The role of intermediaries in facilitating e-government diffusion in Saudi Arabia

Recent studies of e-government activity have highlighted adoption and diffusion issues as important subjects for rating e-government success. However in developing countries inadequate resources and limited citizens’ capabilities regarding new e-government have resulted in low diffusion and adoption of e-government services. This paper examines the role of intermediaries, which can be played by a third party; in bridging the gap between e-government implementation and social reality, and looks at the roles a third party can add within the e-government services mechanism. This paper uses a case study approach in order to reflect e-government progress within the context of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) as one developing country. The result of this paper shows that intermediaries play an important role in the diffusion of e-services in relation to improving the availability, accessibility and enhancing privacy and security

Cognitive User-centred Design Approach to Improve Accessibility for Blind People during Online Interaction

The use of internet and other communication technology has become predominantly common in the life of normal sighted users. In order to have a fair level of equality in the society, blind people must also be able to use these facilities with equal ease and effectiveness Many governments decided to implement e-Government applications to enhance the delivery of information and services to its citizens, residents and businesses. These e-Government applications were carefully designed with the help of international standards to serve the whole group of population and especially people with disabilities. However, recent studies showed that the acceptance rate of these e Government applications among the community, especially between people with disability, is not up to the expectations. The aim of this research is to investigate the accessibility issues faced by blind people while interacting with online services like e-Government portals Owing to the nature of content and the importance of information which is to be delivered to the whole country, the accessibility standards of such portals are of paramount importance. It is this idea of evaluation of such websites for special category of blind people that has been the main focus of this thesis. The main aim of this doctoral research is to discover any accessibility problems that could be faced by people with blind users during online interaction and not covered in accessibility standards. A real example of online interaction is the e-Government portals. This research followed a rigours tri-staged evaluation process for a selected e-Government portal (Saudi Arabian portal) to analyse the accessibility issues faced by blind people. The aim of this evaluation process is to understand the cognition and perception of a blind user while interacting with a web-based environment. The first step of the evaluation process was to verify the level of adherence of the selected portal to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). The second stage includes a detailed experimental exercise with a number of blind people following the task- oriented approach. The third step of the evaluation process was a detailed interview with web designers to analyse the problems faced by blind participants in the experimental exercise. Thereafter, cognitive-based solutions were proposed to improve the accessibility of online interaction for blind users and fill the gap in the accessibility standards. The introduction of navigational landmarks and the insertion of virtual map description improve the navigation and hence the performance of blind users. The proposed solution has been tested with a separate group of blind users to validate the research findings and to ensure the desired level of accessibility of the e-Government portals is achieved

Citizen Centred e-Government Services Evaluation Model

Electronic government (e-Government) is attracting the interest of governments around the globe due to its great importance in facilitating, and providing services to citizens. Although most countries invest massive budgets to provide latest technologies, they face many obstacles, including the notable absence of the assessment, and evaluation of e-Government services from the citizen’s point of view. The objective of this research is to identify an e-Government evaluation model based on previous research and studies, and to evaluate each model by verifying its attributes, factors, and how they relate to each other. This research concentrates on evaluating online services provided to citizens by governments. It will develop a citizen centred model to evaluate e-Government services, and will help government organizations to find the strengths, and weakness of their online services. One of the main aspects of developing an evaluation model is to consider the citizens. The citizen is one of the most important reasons for governments putting their services online (e-Services). Therefore, finding ways of evaluating e-Services is crucial for governments in order to achieve better results from their perspectives as well as citizen satisfaction. The iMGov Model is based around the concepts of three phases in terms of Placing an Order, Processing an Order, and Delivering an Order. The new model will be compared with existing evaluation models. In conclusion, this research will produce an adequate e-Government evaluation model to measure e-Government services provided to citizens

