Digital inclusion and assisted digital | Louise Russell | December 2014

What can you do?

1. Make digital services so good people

choose to use them

2. Help people to get online and develop

their skills

3. Assist people who can’t use digital

services by themselves

Louise Russell

Local Direct

Services so good that

people choose to use

them

Why online?

Online self service is the most cost effective

way for councils to deliver most services and

information

Why online?

Online is

- 20x cheaper than phone

- 30x cheaper than post

- 50x cheaper than face-to-face

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/digital-efficiency-report

Why online?

Citizens and businesses who are capable of

using and benefiting from the internet are

also likely to be more prosperous and….

- save or make money

- find jobs

- become less isolated

- increase their health and wellbeing

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-digital-inclusion-strategy/government-digital-inclusion-strategy

What is “digital exclusion”?

• 21% of the population of Britain are digitally excluded

• Around 30% of small to medium businesses (SMEs) don’t have a website

• 72% of voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs) lack the skills to transact online

Digital inclusion scale

1. Never have, never will

2. Was online, but no longer

3. Willing and unable

4. Reluctantly online

5. Learning the ropes

6. Task specific

7. Basic digital skills

8. Confident

9. Expert

@SarahPrag

What’s the ambition?

To help as many people as possible to move

from being excluded (1-6) to basic digital

skills or above

Who are the “excluded”?

- Living in social housing

- On low wages or unemployed

- Registered with disabilities

- Offenders & ex-offenders

Intros

1. Say hello to the people on your table!

- Your name, where you are from

2. Share one thing your council are already

doing to help tackle digital exclusion

Make digital services so good

people choose to use them

Make digital services so good people

choose to use them

- user centred

- clearly written

- accessible

Simpler, clearer, faster

A relentless

focus on

user needs

Pic by @PaulAnnett

data

The purpose of any page or tool on

your site should be to meet a specific

user need as efficiently as possible

Who is it for?

Why are they here?

What do they need to know or do?

“As a _______ I want to ________so that I can ________”

Present things in the order that will

make sense to the user

Only include what they need to know

to successfully make a decision or

complete an action

Use plain English

Use the active voice

“You must…”

not “it is mandatory to…”

“But it has to be complicated for legal/policy reasons”

Not very often

Accessibility

Percentages of visits to GOV.UK from computer, mobile and tablet

Start with user needs

based on evidence & data

design clear specific content

focused on steps people need to take

make sure everyone can access it

Any questions?

Helping people to get online

and develop their skills

GDS DI checklist1. Start with user need – not our own2. Improve access- stop making things difficult3. Motivate people- find something they care

about4. Keep it safe – build trust5. Work with others –don’t do it alone6. Focus on wider outcomes – measure

performance

Overcoming barriers

Access Skills

Motivation Trust

Access

Motivation

Motivation

Skills

Trust

Assisting people who can’t

use digital services by

themselves

Assisted digital

If you are providing a public service digitally,

then you are responsible for making sure

everyone can use it

This includes the people who can’t use it

unassisted

Assisted digital

Assisted digital

Someone will either guide the user through

the service – “face-by-face”, via web chat or

over the phone

Or they might need to take over and enter

information on behalf of the user

Assisted digital

Solution will be different for every service, as

it depends on the particular needs of the

people you are assisting

A relentless

focus on

user needs!

Assisted digital

Advice from GDS:

- Think about assisted digital from the start

- Research & assess the needs of users

- Understand their wider journey & context

- Identify sustainable partners

- Pilot early & iterate

Assisted digital

- Your own staff and facilities

- Organisations working on digital inclusion

- Intermediaries: charities, lawyers, libraries,

Citizens Advice Bureau, JobCentre Plus…

Assisted digital

Increased confidence

Digital inclusion