Michigan has been named the top U.S. state for overall digital government experience

The state of Michigan has taken the top spot in the national Government Experience Awards, announced Wednesday by the Center for Digital Government. The first-place finish recognizes Michigan’s long-standing work of enhancing online government services and improving overall user experience for Michiganders by utilizing mobile applications, websites, and social media.

“The state of Michigan is honored to be named a leader for overall government experience,” stated, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II. “This recognition is a testament to the hard work and professionalism of our state workforce and service providers, as well as our commitment to make government more accessible for our residents, businesses, and visitors.

“Our work to provide friendly, easy-to-use websites, applications, and digital services is helping Michiganders find the information they need, when they need it the most,” added Brom Stibitz, DTMB director and state chief information officer. “Creating the best digital experience in the country has been a top priority for us, so our entire team is ecstatic to be recognized with the highest honor this year. The recognition from such a respected organization really solidifies Michigan’s standing in providing innovative digital government services.”

In recent years, DTMB has undertaken a monumental effort to align experiences and branding for state websites, applications, and social media under a unified, ‘One State, One Brand’
initiative. By aligning user experiences, Michigan is creating seamless interactions as citizens engage with government across multiple digital platforms and services.

“Understanding user needs and designing services that meet those needs are at the heart of our work,” stated Suzanne Pauley, eMichigan director with DTMB. “Our efforts around digital accessibility, designing content as a service, and strengthening Michigan’s One State, One Brand initiative challenge and push us to design better and more effective experiences for our users.”

Using human centered design, DTMB and state agencies have been working to implement the branding modernization project, update outdated technology through a website replacement project, expand Michigan’s MiLogin single sign on services, and strengthen the state’s centralized social media strategy and digital accessibility best practices.

With more than 38 million users visiting state websites each month and a social media program reaching over 7 million users per day, Michigan government is committed to connect with and meet the needs of the people who live, work, visit, and do business in Michigan.

“Our work centers around customer service and serving users where they are,” Pauley added. “Through our responsive cloud and mobile-first digital strategies we are making content and services more accessible on the go. Users can interact with their government on the device of their preference, anywhere, at any time.”

Noting Michigan’s focus on customer service, last year, for the sixth straight time, the Center for Digital Government recognized Michigan with a grade of “A” for its utilization of technology to enhance customer service. The announcement was part of the center’s sixth biennial Digital States Survey, an evaluation of technology practices of all 50 states.

To learn more about the state of Michigan, visit Michigan.gov or follow Michigan government on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.