HCI in e-Government and e-Democracy

This chapter introduces the application of HCI design processes and design principles in e-government and e-democracy. We elaborate on HCI design processes and six HCI design principles in the context of e-government and e-democracy, including citizen-centered design, usability, accessibility, access to information, transaction efficiency, and security and privacy. Then, we present two cases to demonstrate the value of applying the HCI processes and design principles in developing and deploying e-government and e-democracy. Finally, we highlight the challenges faced by e-government and e-democracy as well as the future trends. In conclusion, HCI can help the success of e-government and e-democracy and their future growth

Evaluating hospital websites in Kuwait to improve consumer engagement and access to health information:a cross-sectional analytical study

Abstract Background Current advances in information and communication technology have made accessing and obtaining health-related information easier than ever before. Today, many hospital websites use a patient-centric approach to promote engagement and encourage learning for better health-related decision making. However, little is known about the current state of hospital websites in the State of Kuwait. This study aims to evaluate hospital websites in Kuwait and offer recommendations to improve patient engagement and access to health information. Methods This study employs a cross-sectional analytical approach to evaluate hospital websites in Kuwait in 2017. The websites of hospitals that provide in-patient services were identified through a structured search. Only active websites that were available in either English or Arabic were considered. The evaluation of the websites involved a combination of automated and expert- based evaluation methods and was performed across four dimensions: Accessibility, Usability, Presence, and Content. Results Nine hospitals met the inclusion criteria. Most of the websites fell short in all four dimensions. None of the websites passed the accessibility guidelines. The usability of websites varied between hospitals. Overall, the majority of hospitals in Kuwait have rudimentary online presence and their websites require careful reassessment with respect to design, content, and user experience. The websites focus primarily on promoting services provided by the hospital rather than engaging and communicating with patients or providing evidence-based information. Conclusions Healthcare organization and website developers should follow best-practices to improve their websites taking into consideration the quality, readability, objectivity, coverage and currency of the information as well as the design of their websites. Hospitals should leverage social media to gain outreach and better engagement with consumers. The websites should be offered in additional languages commonly spoken by people living in Kuwait. Efforts should be made to ensure that health information on hospital websites are evidence-based and checked by healthcare professionals

WEB ACCESSIBILITY COMPLIANCE TO WCAG 2.0 STANDARD: A CASE OF A MALAYSIAN PUBLIC UNIVERSITY

Most universities now communicate, exchange pertinent information, and facilitate transactions among their stakeholders through their websites. Website accessibility is, therefore, essential to ensure equal access to information from the institution regardless of their physical limitations and other potential restrictions. Based on ACHECKER and WAVE, the objective was to present the features of non-compliance to WCAG 2.0 standard and ways to overcome for a Malaysian public university homepage. The study found a low degree of compliance with the WCAG 2.0, respectively.  Parsing, labels or instruction, headings and labels, link purpose, resize text and information and relationship are some of the aspects that require rapid attention. It is possible to further improve issues with navigation, adaptability, input assistance, compatibility, empty links, and empty headings. An expert’s insights indicated that without proper monitoring from the higher authority of the government body like MAMPU, the web accessibility would remain partially or completely inaccessible to certain sectors of the population. Overall, this study provides insightful information, especially to web designers who can better adhere to the standards when creating their websites. Keywords: ACHECKER, WAVE, a Malaysian public university, WCAG 2.0, web accessibility

Towards a Conceptual Framework for E-Government Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities in Developing Countries

Most governments around the world are fast advancing in the provision of services to their citizens through the web. However, developing countries still lag behind in the adoption and use of ICTs in government for inclusive purposes, specifically for persons with disabilities (PWDs) who tend to be side-lined from the population mainstream. Studies focusing on E-government accessibility for PWDs have been minimal from the developing countries context; and this is despite the fact that over eighty percent of the over one billion populations living with disabilities worldwide reside in the developing countries. For E-government to achieve its purpose of providing fast and efficient services to citizens, there is the need to adopt a context-oriented approach. Against this background, this paper proposes a conceptual framework for improving E-government accessibility for PWDs in the developing countries context. Through a systematic synthesis of the literature on E-government accessibility especially in developing countries, a conceptual framework, termed the E-government Accessibility Development Model (EADM) is proposed. EADM describes accessibility challenges of PWDs by identifying contextual barriers of E-government accessibility from multiple stakeholder perspective in developing countries

