User-Centeredness and Usability in E-government – a Reflection on a

Case Study in Rwanda

Jean Damascene TWIZEYIMANA 1, 2
1
Informatics, Örebro University School of Business, 701 82 Örebro, Sweden
2
University of Rwanda College of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 3900 Kigali, Rwanda
[email protected]

ABSTRACT collaboration, and citizen participation[2, 3].

While e-government is well-established in many developed Implementation of e-government is expected to help governments
countries, it looks new to many least developed countries despite deliver services and transform relations with citizens, businesses,
the fact that they have been using ICTs for decades. By using and other arms of government [2, 3]. Transforming the structures
examples from a case study in Rwanda, the current study aims at and operations of government, increases internal efficiency [1],
contributing to existing efforts for minimizing risks of users to provides citizens and businesses with more convenient access to
reject e-government systems in LDCs through proposing critical government information and services, improves the quality of the
success factors for an improved implementation of a user-centered services and provides greater opportunities to participate in
usable e-government. The study followed an interpretive case democratic institutions and processes [1, 4].
study approach to investigate a Rwandan government major
development effort aiming at digitizing 100 e-government 1.1 Background of the Study
services. Data was collected through participatory observations in Rwanda, as many other countries, is high on its ambitions to
the period of August to December 2015. Data has been analyzed embrace Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)
using literature on usability and user-centered design in e- for administrative efficiency and improved service delivery. ICTs
government. The findings suggests that the adopted public-private in Rwanda is envisioned to further the achievement of Rwanda's
partnership (PPP) approach to e-Government implementation in Vision 2020 of transforming the country from a LDC to a middle-
Rwanda provides opportunities to achieve a user centered e- income economy. The objective is to use ICTs strategically as a
government, and that user involvement in early stages would help leverage to achieve a dynamic knowledge-based economy [5, 6].
to avoid basic flaws and increase users ‘confidence and trust, and Considerable efforts has been put into the IT sector. Something
decrease their likelihood to reject e-government systems. which can be seen in guiding documents such as the National
Information Communication Infrastructure (NICI) Plans I~III
CCS Concepts 2000 – 2015, the ICT Sector Strategic Plan (ICT SSP 2013 ~
• Human-centered computing~Human computer interaction 2018), and the Smart Rwanda Master Plan (2016 – 2020) also
(HCI) • Applied computing~E-government • Software and referred to as the NICI Plan IV.
its engineering~Software creation and management
The NICI Plan I (2000 – 2005) targets to put the legal and
Keywords regulatory framework in place. NICI Plan II (2006-2010) targets
User-centered e-government; e-services; usability; Least to build a basic ICT infrastructure which includes
Developed Countries; Rwanda. telecommunication networks, a national fiber optic backbone, a
submarine cable, an integrated national data center, computers
1. INTRODUCTION systems in public administration, education and a health care
E-Government and E-Governance are often used interchangeably system.
to refer to the government’s use of Information and More infrastructure development initiatives include the electricity
Communication Technologies (ICTs) for a better government [1]. Roll-Out Program that aims at covering the entire country with
On the other hand, E-Government differs from E-Governance. E- access to electricity, a competitive internet and mobile networks.
government is basically focused on the use of ICTs by the 33.5% of the Rwandan total population had access to Internet and
government in both the front office and back-office to support its 77.8% had mobile phones. Another initiative is the 4G LTE
business processes Whereas E-Governance focuses on issues rollout that aims at providing access to a high speed internet in the
related to the management of implementation of e-government country. The 4G LTE rollout is currently reaching 18 out of the 30
such as policies, change management, capacity building, districts which compose Rwanda, and a Free Wi-Fi is now
operational in 485 buses in public transportation [7]. NICI Plan III
Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for (2011 – 2015) deals with service improvement, and the Smart
personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are Rwanda Master Plan (2016 – 2020) has a focus on Government
not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that digital transformation.
copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights
for components of this work owned by others than ACM must be In short, E-Government initiatives in Rwanda are expected to help
honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or streamline the Rwandese government towards excellence in
republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior service delivery through the improvement of government services
specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from to citizens (G2C) and businesses (G2B) with an ambition to
[email protected]. achieve a 24/7 self-service government, "cash-less" and "paper-
EGOSE '17, September 4–6, 2017, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation less" transactions, and to achieve 95% of government services
© 2017 Association for Computing Machinery.
transacted online by 2018 [5, 6]. At the time of writing the
ACM ISBN 978-1-4503-5412-7/17/09…$15.00
development of an e-government portal is a core initiative in
https://doi.org/10.1145/3129757.3129786

