Simplifying Commercial Agents licences through a single digital front door
Delivering a solution that works: Thumbs up sentiments, reduced opex and straight through processing
Key value added to customers: | Key value added to Fair Trading: |
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Increasing understanding with information architecture
I completed information architecture to branch off the form questions, defining when it will be visible once triggered by another question. This made the form more approachable to customers entering the form, encouraging completion and reducing the bounce rate. It applied stronger logic to the questions to triage customers and ensured Fair Trading did not excessively collect personal data. This created a more distinct structure for the service by asking relevant questions at more relevant times, rather than the less linear past structure. It also enabled customers to see how far through the process they were to self-manage the form.
Service Design for scale: Ensuring reusability for the Public Sector
Clarity Through Change by Leading A Shift from Custom to Reusable Systems
The Program that the Commercial Agents project was a part of changed directions towards the end of this project. It shifted from bespoke, customsied solutions which is exemplified in this case study, to creating ‘core’ transactions to maximise value across the Public Sector and reduce the budget of the Program.
I completed the Mutual Recognition design based on Commercial Agents which delivers value for inter-state Australians, who want to use their credential in NSW without undergoing the licence application again, while working compliantly in this jurisdiction.Then to scale it up, I completed an audit of all Mutual Recognition transactions in scope for the Program at the time, to discern what is a unique requirement. By the end, I had identified touchpoints for configuration and listed the most common examples used in NSW. This sub-process service design was utilised as the foundation for other licencing schemes going forward, delivering value across industries and standardising the experience for citizens. This fed into the changing product strategy of the Program and highlighted the new approach to be used in the future by other designers.
Successfully launching the transaction to a new system and looking ahead
The first transaction launched was for individual new application. This process was repeated for both the individual and corporations for apply, renew, cancel, change of organisational details and change of personal details. No major issues were reported during or after hyper-care and the Commercial Agents licence scheme transitioned to BAU.
The Commercial Agents scheme was fully onboarded onto the new platform. This signaled a major uplift for Fair Trading and citizens alike for a service that is designed to be accessible and easier to understand with faster processing and handling times.
A new system for a new way of licencing by simplifying complexity
This project transformed one of NSW’s most complex licensing services from a fragmented, paper-based process into a streamlined digital experience. What was once a 14-page form requiring in-person lodgement became a single, guided online application. This delivered significant improvements for Fair Trading while reducing friction for applicants.
By leading the design of the first Commercial Agents transaction to go live in the new platform, I helped establish a foundation for how complex regulatory services could be delivered digitally. The solution balanced strict compliance requirements with usability to shorten processing times.
As the program evolved, the Mutual Recognition transaction I designed was adopted as a core pattern, extending the impact of this work beyond a single service to every type of that transaction for every licence in NSW.
