Interview with Designer AC (EN)
AC Almelor has been a UI/UX Designer at DigitalService4Germany since April 2021. Before that, AC worked in different private companies in Germany, Malaysia, and the Philippines. AC is passionate about designing technology to be easier for people to interact with. If he is not on his work desk, he is fond of traveling and taking landscape and urban photos. At the age of 27, he has been to almost 50 countries on 4 continents.
Interview with Product Lead Magdalena
Magdalena Zadara is a Product Lead at DigitalService. With a degree in product design, she combines user-centered design with her experience from working in software teams to develop digital solutions with and for government. Previously, she was Head of Product at Fernarzt and a designer at BCG Digital Ventures and other digital agencies. Her first car was a Trabi.
Interview with Managing Director Philipp
Philipp Möser has been Managing Director at DigitalService4Germany together with Christina since October 2020. Previously, he founded the gaming company Wooga and built it up over 10 years. In his free time, Philipp can be found kitesurfing, hiking or exploring Berlin's restaurant scene.
Interview with Software Developer Frederike
Frederike Ramin has been a Software Engineer at DigitalService4Germany since December 2020. Before that, she participated in the Tech4Germany Fellowship Program and studied at the Hasso Plattner Institute. There's half a library of song lyrics in Frederike's head - and the right song for every occasion. Which makes her particularly popular at team events.
Interview with Senior UX Designer Charlotte
Charlotte Vorbeck joined DigitalService in May 2021 as a Senior UX Designer. Charlotte has previously worked as both a Senior Software Developer and Senior UX Designer, so she brings design, tech, and leadership experience to the table. To get down, Charlotte likes to bake cakes. This not only pleases her children, but also her colleagues, as she loves to share. Charlotte thinks that if DigitalService were an animal, it would most likely be a kangaroo. Why? Find out the reason here.
Part 2: 10 Learnings from 3 years Tech4Germany
In 2018 we started Tech4Germany within only four months and due to the lack of time we "just did things" in that first year. A review of the last 3 years can be found here. Over the years we have reflected on the program, the content and our work again and again and adapted it according to the feedback. I have summarized our most important findings to date, which have led to changes in the program process, in 10 points.
Agora - The New Collaboration Platform for the Public Health Service
Agora, the central festival, assembly and marketplace in ancient Greece, is the name of the new collaboration platform for the German Public Health Service. Agora has been designed to enable employees in the public health service to better exchange information with each other, collaborate, and jointly process knowledge across the entire public health service. Agora has been developed by DigitalService4Germany in collaboration with the German Federal Ministry of Health.
Part 1: From Tech4Germany to DigitalService - from student initiative to state-owned ltd.
What started in 2018 as a student initiative with ambitious goals is now an organization that is driving the digitalization of the federal administration as a federal limited liability company with two fellowship programs and a product development unit. We keep getting asked how we managed to set up, scale, spin off, and ultimately perpetuate the program in three years with DigitalService4Germany GmbH. Time to take a look back.
Steuerlotse: Online tax return for pensioners and retirees
In May 2021, we launched one of our first products: Steuerlotse. With the Steuerlotse, retirees and pensioners without additional income can now file their tax returns online. It is a web-based service that requires no installation and makes it easy for the target group to file their tax returns quickly and digitally. The Steuerlotse is available to users for their 2020 tax returns at www.steuerlotse-rente.de.
The Steuerlotse was developed by us, DigitalService4Germany GmbH, the in-house software development unit of the federal government, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Finance. We continue to develop and improve the service based on feedback from users.