A picture with many shades of red.

Still Struggling with Limitations

The results of the review of 63 public service portals are represented in three colors corresponding to three levels: green for good, yellow for average, and red for inadequate. Accordingly, in 2024, the portals have shown improvements in providing online public services across various criteria. The green color appears prominently in evaluations of features such as "Providing support information" (24 portals), "Completeness of features for comprehensive online public services" (30 portals), and "Usability of search tools" (22 portals). This indicates a focus on improving basic features like information retrieval, searching, and support for comprehensive online public services.

However, there are still many limitations regarding access to the portals, information, guidance features, support for users to self-complete applications, and carry out comprehensive online procedures, including issues affecting individuals with disabilities. In many assessment areas, the red color predominates, highlighting shortcomings related to basic features and tools that do not require significant professional investment or costs. Only a few features, such as those on smartphones or tools like chatbots, demand a higher level of expertise.

Particularly, 60 provinces and cities did not meet the criteria for "Protecting personal data and privacy rights," and 39 provinces failed to meet the criteria for "Accessibility for individuals with disabilities." Thus, there exists a significant gap nationwide that needs to be addressed in these two criteria related to user rights. Similarly, 60 portals have only achieved an average level (yellow) with only two portals rated as good (green) regarding "Compatibility on computers and smartphones." Administrative procedures remain difficult to execute on smartphones, while surveys indicate that 98% of the population uses such devices, necessitating continued technical improvements.

The level of responsiveness to user needs on public service portals in our country is still very limited. Specifically, the synchronization between portals needs enhancement to ensure consistency nationwide. The processes and outcomes for administrative procedures are not fully disclosed, making them difficult to find and trace. Many new types of applications have only transitioned from paper to electronic form without achieving a digitized process that leverages digital data to simplify procedures.

Most importantly, users still rely on guidance or assistance from officials. A significant number of online applications are still directly processed. Public service portals have not yet achieved their ultimate goal of providing convenience for citizens, who should not need to visit in person to submit applications and receive results, especially for those living in remote areas, islands, or for individuals with disabilities.

In practice, the design mindset for processes and procedures still follows traditional direct methods rather than adapting to the online environment. It's not surprising that many officials who have worked for years in the administrative procedures field, familiar with online public services, still struggle when handling these processes online.

From Action to Mindset

To "green" the landscape of online public service provision, localities can first self-assess to positively change and rectify errors on public service portals. Next, it is essential to prioritize improving features that significantly impact the rights and needs of a large number of users (such as enhancing speed and convenience in carrying out procedures), focusing on developing tools that are technically and financially feasible for local authorities (such as streamlining internal processes and inter-agency coordination), and enhancing features that face fewer legal regulatory obstacles (like improving comprehensive support features).

The process of building and implementing policies for providing public administrative services, including online public services, must start from and adhere to the principle of "user-centered design," measuring user satisfaction as the primary benchmark. This principle should be maintained throughout the construction and delivery of online public services, ensuring they are friendly, easy to use, consistent, continuous, in-depth, and comprehensive. Special attention should be given to the needs of residents in remote areas, islands, and those facing difficulties in mobility, hearing, vision, and using the Vietnamese language.

In the long term, there should be a focus on standardizing online public service provision through a unified public service portal. To move towards providing services on a single national interface, it is necessary to review, assess, and refine many elements such as regulations/processes, infrastructure capacity, technology, interoperability, data sharing, and the operational capacity of state agencies and officials, as well as user habits and needs.

Finally, improvement solutions and policies can only be effectively implemented based on a digital governance mindset. This mindset implies that digital technology blurs administrative boundaries for many administrative procedures, rendering many previous requirements for paperwork, processes, and implementation steps unnecessary.

The digital mindset also implies that sharing and connecting digital data is a prerequisite for successfully providing online public services. Administrative procedures need to be maximally simplified using digital technology and data connectivity, ensuring the legal validity of electronic transactions, data messages, and comprehensive electronic dealings.

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Nguyễn Đức Lam - Institute for Policy and Communication Development (IPS)

Source: Nhân Dân Weekend Newspaper

(This translation was provided by an automated AI translation tool)