The Government’s across-the-board push to use technology may be resulting in government agencies’ systems unwittingly becoming rather user-unfriendly for those who are less tech-savvy.

This is especially felt by elderly citizens who are less educated or who might not have the ability or the hardware to successfully navigate QR codes, create PDFs, upload documents or use e-services without help. 

One example of how user-unfriendly a government system can be is the submission of a medical report to the Traffic Police (TP) for the revalidation of the driving licence by those aged 65 and above.

According to the standard computer-generated letter from the TP on this matter, each report has to be in a PDF/JPEG format and uploaded via the e-service portal using the Singpass app.

Despite the instructions in their letter, the TP, when queried on the phone, are willing to accept the physical report sent through the mail. I wonder why this option was not included in the letter. The affected number of licensed drivers in this age group is relatively small and such an option would be most welcome by those who are technically less savvy and unable to get help. 

The use of technology and online processes in government systems to the fullest extent possible is necessary and critical in this digital age. However, such systems cannot and should not be justified solely on grounds of administrative expediency and efficiency at the expense of being less user-friendly and service-oriented. 

Ang Ah Lay