Towards User Centric Public Services

[...] * 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…
Veera Vihula
This is something we hear from our citizens. It can't all be digital, multichannel interaction is needed (Espoo)
Veera Vihula, 21/04/2021 07:41
Bjorn Dirkse
fundamentally the baseline should be that citizens can use the channel, online or offline, that best suits their needs and skills/capacity. This is not only a matter of efficiency or practicallity, but also empathic connections can not be underestimated. Both sides of the interaction are often human beings, and mutual understanding of this can reduce perverse effects of policies, reduce agrression or misunderstanding, and support early interventions for vulnerable members of society
Bjorn Dirkse, 23/04/2021 12:49
Maureen Wijsman
In addition to what Bjorn says; a digital only approach will probably never be viable. There will always be people who prefer to interact or do business with us in a different way (offline). This is also related to the context of the user. The choice for digital only is (often) based on costs and therefore not user-centered, but organization-centered. E.g.: research has shown us that people prefer to call in case of a complaint, instead of filling in some online form. We simply have to take this emotional elements of customer contact into account.
Maureen Wijsman, 26/04/2021 16:31