DIGITALIZATION: PASSPORT RENEWAL ONLINE APPLICATION PLATFORM ILL-DESIGNED
Digitalization is supposed to not only bring efficiency to the operations of the service provider but also provide seamless customer experience and convenience to the consumer. Either way, digitalization with respect to Government-to-Citizen (G2C) interactions should allow for an enjoyable public service delivery. It is not a heart-warming digitalization experience trying to renew a passport on the e-government (Ghana.Gov) online application platform. The online passport application for both new and renewal has seven stages. Start, Applicant, Education, Citizenship, Guarantors, Witness and Preview. The functionalities in terms of the User Interface Design (UID) may be working but the User Experience Design (UXD) has been poorly done. We cannot invest in the digitalization of public services and yet not get the benefits anticipated. This article is to share my experience, more of frustration, trying to renew an existing passport online and to highlight how ill-designed the system