We announced recently we've chosen Libraries as the pilot service for http://new.shropshire.gov.uk. This isn't a decision we took lightly. We thought long and hard about which service we would choose and came up with some criteria.
Must have varied content and transactions
We're trying out some new technology and we want to give it a proper test drive so the service must contain a variety of content types and some transactions.
The content types of a library cover things like events and venues; with venues typically broken down into information like opening times, locations, facilities etc. and transactions; where we ask some information from the customer to complete a service, such as apply for a library card.
Must be low risk
If the prototype doesn't work as expected no one should come to any harm and there should be minimal impact on service delivery. This immediately rules out things like adult social care, crime and reporting problems.
Must be prepared to fail
The service area managers have to accept some risks - this is a prototype which means it could fail or we can make some mistakes and end up throwing the whole thing out at the end. This is obviously a worst-case scenario but it would be unrealistic to not consider this as a possibility.
Could do with some TLC
We believe this prototype will, if successful, make a huge impact on the way we deliver services, so the service we choose to prototype will be the first to feel the benefit. A service like libraries, which is always under threat during times of recession could really benefit from the help. Customers will also benefit from the services that libraries provide in a nice way - free books, frequent leisure activities and a better community resource.
Can provide the resource
Creating a website is a partnership, and requires as much work from the client as it does from the technical people, the content people and the designers. Libraries were more than willing to lend us some help from their digital librarians who have given up a lot of their time to be part of the project.
Must be a neutral or positive customer experience
We wanted a service that wasn't associated with something negative, like paying a parking fine or objecting to a planning application (not that these services wouldn't benefit). These events trigger a contact that starts with a negative event, which could mean customer feedback could be negatively biased .
This is something we've observed on our current website with the GovMetric service (three smiley faces at the bottom of the page) - services that customers have no choice but to interact with always get more negative feedback than others.
We can confirm that we made the right choice. Working with the library staff has been an absolute pleasure so far, they are group of very knowledgable people who have a real passion for their service, and care for their customer's needs. Do yourself a favour a go to your local library to appreciate this first hand.
More updates as they come, we've created a new category on the blog to help you keep track, and if you haven't already make sure you sign up to find out when we launch!