In an era of increasing environmental awareness and digital expectations, EPA Victoria recognised the need to modernise its digital presence. The goal was clear: deliver a seamless, accessible, and trustworthy digital experience that empowers Victorians to make informed decisions about their environment.

To realise this vision, NOW Digital and EPA Victoria created an engagement using human-centred design methods, co-design approaches, and extensive collaboration to reimagine EPA Victoria’s digital ecosystem.

Empowering communities for action through human-centered transformation and Single Digital Presence

The background

EPA Victoria’s existing digital platform has been serving its purpose for years. Still, like many legacy systems, it had begun to show its age. The website’s underlying technology stack was not only rigid and challenging to maintain but also limited the agency’s ability to respond dynamically to user needs. Updates were slow and cumbersome, content management was complex, and the user experience had become increasingly fragmented.

More importantly, the legacy platform struggled to keep pace with the expectations of modern digital citizens. The demand for accessible, real-time environmental information had never been higher. People expected to be able to check local air and water quality from their mobile devices report incidents with ease, and access clear, actionable content that aligned with their specific needs—whether they were residents, businesses, or local councils.

Internally, the EPA team faced a disjointed and resource-intensive content publishing process. The lack of a modern content management solution led to the persistence of information silos, making cross-departmental collaboration difficult and limiting digital governance.

To ensure it could continue delivering on its promise to protect Victoria’s environment and health, EPA Victoria partnered with NOW Digital to reimagine its digital presence using Human-Centred Design (HCD) principles, a co-design methodology, and the robust, future-ready Single Digital Presence (SDP) platform developed by the Victorian Government.

The challenge

The challenge was multi-faceted: EPA Victoria needed to modernise its digital platform, but not in isolation. It had to achieve alignment across multiple stakeholder groups, each with different priorities, responsibilities, and expectations.

Externally, the platform needed to serve:

• Citizens who required real-time data on air and water quality.
• Community groups interested in environmental reports.
• Industry players looking for clear regulatory guidance.
• Schools, researchers, and media representatives seek accurate and timely content.

Internally, the digital solution had to:

• Support streamlined publishing and content workflows across teams.
• Ensure accessibility compliance.
• Align with the state’s digital strategy using the State Digital Platform (SDP).
• Enable quick content updates to support crisis communications and policy shifts.

Furthermore, the process had to consider the ongoing evolution of the EPA’s organisational structure, operations, and public responsibilities.

Achieving a successful outcome requires deep collaboration, strategic facilitation, and a robust design thinking framework. Stakeholder workshops, user research, and iterative prototyping sessions were all integral to the co-design process, ensuring the final solution addressed both surface-level usability and deeper operational needs.

The solution

NOW Digital partnered closely with EPA Victoria to deliver a transformative solution built on co-design, human-centred design, and strategic alignment with the Victorian Government’s Single Digital Presence (SDP).

At the heart of the project was a shared ambition: to create a customer-centric, accessible, and high-performance platform that truly empowered users while streamlining internal operations.

Our process began with comprehensive discovery sessions, including stakeholder interviews, customer journey mapping, and competitor analysis. This ensured that we had a deep understanding of the needs of all user types and could translate them into meaningful functionality.

We applied a design thinking methodology that emphasised empathy, ideation, prototyping, and validation. Cross-functional workshops brought together EPA subject matter experts, policy leads, digital content authors, and customer experience advocates to co-create the future platform.

Customer-centric design and navigation

• The new EPA website offers simplified, intuitive navigation with customer tasks placed front and centre.
• Content is grouped based on user intent and behaviour, not internal structures.
• The navigation architecture was tested and validated through user testing to ensure maximum clarity and accessibility.

Centralised dynamic map functionality

• A core feature of the site is the interactive environmental map, which enables Victorians to check local air and water quality in real time.
• The map uses geolocation, filtering, and dynamic data layers to offer a personalised and informative experience.
• The feature plays a critical role in driving public awareness and community trust.

Enhanced report functionality

• Reporting environmental concerns is now more straightforward, more accessible, and faster.
• Forms were redesigned with mobile users in mind, guiding users step-by-step through the submission process.
• The new system integrates with internal EPA workflows to accelerate case response times.

Quick access to the right information

• Highlighting the most common user tasks and queries.
• Smart search functionality ensures users can find content quickly and efficiently.
• Accessibility features were embedded from the ground up, achieving WCAG 2.1 AA compliance.

SDP integration for future scalability

• The platform was delivered using the Single Digital Presence framework, ensuring alignment with the broader Victorian Government digital strategy.
• SDP enables modular content management, streamlined governance, and easy scalability for future feature upgrades.

The conclusion – a foundation for the future

The redesigned EPA Victoria website is more than a visual upgrade—it represents a fundamental shift toward digital inclusivity, service-centricity, and operational excellence. Through the application of human-centred design, co-design, and a scalable government framework, the EPA is now better equipped to serve the diverse needs of its audience.

This project showcases NOW Digital’s ability to address complex digital challenges through strategic design and innovative technology. By working in deep collaboration with government agencies and aligning with whole-of-government platforms like SDP, we help organisations not only deliver better digital experiences but also drive systemic value across the public sector.

The EPA Victoria project showcases what can be achieved when strategic design, digital innovation, and meaningful collaboration intersect. Empowering the community to make informed decisions for a healthier, more sustainable future.