Resident Experience (RX)
Defining trust in how people experience government
This is entry 6 of 10 in the Experience Tapestry™—a series on how public systems shape trust through experience—featured in our Civic Glossary.
What RX means
Resident experience (RX) describes how people experience government as members of a community—not just as “users” or “customers.” It captures fairness, respect, dignity, and equity in interactions with public systems.
RX is broader than a single service. It’s how residents experience government as a whole: whether they feel welcomed or excluded, supported or ignored, respected or dismissed.
Resident experience (RX) is the measure of whether government feels fair, respectful, and trustworthy.
Why RX matters in public systems
When RX is poor, people disengage from services and civic life. When it’s strong, democracy gains ground.
Government touches almost every part of civic life: schools, transit, healthcare, licensing, social support, policing. Each of these touchpoints contributes to RX.
When RX is poor, people may avoid services altogether, leading to worse health, safety, or financial outcomes. Distrust deepens, and people disengage from civic life. When RX is strong, residents experience government as competent, fair, and trustworthy—conditions that strengthen democracy.
What makes RX impactful
Inclusive design practices that recognize different communities face different barriers.
Transparency that helps residents understand decisions and processes.
Consistency across agencies so residents don’t face contradictions or silos.
Accessibility in physical, digital, and cultural forms.
Dignity in every interaction—from frontline staff to digital portals.
RX is not just about satisfaction. It’s about whether people feel government is on their side.
Participation and research in RX
Strong RX requires direct input from the public:
Community engagement practices like town halls and listening sessions.
Surveys and ethnographic research to understand resident needs across demographics.
Participatory design workshops that include those most impacted by services.
Feedback loops that make visible how resident input shapes changes.
RX thrives when residents see their voices respected and reflected back in real improvements.
Policy connections for RX
New York’s New York Experience (NYX) office shows how CX investments can strengthen Resident Experience (RX) by making services feel coherent and trustworthy.
Investments in Customer Experience (CX) at scale, like New York’s New York Experience (NYX) office, ultimately strengthen Resident Experience (RX). By making services feel coherent and accessible, governments build the trust and legitimacy that define RX.
HUD’s Community Engagement Playbook offers guidelines for meaningful resident participation, a core driver of RX.
The Executive Order on Transforming Federal Customer Experience ties agency performance to resident trust, indirectly advancing RX across federal agencies.
Connections to other experiences
RX builds on User Experience (UX), Customer Experience (CX), Service Experience (SX), but zooms out to ask: what does this add up to for residents overall?
RX is intertwined with ComX (community experience), since community dynamics shape how individuals experience services.
RX contributes to CivX (civic experience): positive day-to-day interactions encourage deeper participation in democracy.
Public Servants’ lens on RX
Resident experience is the truest test of public systems.
A program may meet policy goals on paper, but if residents leave feeling dismissed or disrespected, trust is lost. RX reminds us that government isn’t just about outcomes—it’s about the experience of getting there. Designing for RX means centering dignity and equity in every interaction.
Resident Experience (RX) is one strand of the Experience Tapestry™—a series on how public systems shape trust through experience—featured in our Civic Glossary. Explore the next entry on Community Experience (ComX) to see how neighborhoods and groups experience systems together.
Strengthen RX with us
Public Servants helps agencies design resident-centered services that build trust across communities. Reach out to learn how we can help measure, improve, and embed resident experience in your programs.
