BC Ministry of Citizens' Services
Optimize or Overhaul? How Forge Saved GDX from the Wrong Answer
The Government Digital Experience Division relied on an internally built billing and agreements tracking tool that had grown from a side project into a mission-critical system - without ever going through a formal design process. Before investing in a rebuild, GDX needed an honest answer: was the tool actually working, or just better than the spreadsheet it replaced? Forge was given three months to find out.
Impact & Outcomes
30% reduction in task completion times following implementation of Forge's recommendations. Delivered a prioritized, phased development roadmap within three months. Internal teams trained in UX best practices and user research, building capacity for ongoing improvement. GDX avoided costly over-engineering by focusing only on high-ROI improvements.
Challenge
The tool was widely used - but widespread use masked real problems. A heuristic review revealed poor navigation, convoluted workflows, and a reporting system that created more friction than it resolved. The tool wasn't well-designed; it was simply the only option available. The question wasn't how to fix it - it was whether to fix it at all, and if so, where to start. Budget was limited and the wrong investment would have compounded existing inefficiencies.
Approach
Forge began with an expert heuristic review to document usability gaps without the bias of user familiarity. Six in-depth usability studies with core users followed, identifying specific failure points in account management and report generation. When stakeholder sessions revealed significant inconsistency in what different users and managers actually needed from the tool, Forge pivoted - stepping back from feature-level decisions to facilitate a structured co-creation session focused on generating and evaluating solution concepts from first principles. This reset aligned the team around a shared direction before prioritization began, ensuring the roadmap reflected genuine consensus rather than the loudest voices in the room.
Delivery
A prioritized, phased development roadmap with clear implementation guidance. Navigation and workflow improvements that reduced task completion times by 30%. A feature set ranked by user impact and feasibility, focused on high-ROI changes. Mentorship for key internal hires on usability testing and human-centred design principles - leaving GDX equipped to continue improving the tool independently.
