Elf is a comprehensive system designed to facilitate access to information.
Releasing the burden and mapping the information in a way that it can be understood by everyone.
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Elf is a comprehensive system designed to facilitate access to information.
Releasing the burden and mapping the information in a way that it can be understood by everyone.
Introduction
Sweden's Social Insurance Agency provides financial security during various life events, such as illness, parental leave, and unemployment. It offers services like sick leave compensation, child allowances, and housing benefits, ensuring individuals receive necessary support to maintain well-being. The agency aims to create a fair and inclusive system, promoting social stability across Sweden.
Challenge
First-generation immigrants often face barriers in accessing and understanding their rights within the Swedish governmental framework.
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Elf
Project Information
Partner
Forsakringskassan
Role
Critical Framing, Service Design & UX
Team
Tianqi Xiong, Tianlong Mu
Försäkringskassan
How might we
Design a system that enhances transparency, visibility, and access to information for first-generation immigrants, facilitating better interaction with government agencies.
New immigrants encounter barriers to accessing and fully understanding their rights within the governmental framework.
Governments exist to enable us to do things together that we can't do alone, and with the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution—characterized by digitization, machine learning, and the fusion of physical and digital realms—we must ask:
“What can the Swedish government do to manage these changes that individual people can’t do by themselves?”
Research Approach
Ethnographic Research: Conducted interviews with 15+ first-generation immigrants to understand their experiences with government services.
Key Insights: (1) The system often feels fragmented, requiring interaction with multiple agencies like Skatteverket, Arbetsförmedlingen, and CSN. (2) Citizens’ understanding of their rights varies widely, leading to a lack of trust and engagement. (3) Government communication struggles to meet diverse language, cultural, and technological needs.
We began with a cultural sensitization workshop, sharing personal experiences with governance and exploring Sweden's system. Through conversations, we uncovered stories and insights about people's relationships with the state. This human-centered approach—meeting people where they are in culturally sensitive and empowering ways—proved vital for meaningful engagement.
Insights from the research
By delving into these personal narratives, we aimed to construct a holistic view of the citizen-government relationship, laying the foundation for meaningful dialogue. We used this data to map out their stories through different stages of life and moments of connection and disconnection.
The design tactic
Our research distilled our findings into the analogy of an iceberg. At the visible tip of the iceberg, we find individuals deeply embedded in Swedish culture, enjoying a nuanced understanding of their rights and privileges. Beneath the surface lie first-generation immigrants, who may encounter barriers to accessing and fully understanding their rights within the governmental framework. We sought to answer the question: How might we design for transparency, visibility, and access for first-generation immigrants?
Alex is a high-school student
Anna is a school teacher
Juan owns a restaurant
Jacob does a part-time job
along with his bachelors studies
Isabelle just had a baby
Raya is looking for a job
Xu just had kids
Joremm is a refugee
Raj moved to Sweden as a child
At the visible tip of the iceberg, we find individuals who are deeply embedded in the fabric of Swedish culture.
Beneath the surface lie the first-generation immigrants. These individuals, while integral to the diversity of Swedish society, may encounter barriers to accessing and fully understanding their rights within the governmental framework.
Skatteverket
Försäkringskassan
Försäkringskassan
CSN
Study Counsellor
Försäkringskassan
Försäkringskassan
Vårdcentralen
Employer
Arbetsförmedlingen
Skatteverket
Mödravårdscentralen
Försäkringskassan
Employer
Skatteverket
Umeå Kommun
Försäkringskassan
Försäkringskassan
Skatteverket
Försäkringskassan
Parental Education
Raya moved to Sweden from Iran
Sickness during work
Sickness during studies
Huang moved to Sweden from Philippines
Huang and Raya are cohabiting partners
They are expecting a child
Raya gives birth to Debbie
The Solution
Elf is a citizen-centric system that serves as a bridge between individuals and government agencies, designed to simplify access to vital information through life stages, changing the power hierarchies between government and their people.
Each interaction as a life event
Elf bridges the gap between citizens, especially first-generation immigrants, and the myriad of government agencies by viewing each interaction as a life event. Each life event contains multiple touchpoints that users are notified about when they update Elf. These life events may be individual, such as sick leave or housing allowance, or intersecting, such as childcare and parental allowance. Elf facilitates these events, making the information visible, transparent, and accessible to every individual.
The main user scenarios can be divided into two showcases of how Elf interact with people through their daily life.
Elf simplifies interactions between citizens—particularly first-generation immigrants—and government agencies by framing them as life events. Each life event, such as sick leave or housing allowance, comprises multiple touchpoints, which Elf organizes and notifies users about as updates occur. For overlapping events, like childcare and parental allowance, Elf seamlessly connects the dots, ensuring information is clear, transparent, and easily accessible for everyone.
Elf
Elf
Awake
Passive
Alert
Elf lives on all your connected devices as a passive widget, alerting you only when urgent action is needed. At other times, you can activate Elf during your moments of check-in in your life. You control Elf’s presence in your life, deciding how often it appears. Your data remains yours — shared information is used solely to provide you with accurate access and information.
Reflection
Elf reimagines government services in Sweden to make them more accessible, transparent, and trustworthy, ensuring all citizens—especially first-generation immigrants—can fully exercise their rights. While native Swedes often navigate government systems with relative ease, immigrants face significant barriers, from unfamiliarity with their rights to difficulties finding accurate information.
This disconnect leaves social welfare access reliant on luck or word-of-mouth, underscoring the urgent need for a more inclusive and user-centric approach to public services. Elf challenges the fragmented, siloed structure of current systems by focusing on individuals' life events and stages. This personalized approach redefines inclusion, addressing the complex social contexts and fluid identities that shape each citizen’s experience.
Incorporating participatory design principles, Elf highlights the importance of understanding privilege and power dynamics in the public sector. By engaging communities in a meaningful way, the project fosters equity and inclusion, offering a blueprint for bridging gaps and ensuring all citizens feel seen, supported, and empowered.