A New Year is here, and with it the potential for a vast array of new technologies. 2014 was a year of rapid changes, and there is no sign of a slowdown ahead.
Techwire recently talked to several technology leaders to ask them what they expect to see next and what they think is important for the industry and government in the upcoming year and beyond.
Mark Bosse, Director of Business Development
Symsoft Solutions
For 2015, public sector web solutions will experience rapid evolution in content strategy and the entrance of new website personalization strategies. Government agencies are increasing their focus on providing user-centric content as a fundamental means of meeting their constituent’s expectations. The transformation of websites from content repositories to well-designed communication channels (including mobile-first strategies) requires purposeful information architecture and user experience design. We should see significant innovation in the software solutions that support user-centric design.
New software solutions will also need to address the increasingly complex process of content life cycle management. An agency with a complex mission may have dozens of employees responsible for content authoring. When added to the tasks of editing, updating, publishing and purging, the complexity of these tasks come into full view as does the need for powerful, feature-rich CMS (Content Management System) platforms.
The next step in providing user-centric content will be the tailoring of the content to more directly meet segmented group expectations (possibly segmented down to the individual). In the private sector, it is typical to see analytic data used to predictively supply content to users in order to convert a user into a customer. In the public sector we will see a similar effort to use data analytics to convert public sector website users from reluctant participants to involved partners.
By using location information, individual profiles, website analytics and even internet personas, a web site can filter, fine tune and furnish content that is most relevant to a particular user. By providing relevant content, constituents will, in return, rely more on government websites to conduct their transactions. More effective government outreach campaigns and increased usage of online services with increased efficiencies will be the payoff and lead to a stronger symbiotic relationship between the government and the governed.
