public. — Susmita Roy, Senior Product Manager
I joined ODS late July 2021, and since then I have been on an exhilarating rollercoaster ride! From the release of the Tech stack to the launch of the Verify App, I am proud to be a part of a dynamic group of people that not only cares about putting out excellent products for Ontarians, but treats their colleagues with genuine respect and camaraderie! Can’t wait to see what 2022 holds for ODS. — Tsering Zongdho, Senior Communications Consultant, Engagement
The design system team is now building web components to improve the experience for developers and make the design system even easier to adopt. We look forward to having the design system become an official standard! Stay tuned! — Sandra Gornall, Product Manager, Ontario Design System
This was an exciting year to be in the digital space. With the government committed to making Ontario the most advanced digital jurisdiction in the world, the Digital Maturity Team was tasked with finding ways to help kickstart that goal. In total, over 280 senior executives from across all 23 ministries and 8 IT clusters were engaged in honest conversations around what it would take to start making that dream a reality. This work was an exciting milestone for the province; never before had an enterprise wide assessment of digital maturity been conducted, nor had ministries worked so closely together to advance a common digital vision. — Digital Maturity Team
I am beyond proud of our content chapter. Of note, too, was adding an in-house French translator to the mix. This was a new thing for 2021, to support our commitment to designing great digital content for Francophones across Ontario, especially during the pandemic.— Moira, Manager, Content for ODS
In 2021, the Digital Identity program…
Roared to life, working louder than Ontario’s ever seen. We launched a public web presence to help stakeholders understand what we’re doing and how they can get involved. We broke down borders, working with other governments and technology leaders to increase transparency and make way for interoperability and innovation both nationally and internationally
Set the standard. We established a notable presence within the broader tech communities to become a key player in shaping the technology standards that will allow us to operate at internet scale — securely, reliably, at high volumes, and globally
Struck up multiple vendor and cross-ministry partnerships, to build teams that will help us implement foundational products.
All this in just 12 months. Just imagine what 2022 will bring!
— Jo-Anna D’Silva, Senior Product Manager on behalf of the Digital Identity Team
