Re-design of Altinn

Together with designers Fossland + Foss and illustrators byHands, the Brønnøysund Register Center, who manages Altinn, has therefore carried out a comprehensive design process over many years to change a complex system to a more user-friendly service.

Creating a more intuitive experience

At first, most people will notice new light-hearted and colourful illustrations, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. The designers had to look at the entire user journey, from the visual encounter to the physical interaction, tidying up the structure underneath.

Limited by security and privacy issues, in addition to the sophisticated technical solutions underlying it, the project was never about developing brand new technology or innovative design. The re-design of Altinn has mostly been about making the experience more seamless and intuitive and giving the government a friendlier face.

Altinn started the digitisation of Norwegian public services early and saved Norwegian society an estimated 1 billion euro in 2018. Well-functioning public services are essential for people's trust in the authorities. In that sense, the re-designed by Altinn is more than a simplification of the user journey - it is also a project that goes right to the heart of what a modern democracy should offer its citizens.

In eternal beta

A lot of great work has been done, but Altinn is still a very complex service, which needs to eternally develop - much like Google's dogma of being in a kind of eternal beta version where improvements are made continuously. Altinn has built up a strong internal UX team that is working hard to make changes and management that gives the designers room to work deeply with insight and different approaches. Together with the designers, the Brønnøysund Register Centre has created a strong foundation and a visual profile which can be developed further over time.

The re-design of Altinn won the DOGA Award in January 2019 you can read the jury’s comments here