1. Introduction

Based on the Council of Ministers’ Resolution No. (418) of 25/07/1442 AH approving the Digital Government Authority (DGA) organization, in reference to Article (Four), Paragraphs (4) and (5) of the DGA’s mandates and functions ”Coordinate with the competent authorities to work on regulating the work of digital government, platforms, websites, digital government services, government networks, and the unified national portal, and this includes developing plans, programs, indicators and measures related to digital government work, shared digital government services”  and “Issue measurements, indicators, tools and reports; to measure the performance and capabilities of government agencies in the field of digital government and the satisfaction of the beneficiaries with it”.

As continuation of these efforts in enhancing the performance of the government entities, accelerating digital transformation, raising the quality of services provided to beneficiaries and improving their digital experience, in line with the strategic directions of the digital government, the Authority launched the DXMI 2023 for digital government platforms and services, with the aim of measuring the level of maturity of digital government platforms and services.

Purpose of the Report

This report introduces the Digital Experience Maturity Index (DXMI), its objectives, the targeted platforms in 2023, and its selection criteria. The report also presents the perspectives and themes, methodology of measurement, maturity levels, and the index stages of 2023. This report also demonstrates key observations, results of the ten highest platforms and key recommendations according to the four perspectives in the Digital Experience Maturity Index . Which are:

• Beneficiary Satisfaction.
• User Experience.
• Complaints-Handling.
• Technologies and Tools.

The report further highlights the most important achievements of the included platforms, along with the significant developments and improvements that they have accomplished with regards to Digital Experience.

2. Overview of the Index

2.1 Digital Experience

The digital experience is the entirety of the beneficiaries’ experience formed through the interactions with digital government platforms and services across all touchpoints through beneficiaries’ affairs with the government entity. The experience starts with an initial contact with the government entity, across different digital channels to deliver the service, gather the voice of the customer for opinions, complaints, and feedback, and moving forward with comprehensive analysis of the beneficiaries’ data to improve the services. 

Therefore, a mature digital experience is a seamless and intuitive one that meets the needs and objectives of the beneficiaries in such a way that leaves a positive impact on them.

Given the importance and effect of the digital experience, an annual index has been launched to measure the maturity of digital government platforms and services according to a number of main perspectives and themes. This index can serve as one of the enablers to achieve strategic directions by analysing the results and identifying the themes that may require raising their maturity and providing the recommendations to achieve that. It would also highlight the highly mature digital government platforms and services, to be considered as national success stories, and benefit from their experiences and business models.  

Providing a mature digital experience is critical, as it accelerates digital transformation, improves the quality of life of beneficiaries, raises their satisfaction and loyalty, and motivates them to use the platform's digital channels, products, and services positively.

A digital experience is centered around key elements such as:

• The design that enables users to easily navigate find information and enjoy the overall functionality of a digital platform or service, leading to easily complete their tasks and achieve their goals.
• The digital experience must be adaptive to the user’s preferences and needs and usable by all user’s categories.
• Effective response to complaints, hearing beneficiaries, and engaging beneficiaries in stages of design and continuous improvement of the digital experience.

It is important to measure the level of digital experience maturity of platforms, especially priority platforms, so that government agencies can determine the current baseline, set the future state of the intended digital experience, and then draft a roadmap to improve the digital experience of their platforms and achieve the desired goals.

2.2 Digital Experience Maturity Index for Digital Services

To support the digital transformation process and to meet the users’ needs and boost their satisfaction, as well as to accelerate the improvement of digital government platforms and service delivery, the Authority has developed the Digital Experience Maturity Index for Government Services (DXMI) to measure the maturity of the digital experience of the digital governmental platforms and services.

The DXMI is an annual index that measures maturity of digital government platforms and services through several quantitative and qualitative perspectives. In conforming with modern trends of digital experience and meeting the evolving needs and aspirations of beneficiaries, these perspectives are updated in each assessment cycle as needed in accordance with the latest international standards of experiences and practices as well as strategic directions of the digital government, to promote sharing of success stories and benefits.
 

