Recruitment of 20 Digital Companies Based in Seoul
[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] The Seoul Digital Foundation announced on the 8th that starting tomorrow, it will begin recruiting Seoul-based digital content and service companies to participate in the ‘Digital Usability Evaluation and Improvement Support Project.’ This project, which piloted three services last year, will be significantly expanded to support 20 services this year. The application period is until the 9th of next month.
This project is one of the foundation’s initiatives to accompany the digitally disadvantaged, aiming to support existing private companies’ digital services to be conveniently used by all generations by tailoring them to the needs of the elderly, disabled, and other digital vulnerable groups.
The foundation conducted a pilot project last year with three companies to preliminarily verify the effectiveness of this project. Through usability analysis such as eye-tracking and face-to-face interviews with about 150 citizens, they identified areas needing improvement from the user’s perspective when using the services.
The eligibility for this year’s project is digital content and service companies located in Seoul that possess digital services (apps or web) either pre-market launch or already commercialized. Inclusive services targeting socially vulnerable groups such as the elderly will receive additional points during the selection evaluation, as was the case last year.
Selected companies will receive support tailored to the characteristics of each service, including ▲forming citizen user evaluation groups segmented by youth, middle-aged, and elderly ▲digital usability analysis (eye-tracking, EEG, heart rate measurement, etc.) ▲and expert consultation in the UX field to provide guidelines for improving the usability of their solutions.
The six methods used for digital usability evaluation are ▲behavior observation ▲eye-tracking ▲EEG measurement ▲behavioral PPG (heart rate) measurement ▲in-depth interviews ▲and online surveys. Unlike last year, an online survey method has been added, allowing support for collecting opinions from over 100 people when needed.
Detailed information can be found on the Seoul Digital Foundation website > Communication Square > Project Announcements, and application documents should be submitted via email to the person in charge.
Seoul Digital Foundation Director Kang Yosik stated, “Many people still experience difficulties using mobile apps or kiosks in daily life,” adding, “The foundation will actively support the digital content and services developed by the private sector so that digital vulnerable groups can also conveniently use them, thereby revitalizing the service market.”
Meanwhile, the Seoul Digital Foundation is considering introducing the ‘(tentative name) Seoul-type Digital Usability Certification System’ in the second half of this year by establishing certain evaluation criteria for services improved through this support project.
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