Diploma in Citizen Experience
5-day professional qualification for public sector leaders, CX leads and service designers, leading to the Certified Citizen Experience Professional (CCEP) credential.
Built for public service
The Diploma in Citizen Experience (CEPD) is ICXI’s flagship professional qualification for public sector leaders, designers and practitioners responsible for the quality of citizen experience across government services. Over five days, ten domains and twenty-five modules it builds the full professional competence of a Certified Citizen Experience Professional (CCEP). Citizen experience is not customer experience with a different label: public services work under a unique mandate of democratic accountability, equity of access, legal and ethical obligations, and a duty to serve citizens who often have no alternative provider. Every module is grounded in public sector practice, public value theory and the realities of government service delivery.
5 days
About 35 hours, classroom or live virtual
25 modules
Ten DiCX domains, five modules a day
30-question exam
40 minutes, 70% to pass (21 of 30)
CCEP credential
ICXI Diploma, renewed every three years
The five-day agenda
Foundations of citizen experience, understanding citizens, designing citizen services, delivering service excellence and leading transformation, with the CCEP examination on the final afternoon.
Days 1–2 · Foundations & Understanding Citizens
- D1The Citizen Experience Imperative
Why citizen experience is the defining challenge of modern government: a political, operational and ethical priority.
- D1Public Value & the Social Contract
Moore’s Public Value Theory, the social contract, equity as a service design principle and public value beyond satisfaction.
- D1Trust, Legitimacy & Citizen Rights
The Trust Index, citizen charters and service standards, rights-based approaches, and OECD and UN benchmarks.
- D1The DiCX Framework
The ten core domains, how they interact, and mapping your organisation’s strengths and gaps against the framework.
- D1Digital Government & the Transformation Agenda
The digital maturity spectrum, digital inclusion, GovTech and platform government, and the citizen experience lens.
- D2Citizen Segmentation & Diversity
Demographic, behavioural and needs-based segmentation, and where current service design excludes whole populations.
- D2Vulnerability, Accessibility & Inclusion
Temporary, situational and enduring vulnerability, universal design, digital exclusion and the assisted-digital model.
- D2Citizen Journey Mapping for Public Services
Stages, touchpoints and channels, citizen emotion at each stage, multi-agency journeys and moments of truth.
- D2Voice of Citizen: Research Methods
Surveys, consultations, complaints and co-production, quantitative and qualitative methods, and closing the feedback loop.
- D2Measuring Citizen Satisfaction & Trust
The Citizen Satisfaction Index, OECD trust frameworks, Citizen NPS and publishing results for transparency.
Days 3–5 · Design, Delivery & Transformation
- D3Human-Centred Service Design
Design thinking in public services, contextual research, turning insight into requirements, and prototyping with real citizens.
- D3Co-Design & Co-Production with Citizens
The co-production spectrum, co-design principles, community asset mapping and running co-design sessions.
- D3Channel Strategy & Digital-Physical Integration
Channel types and channel shift without exclusion, channel-appropriate interactions and joined-up handovers between channels.
- D3Service Standards & Citizens’ Charters
The anatomy of a service standard, Citizens’ Charters, equitable standard-setting, and monitoring and publishing performance.
- D3Service Blueprinting for Public Services
Frontstage, backstage and support processes, fail points, process redesign and cross-agency blueprints.
- D4Building a Citizen-Centric Culture
Shared values and visible behaviours, the role of leadership, culture assessment and sustaining culture change.
- D4Frontline Excellence in Public Services
The frontline role and emotional labour, essential competencies, active listening and the authority to act.
- D4Complaints, Redress & Ombudsman Frameworks
Complaints as a citizen right, best-practice complaint handling, the complaint journey and working with ombudsmen.
- D4Service Recovery & Handling Difficult Interactions
The service recovery paradox, the HEART model, first contact resolution and handling distressed interactions.
- D4Performance Management & Public Accountability
KPIs and reviews, the balanced scorecard for public services, transparency obligations and continuous improvement.
- D5CX Strategy in the Public Sector
Aligning CX strategy with government priorities, the citizen experience vision, strategic priorities and the strategy-on-a-page.
