Innovative Solutions for Enhancing Urban Services
Over two days, representatives from various city departments worked on enhancing urban services. They developed new strategies to improve the efficiency of digital solutions, focusing on the actual needs of residents.
The two-day event “Innovation Hackathon: Path to Results” was organized by the Department of Digital Technologies. Held on June 18-19, it brought together representatives from 12 structural units of the city government with the aim of implementing modern approaches in the development of digital services.
“Digitalizing urban services is not just about digitization; it requires a deep understanding of residents' needs. That’s why at the initial stages of developing new services, we focus on researching user experience. This allows us to create solutions that truly meet the demands of residents,” said Victoria Itskovich, Director of the Department of Digital Technologies.
During the two-day event, participants learned to analyze residents' inquiries, map user journeys, and rethink existing services. The hackathon program included both practical interviews with residents and working on real cases.
“The goal of the hackathon was to identify digital change leaders within the departments. We aimed to find those who can implement new approaches in practice. Each participant had the opportunity to conduct field research, fundamentally changing their approach to work,” added Victoria Itskovich.
The event format was hands-on, with participants actively tackling real problems. All stakeholders were involved — service providers, departments, and importantly, the users themselves. Within 2-3 days, a complete picture of the services emerged, revealing issues and barriers, allowing us to formulate solutions that would truly work,” she emphasized.
A notable feature of the event was the practical application of design sprints. Participants formed teams to improve four key services selected based on a survey of over 19,000 residents in the “Kyiv Digital” app:
- application for the 70/30 energy efficiency program;
- service guide for Defenders and Veterans;
- obtaining a permit for outdoor seating;
- electronic petition service.
As a result of the event:
- internal change agents were identified;
- priority services requiring digitalization were outlined;
- the practice of research sprints for digital services was initiated.
Among the participating institutions were the Department of Housing and Communal Infrastructure, the Department of Social Policy, KP “Informatics”, KP “GIOC”, the Department of Education, the Department of Urban Development, and others.
The organizers emphasized that digital transformation is a team effort, and through collaborative efforts, the city can develop services that respond to residents' real needs.
“We plan to make design sprints a regular practice for improving digital services. It is an effective modern approach to team development and urban service enhancement,” concluded Victoria Itskovich.
