KELA, OmaKanta, and Keva

I have become familiar with using OmaKela. Through OmaKela, I have applied for study-related benefits, and all family benefits and applications are also submitted through OmaKela. As a parent, maternity allowance, maternity benefits, and various childcare allowances are applied for through the service, and child benefits are paid through the service.

OmaKanta contains all health-related entries, requiring strong authentication, similar to logging into OmaKela services.

Reviewing one’s pension information doesn’t evoke cheerful feelings. The task involves examining what one’s pension will be at the age of 63 and 68. My generation will not qualify for old-age pension until just under the age of 68, and the system doesn’t provide information before that age. It is possible to examine early retirement, with the earliest age being 64-65 years.

Online shops and applications

In general, prices for consumers on platforms like Amazon are more competitive than in brick-and-mortar stores. However, it’s important to consider the impact of shipping costs on the final price. When ordering through online stores, consumers cannot physically examine the product beforehand, such as feeling the material or assessing whether the product matches the provided image. In such cases, it’s crucial to consider the return policies of online stores, including whether returns are free or incur costs.

There are several services that compare different accommodation options. These comparison sites are convenient for consumers as they can easily compare the features and prices of various options through a single application. This is more convenient than individually searching for information about each location. Apps enable users to set filters, automatically listing options according to their preferences. Regarding prices, I often double-check the suitability of an option’s price on the provider’s own website, in case the price on the app is higher.

An application related to my field

Currently, I work as a community coordinator for the municipality, where enhancing citizen participation and community building are crucial. I examined the Joensuu app, which is related to my work as I am involved in developing the app and considering its usability from the perspective of municipal residents and other potential users. The app is targeted at residents or visitors to Joensuu city, aiming to consolidate all city-related information and essential services into one application. Residents can easily access desired information, such as event details, the latest city announcements, ongoing surveys, local transportation information, or even manage their library loans through a single app.

I chose this app because it is continuously developed to meet the needs of residents in terms of digital services. The app’s development is based on citizen surveys, and digital workshops have been utilized, allowing residents to contribute their thoughts on practical needs related to digital services.

Digital exclusion

Digitalized services enable broader service production, especially from the perspective of telemedicine services. In some locations, certain specialized medical services may not be available due to resource constraints. Through remote appointments, these services become accessible to individuals who might otherwise miss out. On the flip side, the rapid development of digital solutions poses a risk of digital exclusion for those who cannot afford up-to-date digital devices or adapt to their usage. For them, accessibility to services may deteriorate as healthcare reception shifts due to the integration of digital services alongside traditional ones.

The progression of digital services and their increasing integration into the healthcare sector requires careful consideration of how service availability and accessibility can be ensured for those unfamiliar or unable to access digital platforms. These services are essential for individuals, but not everyone has the means to, for example, review their health information without the necessary hardware or strong authentication credentials.

I believe that digital exclusion is part of the polarization of society. The growth of socio-economic disparities, low income, and an aging population increase the risk of digital exclusion. The risk of exclusion should also be considered from the perspective of immigrants and special groups such as individuals with disabilities. With the digitalization of services, we need to consider how digital services and technologies take shape and what their usability is like for different customer groups. Diseases, disabilities, or language barriers can create exclusionary mechanisms if not considered in the design phase of services.

In the worst case, services are designed in a way that does not consider all individuals equally, leading to a situation where individuals cannot manage their affairs independently and utilize societal services. Through co-development and involving different customer segments in the development of services and technologies from the planning phase, we could better address the individual needs of various customer groups and implement services and technological innovations equitably.

Digital competence test

I felt that the test was partially challenging. Perhaps, I hadn’t previously considered all aspects, and initially, taking the test was slow as I found myself overthinking some questions until I realized the sheer volume of questions. I was starting to get a bit frustrated during the test. Nevertheless, the results were quite interesting.

Self-reflection

At first, it felt like the task was scattered, but as I worked on it, it once again became clear how digital services are multidimensional and touch almost every area, from healthcare to retail services. Reflecting on the perspectives of digital exclusion raised concerns in myself about how we can ensure the inclusion of individuals in our society who, for various reasons, do not have the ability to use digital services. In the task, various digital platforms were examined comprehensively.