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Rwanda. This initiative is focused as a case study in this paper, aspects and content for all ages); 7) the intentions of use,
and is described in the methodology section. accessibility, participation, literacy in government.
The existing research on the success of information systems in
general, and e-government in particular, have identified that the
1.2 Objective of the Study
In the current study we acknowledges the importance of user first
success would depend on various factors which range from
paradigm a.k.a. user-centered e-government. We argue that e-
technical, financial, to social factors [1, 2]. However, they have
government systems should not simply be there, rather they
identified general key performances areas (KPAs) to be
should be there for use; because if they are not easy and
considered which include (i) information, contents; (ii)
straightforward to use, people will simply leave and move on to
technology, system quality, information system performances;
something else [9].
(iii) user satisfaction, objectives, values; (iv) resources, outside
world; and (v) management [1-5]. According to Irani and Love For the purpose of minimizing risks of users to reject e-
[21], a decision on success criteria is a complex process that is government systems; through examples of a case study in
often influenced by stakeholders, the context of the organization, Rwanda; the current study reflect on the state of user centeredness
and the resources at hand which determine what is to be valued and critical success factors for a user centered e-government in
(i.e., the content), and the method to be used, especially the how Rwanda. Thus, the current study aims at investigating the
and who affects or are affected by valuation (i.e. the process). following research question:
Although there is much research on e-government success; the - What are the areas of concern and which are the critical
existing research argues that there is an absence of risk success factors for improved uptake of e-government in LDCs?
measurement and management models and tools for e-government
implementation [6]. On the other hand, user-centered design In the next sections, in section 2, a background of user-
approaches have been adopted to minimize the non-acceptance centeredness and usability in e-government is presented; in
risks for IS and e-government in particular. section 3, the methodology approach and a case description are
presented; and then, the results, discussions, and conclusions are
Lack of user centricity in e-government services has been
summarized.
identified as a core reason for the lack of user uptake of e-
government services [8] and that E-government acceptance is 2. USER-CENTERED E-GOVERNMENT
incomplete and primarily technology-focused [9]. In reaction to User Centered Design (UCD) is defined as “a philosophy based
this, a user-centered E-Government, that is, an extensive study of on the needs and interests of the user, with an emphasis on making
the needs and expectations of users (also regarding to services in products usable and understandable” (Norman, 2002) cited
the future) is essential to improve the supply and take-up of Dargan and Evequoz [13]. Hence, UCD is based on involving the
electronic public services [10, 11]. Based on earlier experiences of users at different stages in the design of solutions (user research,
user participation in systems development, [10, 12] it is argued user testing, etc.) [13]. According to Dargan and Evequoz [13] ,
that knowledge of citizens' needs and skills is essential for UCD or user involvement at various steps of the design process
successful public e-service development. That is, the user needs to had many benefits, like cost reduction, increased user satisfaction,
be placed at the center of the development and the provision of and increased user productivity. In designing e-government web
electronic public services for addressing the impact of those sites contents and services are prepared based on the needs of
services to users and user satisfaction which have a decisive public. For example, the citizen-centric features include search
influence on large-scale adoption and use of E-Government capability, links to other governmental bodies and personalized
services [10]. According to Persaud and Persaud [9], a stronger interfaces. According to them, web site content plays a significant
user-centered e-government is a key rationale because better role in the satisfaction of users because if users fail to find the
design and delivery could promote greater usage and citizen desired information on the web site, they may not visit the web
participation in government policy and decision-making site again [14].
processes, which is a major policy goal of e-government.
The design of e-government should represent the trustworthiness Higher usability may make better performance, increase users’
of the organization and create a sense of confidence and control in satisfaction in the use of e-government services, and promote
the customer because customers would accept and adopt e- users’ interaction with e-governments [15]. As such, usability
services of parties they feel they can trust. When technology- appears to be a vital factor in determining the quality of e-
mediated service encounters lack those qualities, they are not government [3].
perceived as a good alternative to other modes such as face-to- The usability perspective has been adopted as a mechanism to
face interactions between government officials and citizens [8]. understand to what extent an object can be used by specified users
Confidence in e-government is linked to the perception of ease of to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and
use and perceived usefulness [11]. Thus, there is a need for User satisfaction in a specified context of use ISO 9241-11, 1998 [10].
Centered Design (UCD) consideration for creating a usable User-centered design approaches which include the design for
application, an application which is both engaging and pleasurable usability have been used for mitigating risks of non-acceptance of
to use [13]. systems. In the design for usability paradigm, a product is
designed with its intended users in mind at all times. For example,
In their research, Garcia-Garcia [11]identified the main topics aligning the product, system, or service with users' needs and
related to citizen centered e-government. Those topics include 1) abilities, will enhances its utilization and reduces its likelihood of
needs, abilities and expectations; 2) knowledge; 3) commitment to being wasteful or rejected by users ISO 9241-210:2010 [7]. In
the community and fellowship; 4) usability, functionality and addition, the design for usability would result into systems,
accessibility; 5) content availability, literacy in government products and services that are better for the health, well-being and
(which means citizens know which agency they are seeking); 6) engagement of their users, including users with disabilities the
user expectations, trust and use e-government for life (include ISO 9241-210:2010 [7]. Nowadays, there are variety of methods

