In its Digital Agenda Strategy, the UK government has urged for sustained national investment in the digital economy. "The UK Digital Strategy is a plan we will pursue to strengthen our international position as a Science and Tech Superpower," DCMS Minister for Technology and the Digital Economy Chris Philp MP says in the introduction.
To build on the digital transformation initiated over the past decade, the government has set as its goal the "increasing use of digital, data, and technology across all public services" proposed by this strategy.
Passenger recruitment is an art
As an example of the Digital Agenda Strategy's effectiveness in facilitating the creation of user-facing services providing up-to-date transportation information via the users' preferred channels, the publication of Transport for London's live data in 2017 is provided. More than 42 percent of Londoners take advantage of one of the 600 apps made accessible by the open data, which in turn helps commuters get to work on time and eases congestion on the tube.
Isolation from the Covid epidemic is generally accepted as a major factor in the accelerated shift toward digital delivery of public services. It doesn't matter if we're talking about adults using a QR code check-in system on the NHS contact tracing app, kids taking use of online education, city councils holding meetings on Zoom, or patients making appointments with their doctors using video chat. The government plans to build on this accomplishment by offering a wide range of digital services.
Headless content management systems excel in this situation
The federal, state, and local governments' provision of citizens with up-to-date and accurate information via a number of channels is crucial to ensuring that no one falls behind in the digital era.
Decoupling the back-end databases and software code from the presentation layer, or 'head,' whether it be the council website, a digital information kiosk, or a mobile app, is making it easier for the public sector to achieve this degree of engagement.
The MyNavy Progressive Web App, developed by the digital agency Great State, is a good example. It enables Royal Navy personnel to do everything from track their training to check their pay and perks to browse for new employment opportunities all from the comfort of their mobile devices.
The app's development on a headless content management system means the Royal Navy may quickly add new functionality and update the app so that its users can keep on using it throughout their careers. Within three weeks, a feature was built that allowed Naval staff to update their vaccination booster status, as the Navy saw the importance of the mobile app as a medium through which to offer consistent and timely information to its geographically spread people.
Migrating to digital experience platforms
With the help of a digital experience platform (DXP), a government agency can provide uniform information and services across all of its channels, while a robust content management system makes it easier to create excellent website and web app experiences.
In this way, customers can have a consistent digital experience throughout the multiple channels offered by a given business, such as its website, emails, mobile apps, chat, public information kiosks, and social media.
Possibilities "composable" architectures can offer
With a 'headless' architecture that abstracts the internals of the service from the user experience, businesses may pick and choose the top cloud-native apps to power their next-gen digital offering. Government organisations might potentially speed up the rollout of digital services to the public while reducing the cost of software licences by using this "composable" approach.
Businesses may now pick and select the customer relationship management (CRM), digital asset management (DAM), content management system (CMS), analytics, and user interface (UI) features that will deliver the most value to their end customers thanks to the composable approach.
A study of how digitally "composable" experiences increase flexibility
Public sector organisations can respond quickly to changing conditions and consumer demand by deploying new digital services using a combination of pre-existing technologies that need less coding and more agility.
Through the provision of timely, relevant content; the facilitation of interactive user-flows; and the enhancement of user experiences, the efficacy of which can be gauged through the seamless integration of analytics, public sector organisations can benefit from a composable DXP built around an easy-to-use CMS.
Composable DXP design may help budget holders predict expenses in advance of a service's launch and approve it with more certainty by enabling the selection of the most appropriate technology for the delivery of new digital services.
Using open-source software is in line with the government's composable policy, which aims to lessen reliance on a single technology vendor and the costs and time wasted duplicating development efforts. The development of public services is supported by public finances," states Government Service Standard 12. The source code upon which they are based should be made available to the public for reuse and development unless there is a compelling reason not to.
What about LocalGov Drupal?
A public resource, LocalGov Drupal enhances the digital experience of local residents, boosts the quality of government services provided, and reduces operational costs. UK councils have adopted the Local Digital Declaration as a guide for developing a public asset that is also a common repository of code, resources, research, and talent, allowing us to provide superior digital services to the public at a cheaper cost.
Developers, content designers, and digital leaders from city governments around the UK work together to create and manage it. It's great for web teams to have such autonomy, adaptability, and support. Drupal's LocalGov community can cut the price of launching a new municipal website by as much as 80 percent.
There are currently 33 councils in the UK using LocalGov Drupal. Join them for 30 days with free AWS hosting before deciding to full migrate.
Conclusion
According to the Digital Agenda Strategy, the government's ultimate goal is to make the United Kingdom (UK) the best place in the world to start and grow a digital business. The success of government-run digital services will depend on how well they are received by the public. To speed up the rollout of digital services that can be accessed from any device, the future must be open, composable, and headless.