It has become evident to me in recent months that digital isn’t enough.
Many institutions are beginning to expect customers to rely solely on digital tools, and quite frankly, I’ve begun to realise that not enough people have the access needed.
Schools
My mother, a secondary school teacher, has told me that getting schoolchildren to do their schoolwork during the pandemic has been a struggle. Some students have found it a struggle because there isn’t the guidance, support and prompts they receive in the face-to-face environment of a school. Some students struggle because they don’t have access to a device or the internet.
Working primarily in digital, it can be easy to forget that not everyone can access the new-fangled tools we create online.
Although a large proportion of the population has a personal mobile phone, not all are smartphones, and not all people use or know how to use them for things except the basics.
Inclusive design and equality of access
Digital can be easier and cheaper for businesses (compared to staffing costs for other modes of delivery), but it shouldn’t be the only way a service is delivered in many industries.
We also shouldn’t penalise or make it harder for people to access services for those that do not have access.
Service Design
As a service designer, I consider the offline and online channels, staff and customer-facing tools, processes and journeys.
My role involves highlighting to businesses the pain points customers and staff face as they try to achieve their goals. Fairly often, companies focus much of their improvement efforts on digital channels, leaving the non-digital channels languishing.
In a world where everything changes rapidly, I can understand the drive to improve the online experience, but some users aren’t quite ready or well-equipped for this change.
Excluding these people means that a service or organisation will have fewer users.
This is why more mature organisations design the experience for people that do not have digital access and those that are not comfortable or able to use digital channels. In government, we call this assisted digital, and it’s an important part of ensuring that a service is inclusive.
Inclusive services are better. They serve more people and are easier to use. Time, thought and care should always be taken to make a service inclusive and accessible, not only for the people with access and capability to use technology but for those without it too.