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to address usability of artefacts. They include methods which would have a decisive impact on user intentions); 3) access (after
involve direct users and methods which rely on expert views. awareness of the service and positive evaluation of the utility
Various methods can be used for all stages of the project from (resulting in intentions to use), the user will attempt to gain access
product definition to final design modifications [16]. For example, to the service); and 4) usage ( the user he or she has developed the
the Contextual inquiry (CI) method which is based on four intention to use the service and has gained access to that particular
principles (context, partnership, interpretation, and focus) service). And also complement Persaud and Persaud [9] who
[17];Needs analysis that is based on principles such as validation posited that 1) awareness or e-government literacy; 2) content; 2)
of user’s need based requirements with users. This method mainly accessibility; 2) localization; 3) e-participation; 4) user-
focuses on the requirements related to the goals, aspirations and friendliness; and 5) the interaction of e-participation with user-
needs of the users, user community and feeds them into the friendliness are significant in user centered e-government and are
system requirement analysis process [17].According to usability promoting e-government use.
standard ISO 9241-210:2010 DIS [18], user-based testing and
inspection-based evaluation are the most used approaches to 3. METHODOLOGY
usability evaluation. User-based testing needs users’ involvement This study follows an interpretive case study approach Walsham
and their inputs at any stage in the design. For example, at early [19]. Interpretive method is suitable as a venue for understanding
stages users can be presented with models, scenarios or sketches human actions in information systems [20-22]. Interpretive
of the design concepts to evaluate them against real context; and approach aims to understand phenomena from the view of actors
at a later stage field validation can be conducted, i.e. testing the directly, rather than use a priori constructs [23, 24]. Hence, an
designs or design concepts in real environments usability standard interpretive approach facilitates the comprehension of contextual
ISO 9241-210:2010 DIS [18]. Field validation in software complexities where the boundaries between the phenomenon and
industry is often referred to as “beta” testing, where an early the context are not evident [25, 26]; provides an environment and
version of the software is made available for use, and users are a framework to produce an understanding of the context of the
told that the product is still under-construction usability standard information system, and the process whereby the information
ISO 9241-210:2010 DIS [18]. system influences or is influenced by the context Walsham [27].
The case selected, the IREMBO, is a suitable case to mirror e-
Current research argue that despite its importance, the government in Rwanda today, as it is a large-scale project
understanding and incorporating users’ needs in the design, envisioned to be Single Window Point to all G2C and G2B e-
organization, and deployment of e-government has been government services in Rwanda.
overlooked [9, 11]. For example, many applications are conducted
internally to reduce government costs and other aspects for a 3.1 Case Description - "IREMBO" the
greater efficiency; citizens' feedback is not used to improve e-
government services [11]; and that electronic public services have
Rwanda E-Government Portal
been developed primarily supply side in mind [10, 12]. For a solution to inefficient manual processes, delays in service
delivery, long queues, bureaucracy-driven bottleneck in service
According to Holgersson and Karlsson [12]there is increased delivery, and bridging the gap of access to information and public
interest in how to incorporate citizens' views into the development service delivery, the government of Rwanda has decided to push
process of public e-services, an interest that is shared by digitalization of government-to-citizens (G2C) and government-
researchers and practitioners. For Kotamraju and van der Geest to-business (G2B) services. In that quest, the government of
