A complete digital transformation of Tanzania's telecommunications regulatory authority. The redesigned portal serves 50+ million Tanzanians—from students registering SIM cards to telecom giants applying for licenses. This is e-government designed for everyone, regardless of technical ability or device.
TCRA's legacy portal was a maze of broken links, inaccessible PDFs, and forms that crashed on mobile phones—the very devices 75% of Tanzanians use to access the internet. Citizens queued for hours at physical offices for tasks that should take minutes online. The portal needed to serve wildly different users: a 60-year-old farmer registering a SIM card, a compliance officer submitting spectrum reports, and a telecom CEO checking license renewals. Each deserved an experience that respected their time and abilities.
We reimagined TCRA's digital presence from first principles. The new portal features a mobile-first responsive design, WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility throughout, bilingual support (English/Swahili), and a radical simplification of user journeys. Smart forms with inline validation and auto-save eliminated the frustration of lost progress. Clear visual hierarchy guides users to the right service in 3 clicks or less. The result: government services that actually serve.
How we brought this project to life
We spent three weeks understanding the ecosystem. 50+ citizen interviews across age groups and tech abilities. Workshops with TCRA staff revealed internal pain points. Analysis of support tickets identified the most frustrating user journeys. Competitive research of Rwanda, Kenya, and Estonia e-government portals set our benchmark.
Card sorting with 40 users revealed how Tanzanians think about government services. We restructured 200+ pages into three clear portals: Citizens (personal services), Businesses (commercial licenses), and Operators (regulatory compliance). Each path optimized for its audience's mental model and common tasks.
We designed for the edges first. High-contrast mode for outdoor use under bright African sun. Screen reader compatibility for visually impaired users. Touch targets sized for trembling hands. Form labels in both English and Swahili. Every decision tested against WCAG 2.1 AA criteria.
Built 'TCRA Design System' with 60+ reusable Figma components. Form patterns with inline validation. Status indicators showing application progress. Data tables that work on mobile. Notification patterns for success, error, and pending states. Complete documentation for developer handoff.
Three rounds of testing with 30 participants: students, elderly citizens, business owners, and TCRA staff. Each round revealed friction points we couldn't see from inside the project. Iterated on form flows, navigation patterns, and error messages until task completion exceeded 95%.
Created comprehensive specification documents with interaction details, responsive breakpoints, and accessibility requirements. Weekly design reviews during development. Conducted accessibility audits using axe-core and manual screen reader testing.
Soft launch with 10% traffic, monitoring analytics and user feedback. Fixed critical issues identified in production. Full rollout with staff training and user education campaigns. Ongoing optimization based on heatmaps and session recordings.
The visual identity of this project
See the transformation
How it looks on different devices
Explore the design details
Measurable impact and outcomes
Completion time reduced
Digital-first services
Active transactions
Up from 2.1/5
From 30%
Accessibility certified
"Jackson transformed how 50 million Tanzanians interact with our services. His obsession with accessibility meant my elderly mother could finally register her SIM card online—something we thought impossible. The new portal isn't just better design; it's democracy in digital form."
