technology to enhance the access to and delivery of government services to benefit citizens, businesses and employees."
And, government has been busy. The President, many state and local governments, have big e-government initiatives underway. One estimate I've seen projects that e-government spending in the US will more than double each year between 2000 and 2005 (from a base of 1.5 billion dollars)! And government Web-traffic is growing. A Hart-Teeter poll done for the Council for Excellence in Government, shows that over half of Americans, and 76% of Internet users, have visited a government website.
Digital government is the core competency for the new century
But, let's back up a moment and notice two things in particular in Lyle's definition that posit critical challenges for government designers. First, note that both access to and delivery of government services are included in the definition. Yet, as recent as a 2000 survey of over 1800 e-government websites discovered that seventy-eight percent delivered no online services. They were, simply put, electronic versions of pamphlet racks. (You can read in Lyle's latest column examples where developers have recently been turning that around!)
Note also in Lyle's definition the list of e-government's beneficiaries - citizens first, businesses, and (government) employees. Putting these into a 3-square matrix produces nine possible relationships, but only six are usually considered the realm of e-government:
- Government to government
- Government to business
- Government to citizen
- Business to government
- Citizen to government
- Citizen to citizen
Again, until recently, government designers had done well in designing new ways for government to communicate to business and citizens, but lagged in the provision of citizen or business access back to government (e.g. customer feedback systems, on-line eligibility or on-line procurement).
To me, the challenges are clear. As government reform advocates, we must put citizens first - and dramatically expand the interactivity of government web applications and enable online access to the most important government services. New kinds of Web-designs are needed for community convening, for direct citizen voice or choice within public services, and for citizen to citizen exchanges about public systems or policies. Excitingly, Lyle's current column reports that citizen-centric sites are growing exponentially.
What are some cool ideas from our clients? Here are three.
Don't pave the cowpaths - re-invent! We recently helped a state arts council significantly reduce the time spent on the processing of grant applications. In preparation for on-line entry of a grant application, this client redesigned what they asked for in the first place, as well as the grant review process once the application is in the door. By doing both together, 50-60 % of the application review time has been targeted for elimination, while maintaining process fairness and integrity. To me, these leaders used an e-government initiative as an opportunity to rethink how processes are carried out, and the rules and regulations that underlie them. From a grant applicant perspective, the changes will make the process easier to access, more timely, and their status within the process more visible. Citizen "self-service". A leader of a state services for the blind wished to reach many more older blind and to reach them earlier in their sight loss. Yet the agency's staffing levels could not handle an increased number of customers.
This client, with our help, designed an on-line 'solutions inventory.' This inventory - to be broadly marketed where seniors gather - lists common issues related to blindness and frequently asked questions, yes. But it goes beyond that.
As conceptualized, the inventory will allow citizens with vision loss to directly 'self-serve' from tools and aids that have helped others -- without having to wait in line to have eligibility determined. For example, the inventory will describe the latest adaptive technologies they could purchase, as well as local service providers they could contact on their own. When operational, the solutions inventory will also allow users the ability to enter a solution that has worked for them (helping to uncover additional resources around the state). It will allow users to inquire about services they would like, but don't see listed. Also, through list-serves, inquirers could connect directly with other blind persons who have agreed to be contacted as mentors. To my knowledge, the citizen-to-citizen and self-service aspects of this on-line design are cutting edge and will allow many more people to receive service than the prior "wait in line" approach ever would.
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