[8] the most common way to develop and design user-centric Rwanda has entered into a public private partnership (PPP) with
technologies is through a full user-centered design process, rather the private company Rwanda Online Platform Ltd (henceforth
than simply conducting isolated usability evaluations or referred to as ROL). ROL is assigned to Build, Operate, and
implementing user satisfaction questionnaires. Thus, Kotamraju Transfer (BOT) a single window platform (portal) called
and van der Geest [8] proposed four activities in which would IREMBO (meaning “gate”), for the delivery of government
help to achieve user-centric technologies. The activities include services to citizens (G2C) and businesses (G2B) over internet.
understanding and specifying the context of use, specifying the According to the agreement, ROL is expected to build and operate
users and organizational requirements, producing design the IREMBO platform for 25 years. ROL is paid through a
solutions, and evaluating designs against requirements (ISO commission of 30% of the fee that users pay for using the
1999). services.
In the context of e-government, Garcia-Garcia [11] argue that a IREMBO is intended to provide a single point of access to e-
user centered e-government would be achieved through seven government. The first 100 e-services are planned to be available
steps: 1) needs, abilities and expectations; 2) knowledge; 3) by the end of 2017.
commitment to the community and fellowship; 4) usability,
functionality and accessibility; 5) content availability, literacy in The services to be digitalized include birth, marriage, and death
certificates, land management services (registration, transfer,
government (which means citizens know which agency can go to
the service seeking); 6) user expectations, trust and use e- merging, subdivision, and building permits), transportation
government for life (include aspects and content for all ages); 7) licenses, insurance licenses, and motor vehicle inspection. Hence,
the intentions of use, accessibility, participation, literacy in plans involve a broad group of actors on multiple government
government. Garcia-Garcia [11] arguments would complement levels. A visit to the IREMBO platform1 in May 17, 2017, showed
Verdegem and Verleye [10] who posited that user centered e- that IREMBO is currently hosting 49 services online.
government would be achieved through 1) awareness (the user IREMBO provides a front-office for citizens and businesses to
must be aware of the existence of electronic public services in apply for services over the internet. For public servants IREMBO
order to fulfil his or her needs before the intention to use the E-
Government services can arise); 2) intentions to use (users
perception of utility of the service/usefulness, and ease of use 1
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provides an interface to receive applications, communicate with Through reviewing that literature, a framework Figure 1 for user
citizens and businesses regarding the status of their applications. centeredness and usability discussion in e-government was
The back-office operations are managed and under the identified. Then, the framework was used to guide the data
responsibility of each government agency. The IREMBO project analysis. The framework is composed of the five dimensions of
mainly involves stakeholders from private companies in the “user first” in mind (the user is placed in the center). The five
partnership, ministry of local government including districts, dimensions of the proposed framework are 1) awareness; 2)
sectors, cells, and locality offices who are public servants for the usability, functionality and accessibility; 3) the intentions of use,
majority of services to be put on the IREMBO platform. Other accessibility, participation, literacy in government; 4) access; and
stakeholders are the Ministry of ICT (in charge of ICT policies in 5) usage.
Rwanda) and the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) who are in
charge of implementation and monitoring of IT projects in
Rwanda. Hence, IREMBO is on the one hand an example of a
common e-government portal, while at the same time being a
large-scale project operating in a unique development context,
with a long-term PPP and multiple government levels being
involved.

