Open government for all? Co-creating digital public services for older adults through data walks

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review interventions/methods for engaging older adults in meaningful digital public service design by enabling them to engage critically and productively with open data and civic tech. Design/methodology/approach The paper evaluates data walks as a method for engaging non-tech-savvy citizens in co-design work. These were evaluated along a framework considering how such interventions allow for sharing control (e.g. over design decisions), sharing expertise and enabling change. Findings Within a co-creation project, different types of data walks may be conducted, including ideation walks, data co-creation walks or user test walks. These complement each other with respect to how they facilitate the sharing of control and expertise, and enable change for a variety of older citizens. Practical implications Data walks are a method with a low-threshold, potentially enabling a variety of citizens to engage in co-design activities relating to open government and civic tech. Social implications Such methods address the digital divide and further social participation of non-tech-savvy citizens. They value the resources and expertise of older adults as co-designers and partners, and counter stereotypical ideas about age and ageing. Originality/value This pilot study demonstrates how data walks can be incorporated into larger co-creation projects.

Enhancing transparency through open government data: the case of data portals and their features and capabilities

“…They proposed a concept of transparency-by-design according to which transparency should be considered as the main requirement for the development of the system, which must be met by the systems in order to ensure that the data that are made public create transparency. Our findings support the earlier studies by Jarke (2019) and Murillo (2015) who emphasized the need for government policies that focus on the utilization of new technologies focused on online data availability and the involvement of all stakeholders in public services. In this regard, the features and capabilities enabling engagement of various stakeholders in reusing OGD and contributing to improved transparency and accountability are the key ones.…”

Introduction to the Data Power Special Issue: tactics, access and shaping

“…Two of the papers in this Special Issue – “Ownership and control over publicly accessible platform data” (Scassa, 2019) and “Open government for all? Co-creating digital public services for older adults through data walks” (Jarke, 2019) – offer critiques on the availability and scope of online data sets. Although all of the papers in this Special Issue deal in some way with data and inequality, the papers in this section address issues of data access for social groups and actors whose data needs are often marginalised within discourses and practices dominated by powerful institutions.…”

“…Juliane Jarke’s article offers an example of data-related discrimination through the lens of Open Government Data initiatives. As Jarke (2019) explains, Open Government Data initiatives promote the ideals of “citizen collaboration and participation in the planning, design and delivery of public services” (pp. 1003-1020):The idea of using open government data for new public services is simple: Governments provide their data for free, online and under open licences; civil society actors or private companies may re-use the data and develop services according to their needs or expected demand.…”

“…They are not usually the target user group of services based on use of Open Government Data, and even if they are, the type of data opened by public bodies may not be relevant to their needs. Jarke (2019) argues that there is a real need to “bring together city administrations as data owners, technology developers and older citizens as knowledgeable individuals and prospective users in order to co-create relevant and meaningful public services based on open data” (pp. 1003-1020).…”

“…In the paper, Jarke presents an evaluation of the innovative “data walks” methodology that she used as a way to engage older citizens in the co-creation of open-data-based digital services. With particular attention paid to the issues of inclusion and efficacy in engaging with the needs and interest of participants, Jarke (2019) argues that data walk workshops are one way in which “older adults cease to be subjects of digital innovation and become co-designers” (pp. 1003-1020).…”