2.3 Digital Experience Maturity Index for Digital Services Objectives

Through the DXMI, the DGA seeks to achieve several objectives, including:

• Keeping pace with the National Digital Government Strategic Directions.
• Raising the maturity of digital government platforms and services.
• Enhancing the digital experience of beneficiaries and improving their satisfaction.
• Establishing maturity measurement practices based on international standards.
• Accelerating the digital transformation of digital government platforms and services.
• Benefiting from digital government platforms and services  with high maturity to set as national models.

The DXMI contributes to several national targets that are part of the National Digital Government Strategic Directions. The DXMI creates a positive impact on the digital transformation journey in the Kingdom, through:

1. Quality of Life
   Improve quality of life of individuals by providing efficient digital government services.
2. Beneficiary Satisfaction
   Increase beneficiary satisfaction with digital government services.
3. Doing Business
   Contribute to enhancing competitiveness and facilitating doing business.
4. Community Engagement
   Improve beneficiary participation in public decision-making and digital government services design
5. Digital International and Competitive indexes
   Rank in top positions in the most prominent international indexes related to digital government
6. Government Digital Transformation
   Improve performance of government agencies, promote transformation of government services, and improve decision-making.

3. Methodology of the Index

The preparation of the DXMI began in its 2nd  cycle by developing the methodology used in the previous cycle, to include more comprehensive perspectives and themes covering several aspects, in addition to the measuring mechanisms, and determining the platform selection criteria. The DXMI in its 2023 cycle consists of (24) digital platforms and focuses on(4) perspectives that include (19) themes. The improved (4) perspectives are expected to help in enhancing the digital experience, improving beneficiary satisfaction, and stimulating the use of digital technologies and tools.

3.1 Improvement and Development Methodology for the Index

In compliance with the National Digital Government Strategic Directions, gradually achievement of its objectives, and focusing on the standards playing fundamental role in international indicators and Kingdom Classification, the Authority developed the DXMI, expand its coverage, and improved perspectives via a scientific methodology and organized via Search and improvement as follows:

1. International Indicators
   Studying international indicators and their sub-standards, such as: The United Nations, the World Bank, and the ESCWA.
2. Review Researches and Practices
   Studying perspectives, themes, and standards of best practices and results of local and international researches.
3. Alignment and Comparison
   Alignment with international indicators, best practices, and research results, and comparison with the current DXMI.
4. New Standards Determination
   Determine the list of standards in international indicators, best practices, and research results that are not included in the previous standards of the DXMI.
5. Improve the DXMI Methodology
   Improving and updating the perspectives, themes, and criteria of the DXMI Methodology.
6. Develop DXMI Mechanism
   Developing the DXMI constituents including assessment methodology.

3.1.1 Major improvements to the Index

• Adding a new perspective (Technologies and Tools).
• Adding a new theme (Participation) to the Beneficiary Satisfaction Perspective.
• Adding a new theme (Customization) to the User Experience Perspective.
• Adding a new theme (Development and Improvement) to the Complaints-Handling Perspective.
• Developing the sub-criteria for the various themes.
• Developing the measurement mechanisms in all perspectives.

3.2 Selection Criteria for Platforms included in the Index

(24) platforms were selected in the second cycle based on the following criteria:

• Diversity of sectors served by the platform.
• Impact of the platform in international indexes.
• Importance of the platform to the sector it serves.
• Volume of services and operations on the platform.
• Number of beneficiaries of the platform and their diversity.
• Maturity of the government agency and its readiness for digital transformation.

3.3 Platforms included in the Index

The 2023 cycle includes (24) priority platforms selected based on platform selection criteria mentioned previously, namely:

3.4 Key Perspectives and Themes of the Index

This cycle of the DXMI focuses on (4) perspectives containing (19) themes.

For more information: Check the digital version.