The public has mixed and contradictory views about the use of IT in the provision of services, according to research published by the Work Foundation.
In the latest of a series of reports into public sector IT, the think tank finds that people have mixed feelings about e-government.
Generally, people want to access more services online yet the majority also say they always prefer to speak to someone face-to-face. A typical response to the Work Foundation's focus group sessions was that the Internet is "good for transactional exchanges such as paying council tax, but I wouldn't want to type a list of my symptoms into a computer — for that I might prefer to speak to people."
The survey, issued on 8 July, 2005, shows clear divides according to income and also between men and women in attitudes to e-services.
More women than men made up the total (32 percent) of those preferring to access public services through one stop shops and over the phone. Those opting to use Internet services were typically male, aged 16-44 and were full time workers.
Overall, there is less enthusiasm for using online services than face to face contact, the report says. Just over half (52 percent) say they would like to access more services online, while 30 percent disagree. More than three quarters (76 percent) say they always prefer to speak to someone face to face. At the same time, 76 percent would like to access services outside normal working hours and 63 percent agree that it is easier to find information about public services on the Internet.
The Work Foundation makes a range of recommendations based on the survey. It says that the main Web site Directgov should be made simpler.
"DirectGov must be more than a portal," it says. "It needs to be supported through a reduction in the number of public service Web sites. One solution would be to create a common Web site format that could be used across public services. This would lead to familiarity and offers the potential of branding public services."
It also calls for attention to be paid to segmenting different groups of public service users. For some users, the possibility of compulsion should be carefully considered, it says.
"Services where the customer base predominantly has access to the Internet should phase in making online services their first port of call, learning from the experience of others, e.g. the Inland Revenue and UCAS, and should aim to publicise the benefits of using alternative services, e.g. accessibility of online services. However, compulsion remains a difficult solution for a broad range of public services."
A further recommendation is that all online services should have a helpline option for those "struggling to understand them". This would require involving non-technical staff in developing IT services, it says.
"People who require the most public services are usually those with the least access to IT," said Alexandra Jones, Work Foundation senior researcher. "Public servants need to design services around the different needs of different groups, making use of IT. This could mean text messages for young people and telephone services for older people. The next challenge is to encourage use of more cost-effective services whilst maintaining quality and inclusion."
The report What ICT? Providing more citizen focused services is the second in a series of three sponsored by Adobe. A final report is due to be published in the autumn.
Talkback
DirectGov is far too cluttered, I live in Scotland and in the poorest city, that being Dundee. Our council website is shit, its true. I read report after report of e-government falings yet see little improvement over what has already been done.
There are some websites that do work like:
The British Passport service: http://www.ukpa.gov.uk/
HM Treasury: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/
Royal Navy (government funded): http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/
DEFRA: http://www.defra.gov.uk/
However these websites all have their own style, so their is some real merit in the comment "One solution would be to create a common Web site format that could be used across public services" however each one has to retain a certain style so we don't get 'e-grey', all sites must work together with standards like XML etc... and the whole thing should plug into the website for Europe seamlessly (there is also talk of an EU website reform)
As for 24/7 help we would all like that, but some want face to face, no problem, all government has to do is use VoIP with a 24h help desk. I should be able to contact a minister with MSN messenger using voice chat, we could arrange a meeting with a common calendar as in Longhorn and that would save travelling. As it is I am setting up meetings with my local MP, MSP and MEP's when I could have a video chat.
Which brings me to another thing, why can't I get information easily. Only last week I tried to find the recycling timetable for our street on our council website but it was not put online. They did send one promptly through the post but the whole thing should be done automatically. Other things I would like is to go to my councils website and type in my postcode then get all the information relevant to me like my MP, MSP, poling booth, a bio etc... that is still a job for google at the moment.
What I really want is more interaction with government and my local council. I am an environmentalist and since online campaigning came about it just shows how easy it is to send emails to ministers about envirionmental topics, some of these sites like www.theyworkforyou.com show in depth stats on how often an MP tables questions, votes, attends, takes their 'entitled' allowance etc...
All this kind of information should be put on goverment/council websites for all to see, then data could be manipulated to show a pie chart really showing you how they behave, how green they are etc... That is true government transparentcy and the way forward.
As for accessability "People who require the most public services are usually those with the least access to IT" the digital era of TV could sort that out, everyone will have one of those.
As for what I would like from e-government in the future, it would have be easily accessable information that came to me on my desktop, like a recycle timetable that auto-synced with my Longhorn/MSN calendar, stats directly from the council website that could be streamed/downloaded to create charts to show how well my MP was performing, Blogs to allow the community to comunicate - from theose using their TV to their mobile phone, casting a vote should be done on the desktop securly, VoIP to ask questions that still take as long to answer via email as by post could eliminate that, multilingual help, tracking legislation, online forums that all locals can participate in when discussing and highlighting local problems or desires such as the littering of school children etc...
It would be easy for people to be overwhealmed with the stats that government can churn out, but simple things like video chat, timetable intergration, forums, voting that came to me would be better than what we have now, people are underwhealmed by governement.
If anything e-government should be build with diversity and flexibility in mind rather then a single-solution "one size fits all" approach.
There are only two constants in IT and those are: damage and change.
Things will go wrong and things will change. Don't include those aspects from the very beginning into your design and you're bound to pay the price later.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the average citizen doesn't exist. One will find it easier to find information in that way using computer system A with programs B and C. And another citizen will like an almost opposite way using system D with program E, a phone and a printer. And in time they'll change what they like and use several times.
So it's "multiple" that people are really after.
The challenge is to make that happen and keep it happening. And apart from technical solutions a whole bunch of organizational solutions will have to be found, established and maintained as well.
Benefits of e-governance
The beneficial concept of e-governance can be utilized for the following purposes:
(1) To have access to public documents.
(2) For making online payments of various bills and dues.
(3) To file statutory documents online.
(4) To file the complaints, grievances and suggestions of citizens online.
(5) The online facility can be used to enter into a partnership the appropriate government in cases of government contracts.
(6) The citizens can use the online facility to file their income tax returns.
(7) The citizens will enjoy the facility of online services.
(8) The various departments of the government can be computerized and centralized and the responsibility for its proper maintenance can be fixed on an agency.
However, for a successful e-governance project technology plays only 15% role, while rest 85% role is being taken care of by project management. Human resource development of the existing workforce in order to inculcate appropriate skills and attitudes is a critical factor. Equally important is the establishment and set up of the basic infrastructure, which is conducive to the efficient functioning of the e-governance. A sound communication infrastructure is essential for easy access. It should be innovatively used to ensure that no section of society is deprived of the benefits arising therefrom. Governments have to learn to digitise documents quickly and effectively. That way information will be easily accessible. It must be kept in mind that technology is a double-edged sword. It is a vital tool, but it can also cause immense harm. Thus, security of e-governance base is of utmost importance and it should be a primary concern of the government. Once this type of base is adopted, transparency will be its logical outcome, wiping out corruption and arbitrariness completely. It will also reduce red-tapism and bureaucracy hassles to a great extent resulting into a sound system of e-governance. It will contribute significantly in eradication of corruption. The sooner it is adopted; the better it will be for the nation in general and for its citizens in particular.
Yes, there are benefits of digitizing the lot. However, as the NASA hack (as in: unauthorized, undesired, etc) has shown there are things that need to be taken care of first before trusting the lot to the digitized world. Keep in mind also that more then half of hacks are inside jobs.
As said before: if you don't take into account damage (as in: unauthorized, undesired, etc) and change right from the start a world of hurt is awaiting you.