DIGI CITIZEN

DIGI CITIZEN – Reflections on Digital Services and Everyday Life

Digitalization and Inclusion

Digitalization has become a fundamental part of our everyday lives. Services we once accessed face-to-face are now mostly available online. Information has moved from paper to digital platforms, making services faster but also potentially less accessible for those who lack digital skills or tools.
It is important to ask: How can we ensure that everyone has equal access to essential services in this new digital world? Accessibility, inclusivity, and support must remain central in designing and delivering digital services.

KELA – My Experiences

Kela, the Social Insurance Institution of Finland, provides essential economic support for residents. I have personally used Kela’s services when applying for parental benefits and student financial aid.

I find Kela’s digital services relatively easy to use: applications can be submitted online through OmaKela, and the progress of applications can be tracked easily. It is also possible to see future payments and benefit decisions through the service.
In case of any issues, help is available via telephone or chat services.

Earlier, I wrote an article comparing the chatbot services of different organizations, and Kela’s chatbot stood out as the best. It was surprisingly human-like and empathetic, offering clear and supportive answers. The quality of the chatbot interaction really enhanced the user experience and gave a positive impression of Kela’s digital customer service.

However, one downside remains: the complexity of some application forms. Even though the service structure is logical for experienced users, I sometimes wonder how the most vulnerable people manage to fill in all the required information.
Additionally, strong identification requirements (such as using bank credentials) might create barriers for some users. Simplifying forms and maintaining a consistent logic throughout the system could make OmaKela even more accessible.

OmaKanta – Managing Health Information Digitally

OmaKanta is a Finnish e-healthcare portal that provides access to personal health information and prescriptions. I frequently use OmaKanta to check my medical records and prescription history.

Logging in with bank credentials is straightforward, but finding specific historical data and managing consents between healthcare providers can be confusing.
I appreciate the possibility to renew prescriptions and send messages to healthcare providers directly through the platform. Still, user-friendliness could be improved, especially for elderly users who might benefit most from easier access to their health information.

KEVA – Pension Tracking

KEVA is Finland’s largest pension provider for public sector employees. When I checked my own pension information through KEVA’s online service, I noticed that my pension accrual was not yet visible.
The service itself is clear and user-friendly, but not having complete data available reminded me that even well-designed digital systems can sometimes fall short in providing full transparency.

Digital Shops: Comparing Amazon and Verkkokauppa.com

As part of this assignment, I compared prices and customer experience between Amazon and the Finnish online store Verkkokauppa.com.

When browsing similar products, such as electronics and household items, I noticed that Amazon often offers slightly lower base prices. However, when adding shipping costs to Finland and considering customs fees for certain products, the final price on Amazon can end up being higher or at least equal to Verkkokauppa.com.

At Verkkokauppa.com, prices are usually a bit higher at first glance, but the advantage is clear: no hidden costs, faster delivery within Finland, Finnish customer service, and easy returns. Verkkokauppa.com also offers detailed product descriptions in Finnish, and often includes extended warranties or after-sales support for an additional fee.

Summary:
While Amazon offers a wider product selection and sometimes lower prices before shipping, Verkkokauppa.com provides a more transparent and reliable shopping experience for customers in Finland. When purchasing important items like electronics, I personally prefer the security and convenience of a trusted Finnish store, even if it sometimes costs a little more.mpared to local stores, consumers must remain critical: review sellers carefully, consider shipping costs, and be mindful of where and how their personal data is handled.

Digital Application from My Field: DIAS – A Continuously Evolving Platform

Digitaalinen asuntokauppa – DIAS is a Finnish digital platform that enables the smooth and secure signing of real estate sales contracts and the transfer of ownership completely online. It connects different stakeholders — banks, real estate agents, and consumers — into a single shared digital process, significantly streamlining what has traditionally been a slow, paperwork-heavy transaction.

One of DIAS’s greatest strengths is that it is developed continuously based on real user feedback. Users such as real estate professionals, banking staff, and private consumers provide insights and suggestions that guide the platform’s improvement. This user-driven development approach ensures that DIAS evolves alongside market needs and technological advancements, keeping it user-friendly, secure, and efficient.

A particular challenge for DIAS is that it does not serve a narrow, clearly defined user group. Instead, it must cater to a very broad audience: from young first-time homebuyers to older individuals selling family homes, and from real estate investors to legal representatives handling estate sales.
This diversity means that the platform must be simple and intuitive enough for users of all ages and backgrounds while also providing professional-level reliability expected by banking institutions and real estate agencies.

Working in connection with DIAS has highlighted to me the importance of accessibility, user-centered design, and continuous iteration in successful digital service development. A truly impactful digital platform isn’t just built once — it’s shaped constantly through listening, adapting, and improving.

Digital Gap: Risks and Challenges

Despite all the benefits of digitalization, not everyone can or wants to use virtual services. This creates a digital gap that risks excluding vulnerable groups.

Without access to digital tools or the skills to use them:

• People can face social exclusion.
• Access to essential services like healthcare, banking, and social security can become difficult.
• Economic inequalities can deepen.

To bridge the gap, it’s vital to promote digital skills across all age groups, ensure that non-digital alternatives are still available for critical services, or make digital services so user-friendly that even a 75-year-old could use them safely and confidently.

Digital Competence Test – A Self-Check

I completed the digital competence test as part of this assignment.
It was a useful way to evaluate my skills across various areas like information processing, communication, content creation, safety, and problem-solving. To be honest, I felt that there were simply too many questions.

While my digital skills are strong overall, the test highlighted areas where continuous improvement is needed, particularly regarding digital security and the responsible use of online resources.

Self-Reflection

This assignment helped me realize the double-edged nature of digitalization.
On one hand, services have become faster, more flexible, and more accessible for those with good digital skills.
On the other hand, inclusivity remains a major challenge, and digital literacy cannot be taken for granted.

I learned how important it is to design digital services for everyone, not just for tech-savvy users.
I also deepened my understanding of consumer rights, data privacy risks, and the importance of continuous digital skill development.

In the future, I hope to contribute to making digital services more user-friendly, accessible, and secure for all.

Pictures from: Unsplash.com

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