Welcome to Artun Gurkan's Portfolio | Designer & Researcher

Sandbox by Govstack is a comprehensive demonstration environment that helps governments understand and implement digital services using GovStack's Building Block approach. I was in part of the project from the start and did majority of the design work and more. The project combines interactive simulations, service design templates, and practical use cases to bridge the gap between concept and implementations to help various governments around the world for their digitalization process.

Challenges / Objectives

"Artun is silent brain of the team: deep understanding of our approach and contributions beyond UX/UI design"

• Demonstrate complex Building Block concepts by Govstack
• Simplify complex technical concepts for diverse audiences
• Create realistic yet generic government service examples
• Create a functional prototype demonstrating how GovStack's Building Block
• Balance technical depth with design methodologies
• Enable practical learning through demonstration
• Support multiple user types(developers, decision-makers, desingners)
• Convert technical specifications into understandable demonstrations
• Bridge the gap between abstractarchitecture and real implementation

Phase one : How might we demonstrate abstract technical concepts in a tangible, practical way?

Interactive Simulation Platform

Through our empathy map workshops, we discovered a significant gap in technical knowledge among political decision-makers. This insight led us to recognize the need for a product that could effectively demonstrate the capabilities of building blocks in an accessible way. Hence we created simulation.
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• Created real-world service implementation demonstrations
• Visualized Building Block interactions
• Mapped cross-department workflows
• Developed interactive user journeys

Impact:
• Enhanced stakeholder engagement
• Clear visualization of complex systems
• Practical learning environment
• Tangible demonstration tool

Phase two : How might we enable governments to efficiently design and implement digital services?

Service Design Templates & Examples

Through our comprehensive analysis of various government workflows and service implementation patterns, we identified that each government faced similar challenges but needed flexibility to adapt solutions to their specific context. We also observed that many governments were duplicating efforts in service design. hence we produced service design kits within figma and figjam. We also created videos to explain more in detail.
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• Developed comprehensive service design templates
• Created reusable journey mapping frameworks
• Built implementation guides
• Provided practical example services

Impact:
• Direct involvement of the users
• Streamlined service design process
• Consistent methodology across implementations
• Reusable frameworks for different contexts
• Enhanced collaboration between departments

More Information about kits:
https://govstack.gitbook.io/

Phase three : How might we demonstrate practical Building Block implementation?

Early Warning System POC whit Building Blocks Logs

After analyzing feedback from government stakeholders, we recognized that while the simulation helped understand concepts, there was a strong need for a tangible, real-world example of Building Blocks in action. The Horn of Africa region's specific needs provided an opportunity to showcase this through an essential service.
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• Developed functional prototype for emergency communications
• Implemented multi-language broadcast system
• Created real-time Building Block interaction viewer (Log viewer)
• Built response collection and validation system
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Impact:
• Successful proof-of-concept implementation
• Demonstrated practical Building Block integration
• Provided foundation for future implementations
• Created reusable component patterns

Phase Four: How might we demonstrate the full potential of Building Blocks across multiple government services within simple webdesign?

Sandbox with Government Portal Demonstration

While our simulation effectively demonstrated single-service implementations, stakeholder feedback indicated a need to showcase how Building Blocks could power an entire e-government portal with multiple integrated services. We needed to create a comprehensive demonstration that would serve as both an educational tool and a vision for future implementation.
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• Created a mock one-stop government portal showcasing multiple services
• Demonstrated Building Block reusability across different services
• Developed interactive flows showing cross-service integration
• Built comprehensive documentation of Building Block implementations
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Impact:
• Demonstrated scalability of Building Block approach
• Enhanced understanding of full Building Block ecosystem

Throughout this project, I successfully delivered four integrated products that together form a comprehensive demonstration environment for GovStack implementation. My deep understanding of the GovStack approach and contributions beyond UX/UI design earned recognition from stakeholders, while the reusable frameworks and templates I created are now being actively used by multiple governments. By establishing clear visualization methods for complex technical systems and developing practical learning tools for diverse stakeholder groups, I helped bridge the gap between technical complexity and practical implementation in government digital services.

Sandbox

Service Design Kit and Simulation