3.2 Data Collection user

Data was collected by means of semi-structured interviews and
participatory observations in the period of August to December
2015 during a field work on the project "IREMBO".
A total of 16 semi-structured interviews were conducted. 11 with
employees at ROL and 5 with government actors. Observations Figure 1: A simplified framework for a user centered
were conducted through participation in four training events for eGovernment
Civil Registration Officers (CROs). Activities of CROs include
civil service provision at sector level. The service under them 4. RESULTS
include registration and issuing certificates of marital status, birth, The analysis of interviews and participatory observations led to
death, and authentication services. the following user centered e-government reflections. The
analysis was guided by a simplified framework in Figure 1 for
The training sessions were conducted between October 15th and achieving user centered e-government.
December 16th 2015, and had a total of 38 participants from the
different regions. Those training events include a training of 4.1 Usability
CROs of Bugesera District, conducted on 1st October 2015 in We propose that using user centered good practices which include
Nyamata; a training of CROs of districts of Kigali City conducted usability ergonomics by Jacob, User Acceptance Test (UAT), and
on 15th October 2015 in e-ICT training center; a training of CROs expert review would be important for addressing general usability
of Rulindo District conducted on 19th October 2015 at Rulindo's requirements. We also propose that, in addition to other tests in
BDF center; and a Training of Civil Registrar Officers (CROs) of place (e.g., User Acceptance Test (UAT)), also the expert testing
Gicumbi District. (expert review) should be conducted for the purpose of a more
Data from interviews and observations was captured through note usable artefact.
taking. Notes were chosen over other means such as recording due Visibility of System Status
to many advantages. The advantages with note taking include, but
The other usability concern identified was the “Match between
are not limited to, a comfortable environment for informants to
system and the real world”, that is, the system needs to mirror the
feel freer in their interactions with the researchers as compared to
existing reality - It was observed that there was lack of users’
other modes of data collection such as voice or video recordings.
involvement, especially in the early design of the platform.
Notwithstanding the shortcomings with note-taking, including
difficulties in writing while paying attention, making sense of For example, an IT manager in one government agency said:
notes, recording the exact words used by the informants [28], we
have also acknowledged meaningfulness of note taking to the "The analysis conducted did not take every details on how
note-taker [29] which relate to a better recall performance when we work and how we offer services to citizens. I mean the
reviewing self-produced notes [30]. The challenges to note-taking whole process starting from how citizens apply until they get
have been addressed through (i) listening first and take notes after the services. There should have been a detailed analysis
(during dialog break or directly after the event); and (ii) through instead of we (as clients) to show them that their proposed
reviewing self-produced notes just after the session for a better system is not fulfilling our needs! They missed the ability to
recall performance. involve the client in value proposition"

The analysis was guided by literature on usability and user- Also, a CROs in a training had mentioned that some processes
centered design [9-11] which include but not limited to the ISO were not matching the way the services are designed in their
9241-11, 1998 standard for Ergonomic requirements for office institutions. Especially he said that there was a mismatch in the
work with visual display terminals [10]; ISO 9241-210:2010 documents they require citizens when apply for services. Also
standard for Ergonomics of human system interaction-Part 210: they raised concerns of lack of some deliverables (payment
Human-centered design for interactive systems [7]; usability receipts) by the proposed system. They were expecting that the
heuristics principles [22]; and also literature on user centered e- system would print out a receipt after users pay. The issue was
government. serious in the case users pay using mobile platform. In this case,
sometimes confirmation messages are not delivered to the users

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due to mobile network which is not always reliable. We argue that go-ahead to use Irembo, how can I use Irembo without a go-
user and/or stakeholders’ involvement in the early stages of the ahead, from my superior or another policy document?”
project would lead to a user centered e-government service
delivery in Rwanda, that is, an e-government platform In an interview with a project manager at ROL, he said that the
“IREMBO” trusted and used by the intended users. awareness of the project was not successful.

