Combining Design Science and User-Centred Methods in M-Government Service Design in Namibia

In Namibia, where a digital divide is prevalent and income inequality rates are high, creating equal opportunities to access government services is important in order to combat the divide. This paper aims to explore how a combination of design science and user-centred design might support the creation of citizen-centric m-government services and the evaluation of their societal impact in the Namibian context. The subject is approached through a practical design challenge: creating prototypes for two mobile services related to identification (one for online ID applications, and another for digital authentication). The results indicate that mobile platforms hold a multitude of opportunities related to making Namibian government services more efficient and approachable. The combined method was found to support citizen-centric design of m-government services by facilitating interaction evaluation and access to societal information despite barriers related to language and a lack of common conceptual terms.