Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine — Building a Modern, Compliant Web Platform
Client
Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine
The background:
The Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine needed to replace its outdated, difficult-to-maintain website. The existing platform had major limitations in terms of SEO, accessibility, and legal compliance – including a failure to meet government-mandated design standards. Information was poorly structured, and voting functionality for legislative projects lacked identity verification, leaving the system vulnerable to manipulation.
Through a UNICEF-funded tender, we were selected to fully redesign and rebuild the site. Our presence in Ukraine and the ability to run the project in Ukrainian played a key role, along with our technical expertise and experience with government platforms.
The Essence of the Project:
We worked closely with ministry stakeholders, including deputy ministers and department heads, to understand their operational needs, content structure, and legal obligations. These insights shaped the sitemap, content strategy, and functionality of the new platform.
A major focus was usability and clarity. We followed Ukraine’s official design guidelines for government websites and presented multiple design concepts to the Minister and her team before final approval. From there, we moved into full development using Strapi (Node.js) for the backend and Next.js (React) on the frontend – selected for both performance and SEO benefits.
The platform includes secure identity-based voting for legislative projects, integrated with Ukraine’s national digital ID system (Diia), ensuring legitimacy and preventing spam. Security was another key priority: we aligned the platform with government cybersecurity standards and initiated the certification process with Ukraine’s State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection.
Services provided:
- Stakeholder Research & UX Design: Conducted interviews, mapped content requirements, and created a fully compliant design system.
- Website Development: Built the site using open-source tools (Strapi, Node.js, Next.js) to meet strict budget and licensing requirements.
- Digital Identity Integration: Integrated national ID authentication (Diia) for secure participation in legislative feedback processes.
- Security Compliance: Initiated certification under Ukrainian national cybersecurity protocols.
- Localization & Accessibility: Ensured full Ukrainian localization, legal content order, and accessibility for all user groups.
Project result:
- Fully Compliant, Modern Platform: Built to meet legal, security, and design standards for Ukrainian government websites.
- Improved UX and Accessibility: Simplified navigation, modern design, and inclusive features improve how citizens interact with the ministry online.
- Future-Proofed for Expansion: The platform is ready for integration with upcoming ministry initiatives, including child adoption services and a national social services dashboard.
