From chaos to clarity: putting humans at the centre of Geoscience Australia.

The challenge is multifaceted: 

• Creating consistent, scalable approaches to human-centred product development 

• Building internal capability to reduce dependency on external expertise 

• Developing frameworks suitable for complex scientific and government contexts 

• Ensuring services reflected real user needs rather than system requirements 

• Translating highly technical data into accessible, usable digital experiences 

Achieving this is central to Geoscience’s vision of being the trusted source of geological and geographical information for government, industry, and the community. 

To address this challenge, Geoscience partnered with Hide and Seek to develop a practical human-centred design (HCD) capability. Our role was to create a framework that embeds HCD principles into everyday work through building tools, resources, and culture enabling teams to deliver with people front of mind. 

Working closely with Geoscience staff, we co-created a comprehensive HCD playbook and supporting frameworks designed to reflect the realities of scientific research, government delivery, and diverse user needs. 

We engaged with Geoscience teams across disciplines to understand how products and services were being developed, where pain points were, and how user needs could be more consistently brought into the process. 

From this, we defined clear value propositions for HCD at Geoscience: 

• Designing around real needs drives better outcomes 

• Trust and usability are essential for adoption of complex tools 

• Shared understanding improves collaboration between scientists, developers and policymakers 

• Testing and learning earlier reduces risk and increases efficiency 

• User-centred services make science more accessible to all Australians 

The HCD capability development centred on practical, actionable resources that could be applied immediately while also laying a foundation for long-term maturity. 

Comprehensive HCD Playbook

• Methods, tools, and tips developed collaboratively with Geoscience teams 

• Flexible guidance for applying HCD throughout the product and service lifecycle 

• Frameworks tailored to scientific and government contexts 

Organisational integration

• Embedding HCD into Geoscience’s strategies and mission 

• Creating consistency and scalability in user-centred approaches 

• Supporting Geoscience’s position as a trusted national science authority 

Cultural foundations

• Recognising people and culture as the drivers of HCD success 

• Strengthening inclusivity and equity in service design 

• Supporting Geoscience’s commitment to evidence-based decision-making 

Strategic alignment

• Directly supporting Geoscience’s 2028 strategic objectives 

• Aligning with Geoscience’s data, digital, people and culture, and science strategies 

The project established HCD as a core organisational capability at Geoscience, delivering: 

• a practical, comprehensive playbook for teams to apply immediately 

• internal expertise built through collaborative creation of frameworks 

• scalable methods adaptable across Geoscience’s diverse product and service portfolio 

• a cultural shift toward designing with and for users

• stronger alignment with Geoscience’s long-term strategies and mission.

Geoscience is now better equipped to design services that are equitable, inclusive, and genuinely useful. By embedding HCD into its culture and practice, it is making Australia’s geoscience data and insights more accessible and impactful for researchers, policymakers, industry, and the public.