Government Technology Agency Test new apps and upgrades with seniors before release
I refer to the letters published regarding the digital IC and potential security problems, particularly for seniors (Protect all digital IC data with Singpass passcode; and Seniors who don't secure phone need extra help to use digital IC, both Nov 18).

As a Pioneer Generation citizen who was also a pioneer in the IT industry in the 1960s, I consider myself to be relatively tech-savvy.

However, I, too, have difficulty keeping up with the latest IT developments, so I can relate to the difficulties that many seniors face with Smart Nation initiatives.

My wife, who is not tech-savvy, regularly has problems dealing with her smartphone and even the remote control of our smart TV.

So, I hope the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office, as well as app developers (including those in banks and other commercial enterprises), will test out their new apps and upgrades with seniors, before they are rolled out to the public.

Perhaps developers should include a few non-tech-savvy people in their development teams or test panels. Also, they should include an option to allow non-tech savvy people to work around a new function to perform a task manually.

For the digital IC, a simple workaround would be to allow the user to toggle on and off the display of the digital IC on the Singpass app's home page. In fact, I believe the default should be to not have it displayed.

After all, the objective should be to improve usability, so the user should be able to decide on what he finds usable.

Kenneth Wong

Source: https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-test-new-apps-and-upgrades-with-seniors-before-release

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