Diary of a Service User
Last week saw policy and industry leaders in the USA come together for the Washington Post Live event, Disparities in Digital Access. The transcript got me thinking about a ‘tweet’ I posted earlier in the year stating that being online is not a luxury, not an enabler, but how we live.
During last week’s event communications policy leader, Jessica Rosenworcel said:
“We recognised that broadband is an essential service, that you don’t have a fair shot in modern life if you don’t have broadband at home.”
I pulled at this thread in a short blog in which I spoke about the potential digital transformation has to make people happier, in it I say; ‘we likely lose count of how many interactions we each have with organisations and therefore how reliant we are on ‘them’ providing a good experience.’
A few folks chatted to me about the comments I’d made (thanks!), which led me to think a little more about how much we really consider and surface the volume and frequency of our online service usage. The sheer volume and diversity of the services that we interact with, and rely on daily.
So I recorded some of them in a little diary.
Monday:
- Booked train tickets via Trainline mobile app
- Scanned Trainline ticket through electronic barriers at Manchester Victoria Station (twice)
- Paid for lunch via self-check out using Visa Debit in Apple Wallet, scanned points card via M&S app
- Read emails via Gmail mobile app
- Collaborated via Slack mobile and desktop app
- Placed Amazon order via mobile app
- Communicated with Nursery via Famly mobile app
- Browsed news via BBC News mobile app
- Communicated with friends and family via Whatsapp
Tuesday:
- Read emails via Gmail mobile app
- Collaborated via Slack mobile and desktop app
- Listened to Woman’s Hour via BBC Sounds
- Ordered Moonpig card via mobile app
- Asked Siri to play Frozen soundtrack via Spotify (obviously)
- Checked Famly — Nursery app
- Collaborated on work using Miro via Google Chrome
- Collaborated in Google Workspace
- Collaborated in Trello via desktop
- Listened to Radio 6 Music via BBC Sounds on mobile, played through bluetooth speaker
Wednesday:
- Listed item on Vinted via mobile
- Read emails via Gmail mobile app
- Browsed news via BBC News mobile app
- Collated work using Miro via Google Chrome
- Paid for shopping in Morrisons using Visa Debit in Apple Wallet and scanned ‘More’ card via mobile app
- Listened to Woman’s Hour via BBC Sounds on Mobile
- Verified details via HMRC
- Browsed and compared financial products via desktop
- Changed cat flap settings via pet care app
Thursday:
- Paid for parking via Apcoa Connect mobile app
- Book appointment via Treatwell online
- Collaborated via Slack mobile and desktop app
- Asked Siri to play Frozen soundtrack via Spotify again (obviously)
- Communicated with Nursery via Family mobile app
- Collaborated in Google Workspace
- Scroll Instagram content via mobile app
- Checked household bill via desktop
- Read hotel reviews via TripAdvisor on mobile
Friday:
- Found an item via Facebook Marketplace and communicated via Messenger
- Collaborated via Slack mobile and desktop app
- Listened to Woman’s Hour via BBC Sounds on Mobile
- Started watching ‘One Day’ via Netflix on tv
- Transferred money using mobile banking app
- Compared holiday insurance quotes via Comparethemarket.com on desktop
- Shipped item sold on Vinted via digital label and InPost locked
- Browsed curry menu on mobile site
- Paid for curry via Apple Wallet using Visa Debit
- Listed a Spotify playlist (something that wasn’t Frozen!)
I probably recorded about 60% of this stuff. Gets you thinking doesn’t it?
How might we continue to reframe and reinforce the fact that for most people online services are part of ‘the essentials’? (I think a lot of people, within the public audience and within some service delivery organisations still don’t prioritise this work in that way) and how might we put the need for more equitable access alongside this narrative.
I’d love your thoughts (and your diaries lol!)
Thanks for reading.