Evaluation of E-Government Implementation: The Case of State Government Websites in Nigeria

This study evaluated the extent to which current status of e-government implementation in Nigeria conforms to the national IT policy strategy. The study is based on content analysis of the official websites of the thirty six states and the federal capital territory of the country. It focuses on the content, functional and construction features of the websites. It was found that, out of the thirty six states, only twenty-three (64 percent) had websites and mostly provide textual information; few provide downloadable digital documents and functional online interactions. We recommend that, in addition to the National IT policy, Nigerian government needs to have an established guideline for its e-government implementation and NITDA needs to be more proactive in its duty of monitoring IT policy implementation. The site designers should acknowledge the importance of government websites as the main channels for information dissemination, for facilitating citizens’ interaction with government and for transforming government operations. Thus, the websites must be more than static notice boards but be function-oriented, dynamic and interactive

Local e-gov mobile application(s) review

This study aims to evaluate the adoption of e-government services in Portuguese municipalities, specifically focusing on the usage of mobile applications. Data was collected from 40 of the most populous municipalities in Portugal and analyzed for usage of e-government services such as incidents, traffic conditions, and population alerts through mobile apps. The study found a mixed correlation between population size and e-government app usage, with lower population municipalities showing lower adoption rates. The results suggest that further efforts are needed to improve accessibility and promote e-government services to increase engagement and usage among the local population. The study provides valuable insights for local government representatives and stakeholders to effectively use and access e-government services for the benefit of all residents. The results emphasize the need for effective outreach and promotion strategies, as well as the importance of user testing and feedback in the development process, to ensure that the applications meet the needs and expectations of users. Furthermore, the study highlights the need for investment in marketing and communication initiatives to increase awareness and adoption of e-government apps among the population. In conclusion, this study contributes to the literature on e-government adoption in Portuguese municipalities and provides a foundation for future research in this area. The findings can inform the development of effective policies and strategies to promote the adoption and usage of e-government services, enhance accessibility and efficiency of local government services, and improve the quality of life for residents.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Accessibility analysis of higher education institution websites of Portugal

The higher education institutions across the globe are steadily increasing their usage of the web platforms to disseminate information to its stakeholders. In this background, it becomes important to make these resources inclusive. An inclusive website of a higher education institution will facilitate seamless access to its resources for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs). This paper presents an accessibility analysis of 59 higher education websites of Portugal. Both Polytechnic (19) and University (40) websites were incorporated into the study.The accessibility analysis is carried out with three major tools: AChecker, WAVE, and aXe. With respect to the AChecker tool, the average of known problems was observed almost doubled in Universities than Polytechnic Institution websites of Portugal under all levels of conformance. With respect to WAVE tool, we found that the average of alerts, structural elements, and HTML5 & ARIA in terms of web accessibility status of websites of Polytechnic Institutes are less than the Universities, but contrast errors are found with more frequency in Polytechnic Institutes than in universities, and the average of errors and features are almost the same in both of the cases. Also, we found that the average number of violations and needs of review guidelines as per aXe tool are 50.84 and 21.47 in Polytechnic Institutes? websites and 30.75 and 27.83 in Universities websites belonging to Portugal, respectively. Based on scores obtained by these accessibility analysis tools, the outliers of accessibility violations are calculated with respect to websites of Polytechnic Institutes and Universities of Portugal. Moreover, we also suggested and discussed the important clues to solve the accessibility violations of websites along with their issue descriptions among the selected websites in this study. Hence, this analysis report provides the feedback to website administrator and web developers to improve the accessibility evaluation status of these websites.5311-8814-F0ED | Sara Maria da Cruz Maia de Oliveira PaivaN/