The Centennial State’s IT leadership is focused on improving government experience for Coloradans. The DMV, in particular, has taken action in recent years to integrate new technology for a better user experience. For example, the agency’s e-services platform, myDMV, started accepting cryptocurrency payments in 2023. The division is leveraging various tools to expand accessibility. Development for DMV’s work to update its technology platform with modern software and a more easily navigable front end began in fall 2023.
“This upgrade is something that’s critical,” DMV Senior Director Electra Bustle said, as currently the DMV is operating on an end-of-life platform. The new platform, which is the newest technology platform from the same vendor, will allow for additional cybersecurity protection measures, simplified platform maintenance and improvements to the customer experience.
The myDMV platform’s users must now navigate siloed tabs for different services. The new version will offer users a front-page display of all the different service options, whether related to driver’s licenses or motor vehicles. In addition, adding a customer portal for users to log in will let Coloradans see details specific to their own DMV account, including information about their driver’s license expiration and renewal, Bustle said. The portal will also enable more secure interactions in areas that have a higher risk of fraud.
Staffers will also have a new workflow to handle transactions.
“We’re moving to a new way of doing business,” the senior director said. The new system’s “service interactions” entail consolidated processes based on the type of service being requested. Instead of navigating manually through different pages for a single process, the new system offers staff a more efficient way of doing business.
To make this upgrade possible, however, several temporary service closures are on the calendar:
- Friday: Scheduled appointments are not available at state DMV offices after 3:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time (MST). All other DMV online services and express kiosk transactions will be unavailable after 7:00 p.m. MST.
- Monday: The system upgrade is complete.
- Feb. 17: DMV online services and express kiosk transactions relaunch. Scheduled appointments are not available at state DMV offices.
Each county will manage its own office availability schedule, post-upgrade.
To support this adjustment period, public education and communication were critical to ensuring that people could receive services they needed without interruption. DMV staff took proactive steps to encourage people to access services like vehicle registration and driver’s license renewals, prior to February and scheduled interruptions.
“The good news is, it’s a very narrow time that it’s going to be down, and honestly, it’s been three years in the planning,” Bustle said.
State officials worked closely with counties, where motor vehicle title and registration is done in Colorado, to ensure consistent public messaging. The coordinated planning process was not limited to the public sector but extended to outside partners like dealers that would be selling cars on the weekend when DMV systems would not be available, to find a way to offer them temporary tags for that time period.
The new system will allow the DMV to better support its services. The new platform is expected to support integrating different technologies to make it easier for people to do more things at a kiosk, like renewing a driver’s license.
As part of the digital transformation process, DMV worked with hundreds of testers who tried out the platform with a testing coordinator. Doing so, Bustle said, helped the state prioritize improvements during development.
“I think it’s going to be better for the customers, better for the staff, better for our data folks — all around,” she said. “We’re moving to this brand-new platform that’s going to allow us to really continue to be front of the line with innovation and technology.”
DMV officials are now looking ahead at other ways technology can improve the division’s service delivery, such as video appointments.
