CDS is a cross-functional team within the Governor’s Office of Information Technology, charged with implementing the state’s strategic plan for digital government. The plan was created in September 2022 to offer a road map to improved digital service delivery. The state made progress under former CIO Anthony Neal-Graves, and current CIO David Edinger is continuing to advance digital government.
According to CDS Director Sarah Tuneberg, who has led the team since July, they are launching a multiyear set of initiatives under the strategic plan, starting with three items to offer Coloradans a fast, secure and personalized digital experience: a unified digital ID, a community codesign practice, and a reimagined web presence for colorado.gov. Tuneberg had previously served as the state’s innovation response team director, and as its senior adviser for COVID-19 pandemic response. In that position, she worked with the CDS team as a customer, giving her a unique perspective on its potential for positive impact.
Concerning digital IDs, officials aim to help improve what can be a cumbersome experience accessing services, one often involving multiple usernames and passwords. This can be especially complex for constituents with a disability or those experiencing homelessness, Tuneberg noted. Requiring multiple usernames can create barriers to accessing lifesaving services, and a unified digital ID can make the process simpler and more secure. Making the identity validation process more secure can also reduce fraud, saving taxpayers money.
The second initiative, launching a community codesign practice, looks to highlight the best practice of designing technology solutions in collaboration with their end users. Here, CDS will leverage existing user panels around the state to hear from residents. This will enable participants to be compensated for their time and insight — especially valuable to those experiencing poverty and for whom the time commitment could pose a significant burden.
Finally, the reimagined colorado.gov experience aims to improve interactions with digital government. According to Tuneberg, this includes something the CDS team is calling “life stage navigation,” offering a personalized experience by which people can more easily find services for which they may be eligible. This initiative acts as a counterpart to the ongoing work with myColorado, the state’s mobile app. As Tuneberg explained, the state is strategically determining which services are best suited for a web experience and which are best suited for a mobile experience. For example, services requiring a secure digital ID that exists in a smartphone wallet app will work effectively in MyColorado; a service that requires having multiple tabs open may be more effective for a web browser.
These three projects complement one another, according to Tuneberg, offering a secure and simple web experience with a unified digital identity to better serve Coloradans. The codesign piece is intended to tie it together by ensuring the state is building solutions people want and need.
In addition to enacting the strategic plan, CDS will continue working with state agencies to create technology-powered solutions.
“We think of ourselves as capacity builders and partners in the work,” Tuneberg said, underlining that CDS and the teams that make up CDS work with agencies in different ways, addressing both short- and long-term goals to meet agencies' unique needs. The strategic plan builds on CDS' work to help the state better serve Coloradans through cross-agency support.
The ultimate goal is to offer constituents a simple, secure and fast experience with digital government that incorporates an element of personalization.
