By NYS Customer Experience Team
On April 23, 2025, the New York Experience (NYX) Task Force came together once again to keep pushing the boundaries of how New York State (NYS) serves its people. Meeting in the iconic Blue Room in Albany, Task Force members rolled up their sleeves to share progress, spark new ideas, and continue turning bold ambitions into real results.
At the heart of the meeting was a simple but powerful question: How can we make it faster, easier, and more accessible for every New Yorker to get the services they need?
One major milestone came with the unveiling of New York’s new Digital First Standards. Developed by the NYS Digital Service, these standards set clear expectations for how government websites and services should look, feel, and function. Think faster load times, mobile-first designs, plain language, strong privacy protections, and easier navigation—because New Yorkers deserve digital experiences that are as intuitive and trustworthy as the best private sector services.
But setting a higher bar isn’t enough—we’re giving agencies the tools they need to meet it. From plain language training to self-assessment guides, the support is in place to help agencies move quickly and confidently into this new era of service. And we’re serious about accountability: progress will be measured, reported, and celebrated.
The meeting also spotlighted real success stories that show what’s possible when we put customers first. Working together, the NYS Digital Service, Department of Health (DOH), and Code for America reimagined the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program website from the ground up—making it faster, clearer, and more accessible for families across New York. Instead of asking users to navigate long PDFs or confusing layouts, they focused on what customers actually need: mobile-friendly design, streamlined content, and plain language. The result? A modern, user-centered experience that’s helping more New Yorkers find critical information quickly—especially on mobile devices, where most visitors access the site.
And that’s just the beginning.
Across government, agencies are embedding customer feedback directly into their work. The Department of Labor (DOL) is using new tools to get real-time insights from customers and to modernize call center operations. By listening more closely, analyzing smarter, and simplifying services like virtual agents for employers, DOL is creating more intuitive experiences—and freeing up staff to help those who need it most.
Meanwhile, the New York State of Health (NYSOH) is leading the way with an administrative burden audit—identifying the invisible hurdles that slow people down when applying for health coverage and making it easier, step-by-step, to get help. The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) continues breaking new ground, too, launching tools like a License Status Bot and an upgraded phone navigation system, while forging ahead with the DRIVES modernization to unify over 150 outdated systems.
The message from the second NYX Task Force meeting was loud and clear: We’re not just planning for a better customer experience—we’re delivering it.
Because this is about more than better websites or faster forms. It’s about creating a government New Yorkers can trust—one that respects their time, understands their needs, and meets them where they are.