News

... long live the kiosk

In this guest commentary, British analyst Dominic Robinson explains why kiosks potentially hold the key to increasing citizen adoption of electronic government services at the local level.

August 8, 2005

Piecemeal implementation of information and communications technology initiatives, in any sector or environment, leads to a fragmented end-product.

Components which are meant to support and enable each other end up as separate non-cohesive units that are clunky and awkward to use, with varying degrees of obsolescence and interconnectability. Worse still when viewed separately, few components are truly viable.

Take smartcards. On their own, they have no business case. When imposed into an environment like libraries or leisure centres, where there is usually a perfectly adequate low cost system already in place, it's not hard to see why few councils regard them favourably. But look at the technology as an enabler of other initiatives such as Customer Relationship Management and the picture is very different.

Kiosks have had an easier ride because they demonstrably meet the 'dissemination' objective and are therefore strategically the right thing to do - the fact that no one currently uses them and they don't complement any other parts of the ICT strategy are secondary considerations.

This lack of integration characterises many eGovernment structures dogged by a 'bit by bit' implementation strategy. So far, great things have been achieved by local authorities offering services online, but few people are actually using these facilities. Force them to do so by dismantling the old interfacing methods, and the gap between the IT-literate and the less-so will turn into a chasm. Suppose you create a one-stop-shop CRM centre without an authentication method - you are back to square one in terms of forcing citizens to queue for hours and then asking them for countless bits of paper to prove who they are before their query can be answered. Strategically it's the right thing to do, but it goes against the premise that ICT creates efficiencies.

If the three cornerstones of public service reform are: 1) content, 2) service promotion and communication and 3) access, then we are very much at first base and likely to stay there for some while yet. Providing access opportunities to services is the real interface with citizens, and when that's sorted out, communicating the facilities available is easy.

Smartcards in Libraries

Whilst there is not a local authority in the land which hasn't baulked at the prospect of introducing smart cards into libraries because of the reasons above, they represent one of the few departments which have gone some way down the authentication route already. Presumably, since the first ever library, users have had to prove who they are before they can join. But there's something else that libraries can offer, and on the basis that predictions that libraries could be obsolete within 15 years, it may be worth considering. And that is their potential as local authority shop windows.

They already fulfil this role to an extent by displaying racks full of nasty leaflets, but in the information age, a managed environment where citizens can access their council services online and be guided through the processes necessary is surely indispensable. Already, the Internet has proved to be a traffic-building lifeline for libraries, so its potential role as a local services showroom is clear.

The fact that they are managed means that smartcards can also be used to self-authenticate. Although smart card readers are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to on-line smart transactions, they are extremely cheap and available off-the-shelf. Maybe, then, the way forward for CRM? Self service, no queuing in line, no utility bills to prove your identity, just a smart enabled PC in your local library.

What about non-managed environments? Street kiosks, for example. Currently they don't deliver because again, few people use them and they take up space, but of all the tools in the box, kiosks have the greatest potential for disseminating information in a truly inclusive manner. No need for your own home PC, no need for library membership, and no real need to be able to use a computer - just touch the screen, wave your card at the contactless reader and you're off; the kiosk knows who you are, what your preferred language is, whether you'd like a Braille print out, what benefits you're entitled to and how much Council Tax you need to pay. You could even charge up the e-purse on your card and buy some car parking vouchers or public transport credits, order (and pay for) a taxi, or chase up a repair to your house. The content is relevant because its tailored to the cardholder, and its easy for anyone to operate because it's touch-screen.

If high street positioning of kiosks conflicts with the notion of personalised, tailored services, then there is surely a role for kiosks in closed or micro communities like villages, or housing association blocks, where there may be just a few hundred potential users. Smart enabled kiosks have already been used by housing associations to reward prompt payment of rent, or to enable tenants to chase up house repairs, but there's more - how about a time banking application, where individuals can trade time with each other, access community notice boards or leave messages for their neighbours?

So why hasn't this happened? Delivering e-services has assumed something of a Cinderella role, with much of the focus currently on actually creating the services rather than actually 'getting them out there'. But high profile dissemination methods like these serve an additional purpose by communicating that the facility is actually available. If no-one ever sees a street kiosk being used, it deters other users, and vice versa. It's a viral effect which was put to good use by TfL's Oyster card, who initially provided employees with fully working prototypes. These effectively gained the attention of other travellers who wanted to know why they could get through concourse barriers just by waving a card at the reader. Nothing builds demand like seeing someone using something you want.

Dominic Robinson is a marketing and communication specialist located in London. His article originally appeared in eGov Monitor, and is reprinted here with their kind permission.