Permits and Supervision – Designing a Unified National Service

Overview

A Finnish government agency set out to merge multiple permit and supervision systems into one unified national service. The aim was to create a clearer, more consistent experience for citizens, companies and authorities involved in permit processes.

I worked as a UX & Service Designer and Project Coordinator, bridging policy, design and technology. My work focused on coordinating the design process, conducting research, and co-creating a service concept and prototype that would make the entire process easier to understand and manage.

Challenge

The existing permit systems were fragmented across several organisations, each with its own tools, workflows and interpretations of legislation. Citizens and companies faced unclear processes, duplicate data entry and inconsistent communication between authorities.

Internally, teams lacked a shared understanding of user needs or a unified vision of what the future digital service should look like.

The challenge was to design a coherent end-to-end service that would:

• Simplify interactions between citizens and authorities

• Create a consistent and transparent process

• Align multiple organisations under a shared operating model

Approach

Research & Discovery – Led and coordinated user and expert interviews to understand how permit processes differ across organisations.

Co-Design & Alignment – Facilitated cross-organisation workshops to align goals, define core principles and build a shared understanding.

User Flow Design – Mapped and designed the new user flow for the entire permit process, simplifying interactions between citizens and authorities.

Service Concept Development – Developed the unified service concept that connects policy, design and technology under one clear framework.

Testing & Refinement – Validated the concept through feedback sessions and expert reviews, refining content and communication for national implementation.

Outcome

• A shared concept and prototype that formed the foundation for the new national service.

• Improved cross-organisation collaboration, with a clear visual model of user journeys and service ownership.

• Better communication tools that made a complex change easier to explain internally and externally.

The project demonstrated how design can serve as both a strategic tool and a bridge between policy, technology and human experience.

Impact & Reflection

This project reinforced my belief that clarity is a form of care. By making legal and bureaucratic processes more understandable, design can directly improve how citizens experience public services and how institutions deliver them. It also strengthened my skills in facilitating across sectors where many voices, needs and priorities must align.