A simple online login is key to digital government success
While it’s not perfect, there’s one thing that can be said of Microsoft Azure Active Directory. It basically does what it’s supposed to, providing a relatively straightforward login for enterprise users who need access both to Microsoft and non-Microsoft IT systems.
It’s something one hopes the government should be drawing inspiration on as it lays out its plans for a digital identity programme. People need to connect to public services and while previous generations queued to speak to someone, or waited on the helpline, these days the government wants us all to use online services as much as possible.
Darren Jones, the Cabinet minister in charge of the UK government’s digital identity programme wants to give the public the ability to interact with public services through a mobile phone as easily as shopping with Amazon, communicating via WhatsApp, or streaming on Netflix. “In the future, you’ll be able to get all your government admin done in the time it takes to make a cup of tea,” he says.
Anyone who has had to renew their driving licence, tax their vehicle or even file an online tax return, will have experienced the pros and cons of having to log into a public service that they may only use occasionally. The process is kind of analogous to logging into and using a piece of software we may only need to use once in a while – like the company’s annual appraisal form or mandatory cybersecurity training, which, for employees, tends to be regarded as a bit of a chore to meet the governance criteria set by the business.
It’s the same when interacting with government services. This is why Jones should be more ambitious. It is not enough for an online government service to be as easy to use as Amazon Netflix or WhatsApp, it needs to be far easier and far more intuitive because, unlike Amazon, Netflix or WhatsApp, apps that many people are guilty of accessing several times a day, people only use a government service on the occasion they need something sorted.
No matter how easy they are to use and the sheer ingenuity of their user experience, there will be a cohort of the population who have no inclination to use digital government services.
Among the biggest challenges is convincing the public that a single login for government services is a good thing. It should be, but the enrollment process required to access the DVLA and Companies House – both of which authenticate via OneLogin – is enough to put off even its most ardent supporters. Simplicity is everything. There’s reportedly a billion people using Azure Active Directory. Maybe the government can learn something from this?