On the other hand, the observed lack of conducting BPRs with He said:
concerned organizations in the early stages had hindered a chance “We were expecting government institutions to be
to engage users in the early stages of the project. Hence, prepared to work with us. But in some cases we go to
conducting BPRs in the early stages of the project would be a institutions to showcase of what we want to achieve with
cost-effective means to engage users and have a picture of the them. Surprisingly some are not aware of who we are and
existing system, opportunities, challenges, and risks which are about the solution we are bringing to them! Probably it is
important for informing the new system. our fault, or our partners”.
Consistency and Standards 4.3 Access
According to the usability requirement of consistency and After awareness of the service and positive evaluation of the
standards, users should not have to wonder whether different utility of the product or system, the user will attempt to gain
words, situations, or actions mean the same thing. One of good access to the service. In relation with the access aspect, there are
practices to achieve consistency is the use of standards and/or significant concerns, especially in some parts of the country such
conventions. In interviews, government actors claimed that the as in high mountains where access to basic infrastructure which
proposed system functionalities are similar to the existing systems include electricity and internet connectivity are not in place. It was
already in use by their organizations. expected to face challenges related to access because it has been
An IT manager at the district level said: the case in many least developed countries. In the case studied, the
issues were related to lack of well-equipped computer systems,
“I can see that Irembo is doing the same thing as what lack of or unstable electricity, unstable and high costs for internet
CVRS (a statistic software for registering births. We see it use; digital divide, and IT skills.
challenging for working with two types of software doing
similar things”. On the other hand, we have found that the adopted PPP approach
is helping the government to achieve some of the requirements of
However, implementers should quest for value and avoid a user centered e-government such as awareness, capabilities, and
duplications through awareness, user involvement in the value access. For example, due to the nature of the PPP contract signed
proposition, through data sharing, integration, and between the government and the private partner that the private
interoperability. partner design, build, and operate the platform and get paid
through a commission fee, and that the government would support
Help and Documentation in the infrastructure development; private partners are now aware
Not only the documentation and especially the user manual is part that they could maximize the rewards if and only if many citizens
of deliverables for a software product, it also allow user self- are using the platform. Thus, both private partners and the
learning of the system. government put great efforts to maximize the use of the system
It was observed that there was no user manual on how to use through users training, awareness campaigns, cultivation of the
different features of the system where users and trainers were installed-base of “agent based” framework that has been in place
stacked in some cases wondering how to proceed. for telecommunication companies to reach out to citizens,
especially the underprivileged group, those are the illiterates (in
The system and its functionalities need to be documented and put general or ICTs), do not have (or access to) infrastructure.
into a user manual artefacts.
5. DISCUSSIONS & CONCLUSIONS
4.2 Awareness or E-Government Literacy The current study investigated user centeredness and usability in
Awareness or e-government literacy is one of pre-requisites of a the implementation of e-government in Rwanda.
user centered e-government because the user must be aware of the
existence of electronic public services channel. After that Through investigating the state of the art in the early
awareness and if the access is possible, users will try to interact implementation of IREMBO single window platform for e-
with the system. If the utility of the system is found in their government in Rwanda, the current study investigated the state of
perceptions from interacting with the system, then the intention to user centeredness and usability e-government implementation in
use the E-Government services would grow. Rwanda.

An IT manager at the district level said: Evaluation can take place at any time during the life-cycle of an
information system development[31, 32]. Evaluation can take
“I can see that IREMBO is doing the same thing as what place during the planning phase – the ex-ante evaluation [33], it
CVRS (a statistic software for registering births. We see it can take place at the end of the project – the ex-post evaluation
challenging for working with two types of software doing [31], and also an evaluation can take place during the
similar things”. He added: “There is a need for awareness implementation phase to take a form of formative approach [34,
to share what they are doing with all involved 35].In the current study, we have followed a formative approach
stakeholders” where the evaluation takes place during the early stages of
Lack of awareness was reported in many occasions. For example, implementation of the project (during the development of services
in a training held in Kigali, a CRO expressed: “if my superior is and training activities). Hence, the findings are envisioned to
not aware of the “IREMBO” platform, how could he gives me a inform the development of future services to be put on the
IREMBO platform.

