Olena Saienko, Head of the EGAP Program (Swiss-Ukrainian E-Governance for Accountability and Participation), East Europe Foundation, Ukraine

1) How do you use your role to ensure that technology and policy are truly inclusive?

As the lead of several digital programs at East Europe Foundation - including the EGAP Program - I am responsible for delivering large-scale digital solutions that Ukraine implements in partnership with the government.

These include services and infrastructure used by millions of people, regardless of their age, place of residence, or life circumstances. For me, inclusivity in digital transformation is not a separate feature or an “add-on”. It is a mindset that must be embedded from the very design stage.

My role is to bring government institutions, technical partners, and our own expertise to the same table - and to consistently keep the focus on a simple question: will a real person find this solution easy and intuitive to use?

I work with teams to ensure that digital products align with the state’s strategic priorities, have clear and logical user journeys, can scale nationwide, and at the same time retain a strong human dimension.

Inclusivity, in my understanding, means that a service does not require explanations - and does not force users to adapt themselves to the system. 

2) What’s a moment in your career when you saw firsthand how technology or a new policy changed a citizen’s life for the better?

One of the most visible - and telling - examples is Diia, Ukraine’s national digital application and portal, to whose development we have also contributed. Today, it is used by more than 21 million Ukrainians.

Diia enables people to access public services online quickly and conveniently - from registering as a sole proprietor and paying fines to applying for state support. It also serves as a secure home for digital versions of key documents, including personal ID and driver’s licences. For many citizens, Diia has become the first point of contact with the state, one that does not require queues, paperwork, or additional explanations.

Equally important to me is the development of e-DEM, Ukraine’s national e-democracy platform. Today, more than 650 local communities - nearly half of the country - are connected to the platform, with over 2 million users. Through e-DEM, people submit petitions, take part in public consultations, and vote on participatory budgeting projects.

The participatory budgeting tool is particularly illustrative. Even amid Russia’s ongoing aggression, communities are restoring these competitions because they see their value. People can clearly see the results of their decisions: renovated courtyards, improved street lighting, new sports and cultural spaces. It is a simple yet powerful experience - one where your voice leads to tangible outcomes.

The scale and regularity of using such tools have been among the factors behind Ukraine’s rise to first place in the global E-Participation Index in 2024, climbing 57 positions compared to 2022.

We believe that the e-DEM platform has made a significant contribution to this achievement, as it uniquely provides nationwide reach and accessibility for millions of people.  

3) What was the most impactful project you worked on this year, and how did you measure its success in building trust and serving the needs of the public?

One of the most important projects for me this year has been the School Participatory Budget on the e-DEM platform. The initiative gives children the opportunity to propose ideas for their schools, vote on them, and see these decisions turn into reality.

The project is already running in 367 schools across more than 40 communities. Students put forward ideas that genuinely matter to their everyday environment - from recreation areas and upgraded equipment to new spaces for learning and social interaction.

For me, this is a very clear indicator of trust. When the process is transparent and the outcome is visible, even the youngest users begin to believe that e-democracy works. This is why we plan to scale the initiative to the national level. 

4) What was one unexpected lesson you learned this year about designing for real people? This can be about a specific project or a broader lesson about your work.

This year, I was once again reminded that the biggest barriers are almost never technical. While working with participation tools on the e-DEM platform, we saw that people struggle not because of complex technology, but because of small details - where to find the right section, how to phrase a proposal correctly, or whether it was submitted successfully.

Whenever we simplified the user journey, participation increased immediately. It reinforced a simple truth for me: people do not need complex features. They need a clear path. Sometimes, one well-written prompt can achieve more than a large-scale technical upgrade.

5) We hear a lot about AI. What's a practical example of how AI can be used to make government services more inclusive and trustworthy?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is already becoming the foundation of a new quality of public services - and Ukraine is moving remarkably fast in this space.

Ukraine became the first country in the world to launch a government AI assistant that not only provides consultations, but actively guides users through a public service - from the initial request to the final outcome. This launch was officially recognised as a world record. The EGAP Program was among the teams involved in preparing this solution.

For me, this example matters not because of the record itself, but because of the underlying principle: the service begins to “speak” the user’s language. Public services stop being a set of instructions and become a dialogue.

Another important case is StatGPT - a tool that makes working with official statistical data simple and accessible. It opens up complex datasets to journalists, analysts, and citizens alike, helping to make public policymaking more data-driven.

At the same time, we pay close attention to ethics. AI must operate transparently and securely, while keeping humans in control of decision-making. Only under these conditions can AI strengthen trust — rather than replace it.

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6) How are you preparing for the next wave of change in the public sector? What new skill, approach, or technology are you most excited to explore in the coming year?

AI is not an abstract possibility - it is a practical tool. Today, Ukraine is taking important strategic steps to ensure that AI becomes a real assistant for both the state and its citizens.

First, Ukraine is already developing its own national large language model (LLM). The Ministry of Digital Transformation, together with Kyivstar - the country’s leading electronic communications operator - and the WINWIN AI Center of Excellence, a state hub for AI solutions, are working on an open-source–based Ukrainian-language LLM designed to ensure AI sovereignty and independence.

Such a model can be used to build chatbots, analytical systems, voice assistants, and automated document workflows - in other words, real public services tailored to Ukraine’s specific context.

Second, Ukraine has already laid the groundwork for regulating AI.

In 2024, the country presented its White Paper on AI Regulation, which outlines approaches to the safe and ethical use of AI, the protection of citizens’ rights and privacy, and provides guidance for both public institutions and businesses.

This means that AI development in Ukraine is not happening chaotically, but responsibly and with human rights at its core.

7) What advice do you have for public sector innovators who want to build a career focused on serving all citizens?

Start by understanding the problem before looking for a solution. It may sound obvious, but this is where mistakes most often happen. We fall in love with a technology or an idea and rush to implement it without first checking whether people actually need it.

Look for ways to gather feedback from real users - even if it is difficult to organise. This can include testing with small user groups, analysing where people most often drop out of a service, or talking to frontline staff who interact with citizens directly.

It is better to launch a simple service that works than to spend years building a perfect system that never sees real use. Features can always be added later - if they are truly needed.

8) Who inspires you to build a more inclusive and trustworthy public sector?

My main source of inspiration is the people I work with every day.

Young professionals entering GovTech with a genuine desire to drive change. Teams in local communities who learn new tools and pass that knowledge on to others. And citizens who provide honest feedback and help improve public services.  

9) If you had an unlimited budget, what would your dream project be?

I would create a comprehensive digital platform for civil society organisations. Within the EGAP Program, we are already exploring this idea: a simple website builder and a set of tools that would help NGOs establish a strong online presence, find partners, and present themselves more effectively to donors.

Such a platform could also automate part of the routine workload - including reporting, documentation, and internal policies - freeing up time for real work with communities.

We are currently researching the needs of the sector, and I am keen to see this idea evolve into an accessible solution for all NGOs, regardless of their size or resources.  

10) Outside tech, what excites you the most?

Beyond technology, I am deeply interested in education - particularly in how people learn at different stages of life and in different circumstances. This helps me better understand users and design services that are intuitive rather than overwhelming.

I also enjoy observing how public services are organised in other countries. Sometimes a small detail in someone else’s solution can spark a useful idea for our own projects.

Equally important to me are activities that allow me to switch off: travel, long walks, and conversations with people outside my professional circle. These are often the moments when the most valuable ideas emerge.