OVERVIEW

Following the example of major IT companies such as Google and Amazon, public services are becoming more agile and user-centric. The digital agenda, led by the Government Digital Service, continues to move at speed, although structural, institutional and cultural challenges remain. Technology issues still exist as a result of legacy systems and processes that have been operating for many years. Many public sector websites are not up to the job of delivering digital services; it is vital that they look closely at how to design online transactional services, making sure they are better and simpler, and built around citizens' needs. The recently announced Digital Advisory Board will monitor what is happening on the ground, and how digital transformation can be delivered across the public sector.

Technology holds tremendous potential, with digital media allowing us to do things today that were simply inconceivable a decade ago. But are we really getting to the heart of things…thinking digitally? Social tools could hold the key to increased collaboration and a more productive way of doing business, allowing people to transcend silos and connect and share in ways that were simply not possible before. This is about a whole new way of thinking about public services, placing people at the centre of a more innovative, more agile, smarter public sector. Social technologies are cheap, easy to use and their global reach has brought about a fundamental shift in public behaviour that has changed the way services are delivered and social needs are met. They can be used to support and enhance public services, making it easier for people to do more for themselves. Staff time is used more productively, and new kinds of information improve the effectiveness of services.

Quality online services can be the default solution for people needing government services. Not only are services more convenient and cheaper, but they can be better and more personalised. This year is set to see the launch of the first digital by default public services, offering the benefit of good practice and lessons learned so far in developing user-centric and cost-effective digital services. Usability is key – the Budget 2012 document states that 'government will transform the quality of digital public services by committing that from 2014 new online services will only go live if the responsible minister can demonstrate that they themselves can use the service successfully'.

Technology is changing the relationship between government, citizens and private organisations. What are the challenges of designing and delivering user focused digital services in practice? What actions are being taken to ensure the hardest to reach, and particularly older people, are not left behind by changes placed out of their reach and beyond their current capability? Public Service Events' second annual Digital by Default conference will look at the progress of the digital revolution across the public sector, featuring keynote speeches from the people leading the agenda, case studies relating to what is being done on the front line, and a series of interactive masterclasses offering delegates the benefit of industry knowledge and expertise.