An out-of-the-box experience generally refers to how easy or difficult it is to start using a device right out of the package. Is the process simple and enjoyable?
I’ve extended this concept to public sector documents. How pleasant is it for an ordinary citizen to retrieve application forms, minutes and reports? What kind of background information do they require from the reader? Do the documents guide the reader’s action in the same way as new cellphones and computers do? According to my observations, government documents ignore the user’s perspective; they’re written to satisfy the agency’s needs and practices.
Officials and the work they oversee would profile from writing that reflects the citizen’s needs and intentions. Documents and forms should be self-explanatory and forms pre-populated, like on the Finnish tax returns. The documents help shape the user’s experience of the entire government, and that experience suggests whether administration is for citizens – or vice-versa.