Why government can't rely on a one-size-fits-all digital strategy for elderly residents

Meet Leonard

Leonard lives in London, he has lived on the same street for over 30 years and has suffered a bit of bad luck of late. He is almost deaf and, unfortunately he broke his hip two months ago which means he hasn’t been able to leave the house. In an ideal world, this would be a time of rest and relaxation while he recovers. But, life goes on and bills must be paid. He receives a letter from his council saying that his council tax bill is overdue.

Spare a thought for the fact that Leonard, along with 20% of UK adults (that’s over 10 million), does not use the internet. Taking 5 minutes to pay online isn’t an option.

He is very worried by the threatening tone of the letter and decides to leave the house as soon as possible and pay his outstanding bill in person. Unable to make it to the local government office, he struggles to his nearest bank where a helpful teller assists him in contacting the local council and successfully dealing with the issue.

This true story happens more often than we would like to think, and is one of the reasons why the government’s strategic initiative ‘GO ON’ digital is so important. Of course it makes sense for Leonard to pay online, let’s educate and empower people!  However the GO ON initiative expects everyone to behave in a logical way. But the fact is people don’t often act in their own best interests, they are illogical.

What’s stopping Leonard from getting online?

Leonard’s story confirms Winston Wolf’s belief that profiling audiences is vital to the success of any digital initiative. Understanding who we are communicating with, how people think, identifying their motivations and removing barriers are key to ensuring 100% of your audience is supported.

Some barriers to someone like Leonard getting to grips with digital could be:

? Lack of confidence

? Lack of skills

? Lack of experience

? Lack of motivation

How can you address a lack of motivation?

The lack of motivation is one of the biggest hurdles to any local authority wanting to empower their more elderly and vulnerable residents. If a resident thinks ‘I have got to this age and got by without the internet’. They aren’t going to rush to your free training initiative no matter how well it is promoted.

This barrier identifies a ‘nudge’ requirement – make it relevant, or Salient to them, to motivate them to achieve their goals.  

Does the Government’s GO ON initiative break down this barrier?

Lewisham launched their version in February 2016, the second London borough to do so.

As digital behaviour change experts, Winston Wolf’s concern here is the disconnection between relevance and motivation. Some people will be motivated to participate and learn basic digital skills, but saving time and money, a logical benefit, may not be relevant to all disconnected and older residents.  

How relevance impacts motivation

Here is an example from my own family. Over the years we have dispersed around the world, following work opportunities and chasing dreams. Unfortunately, this means that my Grandparents have been left behind in a country thousands of miles away. My Grandfather is in his 90s and, accessibility issues aside, is very confident with technology and uses digital by default. Whereas, my Grandmother has never exhibited a real motivation to use anything digital…until recently. To our amazement, she now uses Email, Facebook and Skype with increasing confidence. So, why the change and new found motivation?

Email, Facebook and Skype have clearly demonstrated that her family are no longer out of reach, but at her fingertips. This is far more relevant than someone explaining what a browser does or showing them how to shop on Amazon. In time we hope she will build the confidence to get groceries delivered when she is less able to pop to the shops.

Is there a logical conclusion for the GO ON Initiative?

The answer is no, but you can make it more predictable, manageable and successful. Creating the right digital profiles helps you understand how your residents behave and more importantly, why they behave that way.  And most people don’t behave in the way you want or expect them to.

And for Winston Wolf, creating profiles is an essential process to inform which MINDSPACE nudge principles should be employed to motivate people to change their behaviour.  From what we have seen so far, the local execution of the GO ON initiative has omitted this very important first step.

Article written by Sean Purves, Samantha Gerson and Michelle Watson of Winston Wolf Experience Design

Winston Wolf Experience Design is an agile and efficient agency based in London. We help local government understand resident’s barriers to using online services and devise inclusive digital communications strategies to nudge all residents in the right direction.  Our in house design department also works with communications teams and service providers to execute multi-channel campaigns.