Week 4 – Who loses?
“How can we make sure our government services are inclusive, especially as we move into digital transformation and make more services available through digital means (which has impacts to improve inclusivity and also cause exclusion)?”
Thinking about my project topic and an additional question springs to mind.
When you move towards digital only platforms to access government services, who loses?
I have a loved one who is disabled and because she is not very comfortable with computers she usually has to go to a government office in person to get information or sign up for services. She also doesn’t have a printer at home so even if she can find the information online, if it’s a form that needs to be printed out, she will have to go somewhere else to get a printed copy. Waiting in a office for an indeterminate amount of time in uncomfortable chairs aggravates her health conditions. It would be better for her if things were easier online so that she could do everything there.
Maybe the issue is not just about going digital but also finding a way to make it easier overall. I think about the concept of UBI in this way – instead of having complicated applications for everything why can’t it just be automatic? Could government just keep the data to decide and proactive send special funding? What would it look like if your doctor was able to share your health records with the government with your consent if it meant you didn’t have to apply for special funding as a disabled person.
How can we make it easier? Ideas: Plain language instead of gov-speak is a big one, accessible to those with disabilities (screen readers, etc), some sort of personal digital assistant, or maybe we could offer more pre-populated data so people don’t have to go searching for information to provide which is actually already in the governments files.
How do we deliver digital services to people living in poverty? For those who are houseless – physical barriers may be why they do not go to government offices. Is the solution everyone gets a government issued mobile device?
Pros to services going digital
-wider access to more people who don’t live near a physical government office
-potentially easier to provide in multiple languages or even more languages as users can translate materials online themselves
-access isn’t limited to business days /business hours
-you could collaborate with others without having to arrange to meet in person all at the same time
-can implement policy changes very quickly
-can use software products to improve digital accessibility / overall accessibility
Cons to services going digital
-there are still people who are not comfortable with technology
-there are still people who have limited access to technology (ie a computer or smart phone)
-broadband access in remote locations can be a barrier
-unless your materials are clear and straightforward people may not be able to navigate the service without help
-it might be harder to get personalized help, especially outside of business hours
-people may not feel comfortable with the idea of pre-populated information (ie, “government is spying on me”)
I am planning to make use of some of the great courses I am taking this semester like Ethical Data Futures, Work Futures, and Representing Data. Readings about data activism and citizen participation from Inclusive society are also provided some useful information.
So in answer to my first question, who loses is a matter of what your disadvantages are – or how many of the cons are present for you versus how many of the pros. In terms of figuring out the groups most likely to be affected negatively I hope to first understand who the primary users are of the government service I will focus on and if some comparative characteristics can be identified. For example, how frequent is a certain service accessed by a non-English (or non-French in Canada) speaker and how much benefit would there be to providing translation in all other languages. Hopefully I can do some user research directly with the people accessing services to ask them what their preferences are, or what barriers they run into.
#magenta
BTW, how’d you set your picture on the blog? It’s cute!
Darcie – I have been mulling the exact same issues. One of my potential projects is looking into the impact on access to a disability grant here in the UK as the application has gone ‘digital by default’ over the last year, and the rejection rates have gone up for people applying. I to have a loved one who is disabled and it seems so obvious how limiting the digitisation can be for those who struggle with technology.
I like that you are thinking about how to solve these problems user-first rather than service-first. And by that I mean looking at what the users need and designing around that. Do you have an idea of how to reach the actual service users, including those who are currently excluded from access due to the way the system is set-up?