Mobile phone and e-government in Turkey: practices and technological choices at the cross-road

Enhanced data services through mobile phones are expected to be soon fully transactional and embedded within future mobile consumption practices. While private services will surely continue to take the lead, others such as government and NGOs will become more prominent m-players. It is not yet sure which form of technological standards will take the lead including enhance SMS based operations or Internet based specifically developed mobile phone applications. With the introduction of interactive transactions via mobile phones, currently untapped segment of the populations (without computers) have the potential to be accessed. Our research, as a reflection of the current market situation in an emerging country context, in the case of mobile phones analyzes the current needs or emergence of dependencies regarding the use of m/e-government services from the perspective of municipality officers. We contend that more research is needed to understand current preparatory bottlenecks and front loading activities to be able to encourage future intention to use e-government services through mobile phone technologies. This study highlights and interprets the current emerging practices and praxis for consuming m-government services within government

What do we know from the literature on public e-services?.

Public e-services are a broad and growing research field in which scholars and practitioners from different domains are involved. However, the increasing attention devoted to public e-services only partially captures the extreme variety of aspects and implications of the diffusion of information and communication technologies at all levels of public administrations. The paper aims to develop a meta-analysis of the literature on the delivery, diffusion, adoption and impact of public e-services and examines current research trends in terms of differences in methodologies, approaches and key indicators across five service platforms: eGovernment, eEducation, eHealth, Infomobility and eProcurement. We examined 751 articles appeared in 2000-2010 in the top international academic journals listed in the Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) of the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI), as classified in the following fields: Communication, Economics, Education, Environmental Studies, Geography, Health Policy & Services, Information Science & Library Science, Law, Management, Planning & Development, Public Administration, Transportation and Urban Studies. We highlight a significant heterogeneity in scientific production across service domains, countries covered by empirical analyses, indicators used, and affiliation of authors. We also show an increasing diffusion of quantitative methods applied to different research fields which still appears to be constrained by data limitations. The overall picture emerging from the analysis is one characterized by largely unexplored service domains as well as scarcely analyzed issues both across and within individual service platforms (e.g. front vs. back office issues). Thus many research opportunities seem to emerge and need to be exploited from different disciplinary perspectives in this field of analysis.eGovernment, eEducation, eHealth, Infomobility, eProcurement, Bibliometrics, Metaanalysis, Innovation in services, Public e-services

Bridging the digital divide for hard-to-reach groups

Boeltzig and Pilling identified specific groups of people who typically are not connected to the Internet and examined the circumstances of each - rural, poor, disabled, seniors, and ethnic minorities. They focused on how these groups of people, such as homebound individuals, could benefit most from using online government services. They also identified technical as well as social barriers that limit access. Their recommendations are aimed at both increasing access for these targeted groups and increasing use by individuals in the targeted groups. They also provide valuable recommendations aimed at service or application providers who have a major role in increasing both access and accessibility. The case studies resulted in insights and lessons that are broadly applicable. Based on the case studies, the authors offer recommendations that are practical and serve as useful guides to practitioners and policy makers at all levels of government

E-government and digital inclusion

LEFIS organized a meeting in July 2007 in Jaca (Spain) to discuss the status and the perspectives of e-Government especially applied to the legal aspects of society. As it is known the potential benefits of e-Government are numerous and they include greater efficiency, improved public services, enhanced engagement with citizens. Yet progress has been relatively slow, particularly when compared with other sectors such as e-Commerce. From the presentations of some experiences focused in particular on digital divide, e-Participation, form of government, role of citizens, planning methodology in proposing solutions for citizens, the book highlights some problems and solutions to help overcome barriers