- D5Stakeholder Management & Political Navigation
Mapping political, operational and citizen stakeholders, managing upward, cross-agency collaboration and political turnover.
- D5Change Management for Citizen-Centric Reform
Why public sector transformation fails, Kotter, ADKAR and PROSCI adapted for government, and change communication.
- D5Innovation, Technology & AI in Public Services
AI in citizen services, bias, fairness, transparency and accountability, digital identity, and the risks and safeguards.
- D5Building the Business Case for Citizen Experience
The economics of citizen experience, the ROI of CX in government, public value metrics and writing the business case.
- D5The CCEP Examination
30 applied, scenario-based multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes, closed book and invigilated, with 70% to pass (21 of 30).
Who it is for, and what you gain
Who should attend
- Directors, Deputy Directors and Heads of Service in central, regional or local government
- Citizen and customer experience leads in ministries, agencies and state-owned enterprises
- Service designers, policy practitioners and programme managers responsible for citizen-facing services
- Digital transformation and GovTech leaders whose remit touches citizen service delivery
- Leaders of complaints, ombudsman and redress functions
What you will leave with
- The ICXI Diploma in Citizen Experience and the CCEP post-nominal letters
- Practical competence across all ten domains of the DiCX Framework
- The DiCX diagnostic, to map the strengths and gaps of any public service
- Citizen segmentation with attention to vulnerability and digital exclusion
- A Voice of Citizen programme, with trust measured through CSI, Citizen NPS and OECD frameworks
- Service design, co-design, channel strategy, service standards and blueprinting
- Complaints, redress and service recovery practice, including the HEART model
- A business case for citizen experience built on financial and public value arguments
How it fits the Academy pathway
The Diploma in Citizen Experience is ICXI’s flagship public sector qualification and the public sector counterpart of the CX Professional Diploma. Three or more years of public sector or customer experience leadership is recommended but not required, and pre-programme reading is issued ten working days before Day 1. CCEP holders can go on to the ICXI Standards Assessor public sector pathway, the Fellowship of the ICXI public sector track or the Diploma in Patient Experience, and keep the credential current with 20 CPD hours a year. Shorter public sector programmes include the Citizen Experience Executive Masterclass, the Certified CX Practitioner (Public Sector & Government) and Government CX Assessor Training (GCXA).
Book a place on the Diploma in Citizen Experience
Enrol a cohort, commission a tailored public sector delivery, or discuss accreditation of an in-country delivery partner. The ICXI team will come back to you with dates and details.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the Diploma in Citizen Experience for?
Public sector managers, CX leads, service designers and policy practitioners: directors, deputy directors and heads of service in central, regional or local government; citizen and customer experience leads in ministries, agencies and state-owned enterprises; digital transformation and GovTech leaders; and leaders of complaints, ombudsman and redress functions. Mixed cohorts from different ministries and agencies are encouraged.
How long is the course and how is it delivered?
Five days, about 35 hours of directed learning, delivered face to face (preferred) or live virtual for 8 to 20 participants. Live virtual delivery runs over a six-day window, with five delivery days and a separate examination day, for up to 16 participants.
How is the diploma assessed?
By a closed-book, invigilated examination on the final afternoon of Day 5: 30 applied, scenario-based multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes, three from each of the ten domains, with 70% to pass (21 of 30). Results are issued within 10 working days and one free re-sit is available within 60 days.
What is the CCEP credential?
Certified Citizen Experience Professional, ICXI’s credential for public sector CX practice. Successful candidates receive the ICXI Diploma in Citizen Experience and the right to use the post-nominal letters CCEP. It is earned by passing the examination, never awarded for attendance, and is renewed every three years through 20 CPD hours a year, a reflective portfolio and a short refresher examination.
Are there any prerequisites?
Three or more years of public sector or customer experience leadership is recommended but not required. The programme is pitched at professional and managerial level, and pre-programme reading is issued ten working days before Day 1.
How is it different from the CX Professional Diploma?
Citizen experience is not customer experience with a different label. This diploma is built for public service: democratic accountability, equity of access, legal and ethical obligations, and citizens who often have no alternative provider. The CX Professional Diploma covers customer experience in commercial settings, and CCEP holders can take it to extend their practice.