The index, which incorporates 1,200 data points, does not offer the best results yet for the State of Saxony-Anhalt<\/a>. The state occupies spot number 15 out of 16. The state index covers 4 sections:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The governance structure of the federal state is quite fragmented, with 218 municipalities and just over 2 million people in a rather large territory. The state scores relatively poorly regarding the digital economy. Indicators include the number of computer science students, IT companies, and newly founded tech startups. It\u2019s scoring better in digital infrastructure, which includes 5G\/LTE infrastructure and fast gigabit internet connection for companies, households, and schools. These 2 areas are represented by more than 2 ministries, which may or may not collaborate closely. I learned that a senior digital leader has been appointed in each of the ministries in Saxony-Anhalt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The third section of the study, governance and administration, is the one I can relate to the most. Indicators for it include online services, the digital maturity of municipalities, the existence of a responsible ministry for digital, a chief digital officer, a check for digital-ready state legislation, and a monitored digital strategy. That\u2019s rather my turf. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The roll-out of online services across those 218 municipalities is not as straightforward as it appears. Each municipality has different capabilities, capacities, budgets, priorities, and needs. Even a good online service might be rejected as the integration effort is considered too high, and citizens are served reasonably well through other non-digital delivery channels\u2014at least, a local leader might think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I have much more to learn about the relationship between state-level digital ministries and their digital units and municipalities, cities, and districts. In general, much power is delegated to the lowest level of government in Germany. But that\u2019s also where the least money and maturity are, which can stall digital transformation efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The fourth section of the digital state index covers digital society. Indicators there include internet and device usage, digital competencies, usage of government online services, and attitudes towards digital offerings. It also contains perceived overload and stress of citizens. In Saxony-Anhalt, 92% of the citizens have a positive perception of digitalisation and its potential benefits, but also \u201c44% feel very often or quite often overwhelmed by digital technologies\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My view is that a good chunk of these people feel overwhelmed because digital offerings are poorly designed. They are hard to understand and difficult to use. User-centred design approaches are one, but not the only, answer to this. Quality standards play a role in mitigating the stressors. Hence, I am glad the Ministry for Infrastructure and Digital is interested in applying the Service Standard. In the last 5 minutes of our 2-hour session, I briefly introduced myself to the attending council members and, of course, mentioned my work on and with the Service Standard. In the coming sessions, I will have more time to share more and engage more deeply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This week, another justice service launched. After creating an eligibility checker last summer, our Access to Justice team launched the online application for legal aid (\u2018Beratungshilfeschein beantragen<\/a>\u2019). It sits on the new justice service platform and uses the same patterns as the small claims service we launched last week. There are still some inconsistencies in the patterns\u2019 application, but that is something we can address in the coming days and weeks while the services evolve and mature further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Wednesday morning, I gave a 30-minute introductory talk on service design and transformation to kick off a workshop with our project partners at the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women, and Youth. We are working with them on parental benefits services, and together, we want to take a broader view. I used a slightly adapted version of the \u2018How-to service design\u2019 presentation<\/a> I gave to colleagues at German Railway at the beginning of the year. Apparently, my input on Wednesday was helpful and created a productive foundation for the following hours. I reused the \u2018Check your state pension forecast\u2019 case study from DWP, which I have often included before. Unlike any other, it\u2019s versatile. It shows the tremendous effort of connecting the dots and bringing together many different aspects of a whole service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We are searching for a September date for a peer review of the parental benefit service in the making. It will be the first one that includes external reviewers and ministry partners to be present. I am looking forward to it. Shortly after, we plan to publish a blog post about our experience with peer review, which will be guidance on how to run one effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our small Service Standard team drafted objectives and key indicators for the coming months. Robert, Stefan and I also reviewed the next wave of people to interview. And, to my delight, we reviewed the earliest possible first draft of a Service Standard rewrite. About half a dozen interviews into the expert inputs, combined with the analysis of the European Interoperability Framework principles, the draft feels like a sensible update. There is plenty to do, but it points into a right direction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While doing all the further research and rewriting work, learning from those who have led the rollout of a new standard will be valuable, too. So, I\u2019ve been in touch with Stephen, who led the rollout of version 3 of the UK Service Standard<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coincidentally, Clara speed-wrote and published a blog post about equity and justice in service design<\/a>. Some Service Standards around the world have added related points. New Zealand, for example, has a point asking to \u201cBe inclusive and provide ethical and equitable services<\/a>\u201d. I want us to review how we might be able to cover these aspects in our rewritten version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEquity and Justice: why it matters in UK government digital services and what we can do about it\u201d\n\n\u2014@claragt.bsky.social on what #equity and #justice means in the context of our work, why it\u2019s important and 6 things leaders and decision-makers can practically do:\n\nmedium.com\/@clara.greo\/…\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSupporting more service design, thinking and delivery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
[image or embed]<\/a><\/p>— Martin Jordan (@martinjordan.com<\/a>) Aug 5, 2024 at 18:08<\/a><\/blockquote>