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How to ensure that everyone can benefit from the Internet From Digital Divide to Social Inclusion

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A dded V alue A ccess to N ew T echnologies and services on the I nternet The Avanti project is a transnational project involving city partners from England, Scotland, Latvia and Sweden and industrial partners Fujitsu and Microsoft. It is partly funded by the European Commission The Project aims to develop a n intelligent digital assistant which will enable ‘natural’ interface and so make it easier for citizens to use municipal services delivered via the web

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WHY ? Why are we doing this? Why do we need AVANTI?

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Social Inclusion <ul><li>The information society is a great benefit for those who can take part, but runs the risk of leaving behind those groups who cannot </li></ul><ul><li>Have limited experience of the Internet, and particularly current e-government services; and:- </li></ul><ul><li>Have social-demographic characteristics associated with social exclusion </li></ul>Why?

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eGovernance <ul><li>There is a major drive within governments and local municipalities to develope electronic services. </li></ul><ul><li>eGovernment will enable around the clock-access to services, from home, work, public access points or on the move. </li></ul>Why?

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Democracy As government services and important public information become increasingly available on-line, ensuring access to government web sites for all citizens becomes as important as ensuring access to public buildings Why?

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WHAT? What can we do to help to overcome the digital divide, and simplify access to eGovernance?

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The Avatar <ul><li>The standard Internet interface is too complex </li></ul><ul><li>We have developed a character which appears on the screen and conducts a conversation with citizens </li></ul><ul><li>During the dialog the Avatar and the user both uses natural language. </li></ul><ul><li>In some cases You can also talk to the Avatar without the use of key-board. </li></ul>What?

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Our approach <ul><li>A partnership was established within 4 cities - Lewisham, Edinburgh, Kista and Ventspils </li></ul><ul><li>Each city established a local user group representing the AVANTI target users </li></ul><ul><li>We talked to service providers in each city </li></ul><ul><li>We talked to the technologists who represents state of the art solutions to try to address the needs of the citizens and the service providers </li></ul>What?

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Lewisham <ul><li>Lewisham has developed two applications: </li></ul><ul><li>A Housing Benefit demonstrator </li></ul><ul><li>An eConsultation demonstrator - an electronic survey and opinion poll application </li></ul>What? Look at a videoexample of the Housing Benefit Application Look at a videoexample of the Online Poll Application

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Lewisham – Housing Benefits <ul><li>By developing an AVANTI conversation to provide advice and information on this benefit, more citizens will be able to find out whether they are eligible and how to apply </li></ul>What? Look at a videoexample of the Housing Benefit Application

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Lewisham – eConsultation What? <ul><li>Using the AVANTI solution, we use an on-screen character to choose an appropriate survey or poll, lead the citizen through the questions and provide information about past consultation results </li></ul>Look at a videoexample of the Online Poll Application

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Kista A virtual servant that is able to help the citizen to initiate and resolve different matters through a self-service site What?

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The vision guiding the Kista application What can I do for you, today? What?

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Two screenshots of Kista’s demonstrator What? Look at videoexample 1 of the Kista application Look at videoexample 2 of the Kista application

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Edinburgh <ul><li>Joining the Library </li></ul><ul><li>Find your Nearest Library </li></ul><ul><li>Other Services for elderly and disabled users </li></ul><ul><li>A to Z of Council Services </li></ul><ul><li>Frequently Asked Questions </li></ul>An application for the library with five main services What?

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Edinburgh’s Demonstrator <ul><li>Citizens are guided through information on Libraries and other Council services </li></ul><ul><li>Peedy the Parrot asks questions and provides information on the topic that the person is looking for </li></ul>What?

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Screenshot of Edinburgh’s demonstrator What? Hello, I’m here to help you find out about the services Edinburgh City Libraries can offer you. | Avatar words appear in speech bubble Record of avatar conversation in scrollable box Basic instructions and contact details Box for user input entered using OK key or ‘Enter’ button OK Look at a video clip of the Edinburgh application

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Ventspils Guide citizens through the procedure to apply for discounts on Local Government services What?

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Screenshots of Ventspils’ demonstrator What? Look at a videoexample of the Ventspils application

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The Avanti Exemplar A possible scenario of today… What? Look at a videoexample of the Avanti Exemplar

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The Avanti Exemplar <ul><li>Reporting a problem </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Conversational interface </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Personal identification of user </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Detailed fault reporting </li></ul></ul><ul><li>Integration and Notifications </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Integration of fault report with Council services </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Mobile phone messaging of relevant information </li></ul></ul><ul><li>Access to local information </li></ul><ul><ul><li>List of available services </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Information and booking routine </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Introduction of a ‘real person’ to book activity </li></ul></ul>What?

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The Avanti Exemplar A possible scenario of today… Look at a videoexample developed by Microsoft and Fujitsu in close cooperation with the four cities What?

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C onclusions from user tests

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Some conclusions from the user tests <ul><li>557 citizens in 4 cities have been involved in feedback sessions </li></ul><ul><li>The attitude to Avanti services is very positive </li></ul><ul><li>Avanti is not only for inexperienced users – it is also of great help during complex questions such as complicated form filling </li></ul>

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User criterias that where fully met in all cities; <ul><li>Users would use the demonstrator if it were deployed. </li></ul><ul><li>Users are satisfied with the ease of use of the demonstrator, or that it is easier to use than the current online service </li></ul><ul><li>Users find the language used by the demonstrator easy to understand, or that it is easier to understand than the current online service </li></ul><ul><li>Users have no problems with the relevance or credibility of information presented by the demonstrator. </li></ul>

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Main conclusion from the service provider side <ul><li>” Going from a traditional design of web interfaces to an Avanti approach is like going from an inside out perspective to a strictly customer or citizen oriented perspective . This shift in perspective is a small revolution and it has a lot of consequences for the development of e-government services compared to the current traditions.” </li></ul>

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Findings What knowledge did we gain from the AVANTI-project

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Knowledge of barriers to accessing e-government services Findings User interface E-Service? Information overload Legislation

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Understanding how citizens engage with conversation based e - government services across Europe Findings Am I qualified to have a free travel pass? What can I help You with today?

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Design principles for conversation based solutions using avatars Findings

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Toolkit to deliver conversation based solutions using avatars Findings

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Successful implementation of avatar enabled e-government pilots in four European cities Findings

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How can I help you ?