Enhancing Web-Based E-Government Models through Integrated Email-SMS Alert System: A Prototype Design, Development & Testing

Abstract

Most e-government models adopted in developed and developing countries are Web-based and depend on websites, web portals, blogs and emails systems to deliver services to consumers. Such models provide static information and are not interactive, making it difficult for users to receive feedback from the government agencies. With the proliferation of smart mobile devices, the SMS-based models are slowly becoming popular in the developed countries but sparingly popular in developing countries. The smart mobile devices enable users to access e-government services with ease and at any time. However, majority of consumers use the basic-feature phones that make it impossible for them to access the e-government services. This study focused to enhancing the web-based e-government models by use an Email-SMS alert system. This study used survey and prototyping methods. Questionnaires were used to collect descriptive data about consumers' experience of using e-government services through email systems and SMS-based systems in a government agency. The study found that email systems were ineffective, inefficient and unreliable technologies for availing e-government services. This is because consumers took too long to access their email accounts and did not have a notification method of knowing when new services were available. It was also found that, even though SMS was efficient in providing information, it was not effective and reliable in accessing e-government information and services since most consumers used basic-feature phones that limited the information they could receive into 160 characters. Based on the findings of the survey, a prototype of an Email-SMS alert system for notifying users about new e-government services on basic-feature phones was designed, developed and tested. It was found that such a system can always notify consumers whenever new e-government services were on the web-based systems irrespective of the type of a phone one has, hence prompting them to access the services from the nearest Internet access point. This improved the access time and feedback on services requested for.