Patterns are consistent, familiar, and even boring. That’s exactly what makes them powerful.

In digital public services, boring isn’t about a lack of ambition but about safety: predictable journeys reduce mistakes, build trust, and make people feel more confident using a service independently as they work the way they expect. 

For teams in Wales designing their own version of the same thing (for example, sign-in, eligibility, payments or forms), service patterns give us a proven way of doing it. They free teams from reinventing the wheel every time, so more resources can go into the parts of a service that make the biggest difference to the public.

Learn about the service patterns work we’ve been doing.

Addressing the myth of rigidity

Some teams worry that patterns are too rigid. In our workshops, participants often started sceptical, convinced their service was different. 

But when you zoom out, the similarities between services become clear.

Service patterns aren’t about forcing a one-size-fits-all solution: they’re flexible foundations. As one NHS User Researcher told us, patterns make even complex journeys easier to deliver, safely and consistently.

Why leaders should care

For organisations, service patterns are about savings and scale:

  • They cut duplication: instead of five teams building five different payment journeys, you have one standard way that works.
  • They reduce risk: consistency builds trust with the public, improves accessibility and makes sure good practice and standards are met by default.
  • They save time: teams can get to “working service” quicker.

The UK government saw this at the start of the pandemic: 52 services were built within weeks, not months, using the GOV.UK Design System. The ‘Get coronavirus support’ service went from concept to live in fewer than four days, saving an estimated £10.4m.

Or, as the Scottish Government’s design system team put it: 

“Design systems save organisations money and time.”

And it’s not just about speed. In health, an user researcher told us: 

“Reusable patterns allowed our teams to design and build services so much faster than had we done this alone. Complex patterns such as eligibility questions or payment journeys were easily replicated and implemented in much less time than previously.”

Why it matters for the public

Service patterns aren’t just good for teams - they’re good for people using services.

When services across Wales look and behave differently, it’s confusing for the public. Patterns create consistency: similar flow, questions and interactions in a way that makes sense to users. 

People don’t notice consistency when it’s there, but they really do when it’s not. In our testing, one participant said: 

“They all felt similar. When you fill in one form, you see how you do things. Then it’s not a surprise on the second form, you’re prepared for it.”

That familiarity builds confidence and reduces effort. It helps people move through services more easily, even when delivered by different organisations. And when services are easier, there’s less avoidable contact, freeing resources to focus on more complex needs.

Consistency also matters for inclusion. Every time we reuse a service pattern that’s been tested for accessibility, we’re making it easier for everyone to use government services, especially easy to exclude groups. For example, people with lower digital confidence or diverse access needs.

Service patterns can make services feel familiar, meet user expectations, and allow more people to access them easily and independently without the need for additional support. 

Why consistency builds trust

Consistency doesn’t just make services easier, it makes them more trustworthy.

As one research participant put it: 

“If online services have similar formats, it’d make life a lot easier. After a while, you know the layout, so it would save a lot of time. If people get used to doing things a certain way, then they’re easier to do time and time again.”

Familiarity gives users more confidence in services and builds trust in how their data is handled. Small inconsistencies in services, like requesting irrelevant information from users erodes that confidence.

Trust in the service builds trust in the organisation behind it. If a digital service feels clear, familiar and reliable,  user trust in the organisation providing (for example, a council, healthboard or government department) providing it increases. 

Trust is fragile, and consistency is one of the simplest ways we can build it, protect it and strengthen it.

Why this matters in Wales

Welsh public services face the same challenges as everywhere else: tightening budgets, rising demand, shifting user expectations and the pressure to deliver better digital experiences. 

Service patterns are one of the simplest ways to get more value out of limited resources. They mean:

  • Faster delivery: teams don’t start from scratch
  • Lower costs: shared solutions instead of duplicated builds
  • Better experience: consistent journeys across health, local government, and national services
  • Stronger trust: familiar, predictable services build confidence in the organisations delivering them

Boring isn’t a weakness. In fact, boring is safety. Familiar, predictable journeys reassure the public, reduce mistakes, and build trust in the organisations behind them.

Public services need to do more with less, boring is exactly what we need - for our teams, for our organisations, and for the people who rely on us.

Get involved

Want to use or contribute to the Service Patterns Library - or run a workshop with your team? Contact us to get started.