Enhancing cross-border mobility by adopting a user journey approach for digital public services

European Union (EU) policies often state that public services must focus on users' needs. However, cross-border services in the EU are still not widely user-centred. One reason is that the development of these services may not have involved sufficient user research and testing in identifying and addressing users' needs and pain points. Additionally, different government agencies or organisations may develop their own processes for service implementation, resulting in a lack of coordination and integration in the user experience. Furthermore, cross- border digital services may have been designed to comply with legal and regulatory requirements rather than to meet users' needs, leading to a focus on compliance rather than user experience. Another reason could be that different countries have different languages, cultures, and work methods. Therefore, it could be challenging to design a user-centred one-size-fits-all service for all EU citizens, as it depends on the specific service and how it is designed and implemented. Nevertheless, the EU is actively promoting user-centred design and digitalisation of public services, with an emphasis on user-centricity, so it can be expected that more EU cross-border services will be designed with user needs in mind. This research aims to explore the potential of adopting a user journey approach for improving cross- border mobility through the design and implementation of cross-border digital public services. This study examines the current state of cross-border mobility regarding the challenges individuals face when working or studying abroad and the role of technology in facilitating mobility. The user journey approach is used to identify and prioritise citizens' essential needs and pain points in the cross-border mobility process and to design and test digital services that address these needs in an integrated and user-centred way. The research involves qualitative and quantitative methods to gather data from stakeholders and citizens in different cross-border mobility scenarios, including interviews, surveys, and usability testing. The research results provide insights into the potential of the user journey approach for enhancing cross-border mobility and inform the development of digital services that support seamless and efficient cross-border mobility.