Study and proposal of a framework for designing tailorable user interfaces

Orientador: Maria Cecilia Calani BaranauskasTese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de ComputaçãoResumo: A socialização dos sistemas computacionais trouxe um desafio a mais para os pesquisadores de Interação Humano-Computador: como prover interfaces que propiciem acesso ao maior número possível de usuários independentemente de suas capacidades sensoriais, físicas, cognitivas e emocionais? Um dos caminhos que se apresenta é desenvolver sistemas flexíveis, i.e. que permitam modificações em seu comportamento durante a interação, oferecendo ao usuário a possibilidade de ajustar a interface de acordo com as suas preferências, necessidades e situações de uso. O design de interfaces flexíveis, que façam sentido e sejam acessíveis a mais pessoas, demanda abordagens que permitam conhecer e formalizar os diferentes requisitos de interação, definir funcionalidades e determinar o comportamento ajustável do sistema. Soluções encontradas na literatura relacionadas ao tema interfaces ajustáveis, (ou tailoring em inglês) enfatizam questões relacionadas à infra-estrutura necessária para o ajuste, não tendo sido encontrados trabalhos que apoiassem os designers de forma prática durante o processo de concepção dessas interfaces. Esta tese propõe e apresenta um framework para o design de interfaces de usuário ajustáveis, denominado PLuRaL. O termo framework é utilizado aqui no seu sentido mais amplo como uma estrutura composta por diretrizes, mecanismos, artefatos e sistemas usados no planejamento e na tomada de decisões de design. O PLuRaL adota uma perspectiva sócio-técnica para a concepção das interfaces ajustáveis e uma visão abrangente dos requisitos de interação, incluindo aqueles que são controversos ou minoritários e advindos não somente de usuários, mas também de diferentes dispositivos e ambientes de interação. Aspectos semânticos, pragmáticos e o impacto social da interação também são considerados. Por fim, o comportamento ajustável do sistema é modelado utilizando-se o conceito de normas. O referencial teórico-metodológico adotado para o trabalho de pesquisa envolveu as disciplinas de Interação Humano-Computador e Semiótica Organizacional. A construção do framework foi pautada por 2 estudos de caso envolvendo populações de usuário heterogêneas em contextos de sistemas de governo eletrônico e de rede social inclusiva. A validação do framework foi realizada com 17 designers e os resultados sugerem uma avaliação positiva considerando a utilidade, flexibilidade para apoiar mudanças, liberdade de criação e satisfação com as propostas de design resultantesAbstract: The socialization of computer systems has brought a new challenge to Human-Computer Interaction researchers: how to design interfaces that provide access to as many users as possible regardless of their sensory, physical, cognitive and emotional characteristics? One approach to answer this question is to develop flexible systems, i.e. those that allow changes in their behavior during the interaction, offering users the possibility to tailor the interface according to their preferences, needs and situations of use. The design of flexible interfaces, which make sense and are accessible to more people, demands approaches to understand and formalize the different interaction requirements, define functionalities and determine the system tailorable behavior. Solutions found in the literature about tailorable interfaces have focused on the infrastructure needed to offer flexibility and works to support designers in a practical way during the conception of such interfaces were not found. This thesis proposes and presents a framework for the design of tailorable user interfaces, named PLuRaL. The term framework is used here in its broadest sense as a structure consisting of guidelines, mechanisms, artifacts and systems used in design planning and decision-making. PLuRaL adopts a socio-technical approach to design tailorable interfaces and a comprehensive view for interaction requirements, including those that are controversial or from minority, and arising not only from users, but also from different devices and interaction environments. The semantic, pragmatic and social impacts of the interaction are also considered. Finally, the behavior of the tailorable system is modeled using the concept of norms. The theoretical and methodological references adopted in this work involved the disciplines of Human-Computer Interaction and Organizational Semiotics. The framework's construction was guided by 2 case studies with heterogeneous populations, in the context of electronic government and inclusive social network system. The framework's validation was performed with 17 designers and the results suggest a positive evaluation considering the usefulness and flexibility to support changes, freedom to create and satisfaction with the final design proposalsDoutoradoMetodologia e Tecnicas da ComputaçãoDoutor em Ciência da Computaçã

A best practice framework for web accessibility in South Africa

Abstract: Please refer to full text to view abstract.M.Sc. (Informatics

Journal of Telecommunications and Information Technology, 2006, nr 2

kwartalni

Analytical Framework for a Comparative Analysis of Accessible Technology Law and Policy

Deliverable 7.1 poses the basis of the comparative analysis to be conducted throughout the whole WP 7 and reviews existing studies on accessible technology and accessibility law and policy in Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Serbia, Sweden and the UK. Deliverable 7.1 is divided into two main sections: an Analytical Framework and an Annotated Bibliography. The Analytical Framework discusses the interrelation between accessible technology and ‘active citizenship’, and defines the scope, the main concepts and the methodology of the research conducted under WP 7. It also positions WP7 within current legal scholarship, highlighting its innovative contribution. The Annotated Bibliography, annexed to the Analytical Framework is composed of two main complementary parts (i.e. parts A and B), each one preceded by a roadmap. Part A reviews selected sources on accessibility law and policy in Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Serbia, Sweden and the UK. Even though it cannot be regard as exhaustive, it aims to give a ‘big picture’ of current official legislation and policy on accessibility, and scholarship on accessibility. It is intended to be an immediate and easy to read bibliographic tool for scholars approaching accessibility law and policy in Europe. Part B has complements Part A: it does not list legislation or policy programmes on accessible technology, but focusses on the most recent literature on accessible technology