Treasury General of the Republic of Chile Portal Redesign
Project Overview
The Treasury General of the Republic of Chile (TGR) commissioned a comprehensive redesign of their Municipal Portal, a critical platform used by municipal officials across the country to access payment information, process transactions, and communicate with the Treasury. Our team completely rethought the user experience to address significant usability issues, enhance accessibility, and consolidate fragmented information systems.
Challenges
Through extensive research with municipal officials and regional treasurers, we identified several critical challenges:
- Fragmented Information: Payment data was scattered across different sections of the site (public news area and password-protected section)
- Lack of Payment Detail: Municipal officials struggled to identify the purpose of received payments
- Poor Communication Channels: Users had difficulty contacting TGR when questions arose
- Absence of Notifications: No system to alert users about upcoming payments
- Accessibility Issues: The portal's accessibility fell short of WCAG 2.1 standards
- Complex Authentication: Shared municipal credentials created security and management issues
Process
Our approach followed a user-centered methodology divided into two key phases:
Phase 1: Research and Analysis
We conducted:
- Stakeholder Workshop: With TGR representatives to understand business goals and priorities
- User Interviews: With municipal officials and regional treasurers across Chile to identify pain points and needs
- Current Flow Analysis: Detailed examination of existing portal workflows
- Expert UX Analysis: Heuristic evaluation to identify usability issues
- Accessibility Evaluation: Assessment of WCAG 2.1 compliance
- Competitive Benchmark: Evaluation of leading financial platforms and government portals
- User Journey Mapping: Creating a visual representation of the current user experience
Phase 2: Design and Testing
Based on our research insights, we developed:
- User Personas: Focusing primarily on municipal financial administrators
- Information Architecture: Complete restructuring of the portal's navigation and content organization
- Wireframes: For key user flows and pages
- High-fidelity Prototypes: Interactive designs with TGR's visual identity
- Iterative Testing: Two rounds of usability testing with actual municipal users
- Implementation Roadmap: Prioritized features for phased development
Key Features of the Redesign
- Unified Payment Dashboard: Consolidating all payment information (received and made) in a single view
- Enhanced Payment Detail: Comprehensive information for each payment, with downloadable certificates
- Personalized Authentication: Individual access with ClaveÚnica (Chile's digital identity system)
- Data Visualization: Graphical representation of payment trends and financial data
- Notification System: Alerts for upcoming payments and relevant deadlines
- Improved Contact System: Ticketing system with tracking and response time indicators
- Responsive Design: Fully functional across all devices
- WCAG 2.1 Compliance: Meeting accessibility standards for all users
Results
The redesigned portal received overwhelmingly positive feedback during user testing:
- Simplified Navigation: Users reported finding information more intuitively
- Increased Efficiency: Reduced time spent searching for payment details
- Enhanced Visibility: Better financial overview through data visualization
- Improved Communication: Clear channels for resolving payment inquiries
- Greater Autonomy: Less dependency on phone calls to resolve simple issues
"This is much more user-friendly than the current portal. I can find everything I need without having to search through multiple sections." Municipal Financial Administrator
"Having all the payment information in one place would save us so much time. This design really addresses our daily needs." Treasury Official
Implementation Plan
We delivered a detailed roadmap for implementing the redesign in three phases:
- High-Impact Core Features: Unified payment dashboard, authentication system, and basic contact functionality
- Medium-Priority Enhancements: Data visualization, advanced filtering, and reporting capabilities
- Complementary Features: Advanced user management, custom alerts, and additional integration points
The phased approach allowed TGR to prioritize development resources while delivering immediate value to users.
Lessons Learned
This project reinforced several important principles:
- User-First Approach: Despite technical complexity, focusing on user needs led to clear solutions
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Working closely with both technical and business stakeholders was essential
- Prototype Testing Value: Early feedback from actual users prevented potential design missteps
- Accessibility Integration: Building accessibility from the start rather than as an afterthought
- Data Visualization Impact: Transforming complex financial data into visual representations significantly improved comprehension
The TGR Municipal Portal redesign sets new standards for usability in public sector platforms, representing a major advancement in how government financial services can be delivered digitally in Chile.
