Localising the User-Centricity Principles
1. DIGITAL INTERACTION
1.1 PRINCIPLE AS IN TALLINN DECLARATION
* To have the option to digitally interact with their administrations.
1.2 ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS FROM LOCAL AUTHORITIES
* To qualify the interactions and services that are in scope of this principle;
* To differentiate between digital interaction and providing digital public services.
1.3 CHALLENGES
Cities and regions recognise the importance of providing citizens and businesses with the option of digital interaction, also with their local administrations.
* Because the digital divide is still a reality, a digital only policy in interacting with local government is not feasible yet. Digital interaction will still need to be complemented with other modes of interaction. Some local authorities have described this in their local policy: digital services are digital by default, unless…
* There is a clear difference between digital interaction and providing digital services. Digital interaction could be as simple as giving citizens, businesses and other users the option to contact and interact with their local government via email. However, digital interaction via email is not scalable and interoperable.
* Local authorities point out that it is not always possible to provide services digitally. Certain services that are rendered on the local level, e.g. education services, are generally not digitised.
* Local governments do not have all the levers to provide certain services digitally and have to rely on a strong collaboration with other levels of government to digitise interaction with citizens, businesses and other users, and certain public services.
2. ACCESSIBILITY, SECURITY, AVAILABILITY AND USABILITY
2.1 PRINCIPLE AS IN TALLINN DECLARATION
* That the services are made more accessible (including findable) and secure and can be used by all in a non-discriminatory manner, with appropriate assistance available upon need;
* That the principles of universal design have been applied to the setting up of the services and that the websites are simple to read and easy to understand;
* That the authenticity of digital public services is secured and can be recognised in a clear and consistent manner.
2.2 ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS FROM LOCAL AUTHORITIES
* When designing digital services and websites, that attention is given to the usage of clear language that is understood by the users;
* That digital public services are provided on any digital platform and on any device that are commonly used in the local context;
* That digital public services are inclusive by default by co-designing guidelines that are developed in practice with users of different groups: people with disabilities, including specific mental health issues, different genders, different levels of skills, different languages…
Local authorities consider the accessibility and usability principle to be the core principle of the notion of user-centricity and they recognise the need to design and implement digital public services that are inclusive by default.
Digital public services that are provided by local authorities should be easily findable and accessible:
* local governments in every EU member state have competencies and responsibilities in many different policy fields and tend to communicate everything on their websites, often using a siloed organisational logic;
* many local authorities have made or are making the transition from a local information website in which the services appeared to be hidden to a portal website that is structured based upon the needs of users and their search for specific local digital public services;
* in making that transition, it is crucial to listen to a diverse group of users before starting the design, by using methodologies that check and understand their capacities, needs and usage of the websites and the services, thus improving the usability of the website and the services.
Local authorities find the correct usage of language to be an important aspect of accessibility, usability and availability of digital public services. This can be achieved by:
* developing a clear language agenda together with the users,
* providing content that is easily translatable in different languages by automated translation services, but also by using images and icons to improve understanding by specific target groups;
* developing language and design guidelines that are used to train future developers of digital public services and websites, thus creating a new development culture.
Multi-level collaboration:
* some public services demand intervention and implication of different levels of government (local, regional, national), each with their own rules, channels and principles;
* in order to make these multi-level services accessible and usable, collaboration between the different governments in design is necessary.
According to local authorities, more attention should be given in this principle to the protection and security of personal data.
3. REDUCTION OF ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN
3.1 PRINCIPLE AS IN TALLINN DECLARATION
* That public administrations make efforts to reduce the administrative burden on citizens and businesses, namely by optimizing and/or creating digital processes and services where relevant and possible, and by offering personalised and pro-active services
* Not to be asked to provide the same information to public services more than once, in due respect of data protection rules and regulations
3.2 ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS FROM LOCAL AUTHORITIES
* That the reduction of administrative burden is also achieved by reducing the entry points to local digital services for the users;
* That the reduction of the administrative burden is not limited to citizens and business, but that it is applicable to all users.
Local authorities recognise the needs for reduction of the administrative burden on citizens and businesses by optimizing and creating digital processes and services, and by offering personalised and pro-active services. However, they also point out that:
* the effort to reduce the administrative burden should not be limited to optimising front-office processes of digital services, but should also focus on the back-office processes
* many back-office processes and supporting systems are not designed with the user in mind but follow an organisational logic and can thus, jeopardize usability
* in certain cases where the legal basis and legal frameworks for digital services are issued at the national level and the execution at the local level, there is a risk of an increased administrative burden if there is insufficient collaboration between the two levels of government.