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Due to lack of involving users, awareness of the project, and Thus, addressing usability of an Information System simply
issues related to access in the early stages of the project; there means considering or involving users in the implementation life-
were challenges in training activities which looked and would cycle to facilitate the production of the system that mirrors the
better be called testing sessions. existing reality; the system that provides the ease to use, ease to
learn, a more satisfying to use, and the likelihood of users to feel it
According to Holgersson and Karlsson [12] users of the system in is their system because they have participated and understood the
the government are often seen as passive advisors to the developer whole the process;
[12]. In the case studied, the findings show that stakeholders from
the government side, especially those with advanced skills and - there is a need to design for consistency through the
knowledge in ICTs were willing to participate in the early stages adoption of standards and manage other factors, for
of design and in the decision process on the functionalities of the example, environmental factors which include the size of
system. the project; resources, and existing systems which might
influence the usability of the system.
Furthermore, the following observations should be noted:
For example, during user training held in Kigali on the use of
- The findings show that the adopted PPP approach was a IREMBO, due to frequent internet cut, the NIDA system (which
suitable catalyst for user centered e-government in Rwanda. provides all data related to citizens identification) was going
For example, the clause that the private partner - ROL is paid offline repeatedly and this affected the IREMBO system which
through a commission fee framework instigated the company to was not able to pull data from NIDA. Hence, the presence of
do more in maximizing the adoption and use of the system external effects such as low bandwidth might cause the system to
because they are aware that the company could maximize the look not responsive regardless how much effort has been put for
benefits if, and only if, many users are using the platform. That is, making it a better responsive system). Hence, there is a great need
through a strategic approach, which include users training and to consider the external factors for achieving a user centered e-
awareness campaigns, the company is improving the awareness of government.
the project.
6. LIMITATIONS AND
The company also work with improving ICT skills, addresses RECOMMENDATIONS
social inclusion and the digital divide. In order to make the
In this paper a case study of e-Government in Rwanda was used
citizens access the platform they work with “private agents”,
as a means to create further understanding of user centeredness
individuals or businesses who have been operating in the country
and usability in e-government implementation in LDCs. While
doing the business of supporting citizens to have access to internet
being a “snapshot” case study, with a focus on users at the service
services. Those agents mainly include cybercafés and mobile
provision; there is a need to look at citizens’ side. To some extent,
money agents in the country. Hence, user centered e-government
a citizen perspective was raised by the CROs. However, there is
is partly addressed through literacy in government “which means
still a need to extend the study taking into consideration the view
citizens know which agency can go to the service seeking” [11];
of multiple stakeholders. On the other hand, the study found that
whereby through Awareness or e-government literacy “the user
the adopted public-private partnership (PPP) approach to e-
must be aware of the existence of electronic public services in
Government implementation in Rwanda provides opportunities to
order to fulfil his or her needs before the intention to use the E-
achieve a user centered e-government. For example, the approach
Government services can arise”[9, 10]; through access “ have
has increased awareness of the project, capabilities of citizens and
access to the service”; and usage [10].
public servants, and mitigated challenges of infrastructure
- in the early stage of the e-government project design or required for access and use of the developed e-government
development, it is better to protect users from encountering system.
a system that fails to meet the general usability
We also argue that, although the case study was Rwanda, due to
requirements.
similarities in different contexts countries should learn from one
We suggest that the adoption of good practices to user centered e- another, share success stories, and learn from their experiences
government which include usability ergonomics by Jacob, User and mistakes. Hence, the current study may be useful to inform
Acceptance Test (UAT), and expert review is important for other Least Developed Countries determined to undertake e-
addressing general usability requirements. We emphasize that, in government projects.
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