4. DIGITAL DELIVERY OF PUBLIC SERVICES
4.1 PRINCIPLE AS IN TALLINN DECLARATION
* That public services can as much as possible and appropriate, especially upon request of the user, be fully handled online, including the provision of any evidence required to obtain a right or fulfil obligations
* That the status of service delivery can be checked online where relevant
4.2 ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS FROM LOCAL AUTHORITIES
* When public services are fully rendered online, transparency of the underlying process needs to be guaranteed and human intervention and control still made possible.
Local authorities recognise that it is empowering citizens to make it possible to fully handle public services online and to enable the user to check the status of service delivery online.
The implementation of this principle at the local level is challenging, because:
* it asks for local administration staff to be fully skilled to use the digital tools for online service provision. It is not always possible for older or untrained staff to develop the necessary skills;
* it takes time, effort, and budget to replace legacy systems that are in place with front- and back-office applications that are compatible enough to make this possible for every relevant public service.
5. CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT
5.1 PRINCIPLE AS IN TALLINN DECLARATION
* That digital means are used to empower citizens and businesses to voice the views, allowing policy makers to collect new ideas, involve citizens more in the creation of public services and provide better digital public services.
5.2 ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS FROM LOCAL AUTHORITIES
* That the input from data that is already gathered from citizens, businesses and other users by administrations is first analysed, before starting to collect new ideas, or starting digital public service (co-)creating or (co-)design processes
Local authorities question the fact that citizen engagement is a design principle. Engaging citizens can also be a choice.
Local authorities recognise that it is important to involve all users in the creation of public services and they point out that, even though it is time consuming, including their insights already in the early stage of the development of digital services is worthwhile.
However, cities also point out that:
* before starting to collect new ideas, service co-creating or (co-)design processes (local) governments should analyse the input from data that is already gathered from users (e.g. from CRM sources)
* a multidisciplinary approach is needed to effectively co-create digital public services. Teams of people with skills in IT, citizen engagement and participation, design… need to collaborate
* local authorities feel a need to share information about tools, practices, methods, and applications to involve citizens and other users in the creation of digital public services.
6. INCENTIVES FOR DIGITAL SERVICE USE
6.1 PRINCIPLE AS IN TALLINN DECLARATION
* The barriers to use digital public services should be effectively removed, including by extending and promoting the benefits of, for example, higher confidence, speed, effectivity and reduced costs to individuals who are able to use them
6.2 ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS FROM LOCAL AUTHORITIES
* That investments are made in onboarding of citizens, businesses and other users of digital public services, by providing them with training in digital skills and better internet access, thus bridging the digital divide.
To local authorities the most important barriers for citizens and other users to use digital public services are the lack of skills to use digital tools and access to the internet. Bridging the digital gap as much as possible and working on improved accessibility of digital services will have a more positive impact than the mentioned incentives for digital service use.
7. PROTECTION OF PERSONAL DATA AND PRIVACY
7.1 PRINCIPLE AS IN TALLINN DECLARATION
* That the handling of personal data respects the general data protection regulation and privacy requirements at the EU and national levels, when applicable informing citizens about the use and storage of their personal data and allowing citizens to access and ask for the correction and deletion of personal data, where appropriate
7.2 ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS FROM LOCAL AUTHORITIES
* When designing public services, more attention is given to the principle that personal data is only collected when it is absolutely necessary
Local authorities recognise the importance of this principle but feel that there is a difference in both the interpretation and the application of the GDPR between European member states (experiences from projects such as the Citizen Card). These differences should be analysed in order to map the effects on the digital public services that are provided.
They also feel that, the more complex the service is and the more different interactions it requires, the more difficult it is to design the services and ensure compliance with the GDPR.
8. REDRESS AND COMPLAINTS MECHANISMS
8.1 PRINCIPLE AS IN TALLINN DECLARATION
* That redress mechanisms are available online and that citizens and business have access to complaint procedures online, while also in other available channel(s) of their choice
8.2 ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS FROM LOCAL AUTHORITIES
* That users also have the option of providing online feedback on the quality, availability, accessibility, findability and usability of digital public services
Local authorities feel that it is not only necessary to provide citizens, businesses and other users with the online possibility of filing complaints but also of providing feedback on the services and their experiences with interaction with their local governments.
A Making Speeches Talk Joint!
