The Observed Overall Population Digital Literacy Really Means High Digital Health Readiness Is A Fantasy At Present.

This fascinating article appeared a few days ago.

How Australia's tech-savvy COVID-19 response is leaving CALD communities behind

Australia's culturally and linguistically diverse communities are what makes the country unique, but have they been let down and left behind during the pandemic?

By Aimee Chanthadavong | September 2, 2021 -- 22:30 GMT (08:30 AEST) | Topic: E-Commerce

Culturally and linguistically diverse communities across greater Sydney are struggling to keep up with COVID-19 digital initiatives. 

For parts of greater Sydney that have been labelled as "areas of concern", it's now the 10th week of COVID-19 lockdown. These once vibrant communities are fraught with overwhelming frustration, anger, resentment, anxiety, and are simply just tired. I know this because I currently reside in one of these affected local government areas (LGAs).

Besides being locked down, one of the unfortunate issues -- which has not been widely addressed -- is that state and federal governments, as well as retailers, have leaned heavily on using technology to help these LGAs cope with such restrictions.

For instance, one of the initial actions that retailers took to operate in a "COVID safe way" was to discourage the use of cash payments.

This was followed by the New South Wales government introducing its QR code check-in system for COVID-19 contact tracing. Initially, QR check-in was only mandated at hospitality venues and Service NSW centres across the state but in July that was extended to all retail businesses, supermarkets, individual shops within shopping centres, entry points at shopping centres, gyms, offices, call centres, manufacturing and warehousing businesses, universities and TAFE, and schools including teachers and visitors.

More recently, as part of enforcing even stricter lockdown restrictions in LGAs of concern, the NSW government announced that retailers -- garden centres and plant nurseries, office supplies, hardware and building supplies, landscaping material supplies, rural supplies, and pet supplies -- were required to close and operate via click and collect only.

Introducing these systems make perfect sense for a majority, given that the uptake of digital technology continues to grow. What this system has failed to consider though is for more than half of the households living in these impacted areas, which includes some of Sydney's most multicultural communities, English is a second language and cash is king.  

My mum, who neither reads English nor speaks it very well, is a prime example. She not only struggles with using a smartphone, but using a digital payment method, checking into a venue using the QR code system, and turning to online shopping are incomprehensible to her.

Speaking to ZDNet, a Woolworths spokesperson admitted that customers in the LGAs of concerns require language support, highlighting it offers these customers access to translation services to help with website navigation through its Customer Hub phone line. 

"Customers can use a range of third-party digital translation services on our website. We're exploring ways to better integrate translation into the digital experience to make it easier for our customers in the future. We know it's important to meet the needs of our diverse customer base," the retail giant said.

IGA, which prides itself as being a community-minded supermarket chain, said it too has been offering impacted communities with alternative purchasing solutions.

"As IGA stores are independent family-owned businesses, they already have many systems in place to meet the needs of their communities, with many stores already taking orders directly from their local customers by phone and email as well as operating their own online shopping and click and collect systems," said the Metcash-owned retailer. 

"At the beginning of the pandemic, we launched IGA Priority Shop, which was a basic home delivery service to support elderly, vulnerable, or isolated customers by providing essential grocery packs to their door.

"This evolved into an online portal that provided a home delivery service to customers from their local participating store straight to the door. We have now accelerated the development of IGA Shop Online, a full online shopping offer that is being rolled out rapidly nationally."

"We were also first to market with partnerships with Door Dash and Uber Eats to provide fast delivery of essential items to IGA customers," IGA added.

For Bunnings, which has not only chosen to close stores to non-tradespeople in LGAs of concern but across greater Sydney, it has encouraged customers to shop online.

"Following the latest government announcement, we've taken additional steps to protect the safety and wellbeing of team and customers by closing all stores in Sydney to retail customers, including those located in impacted LGAs. During this time, trade customers can continue to access stores, while retail customers will be able to purchase items online using click and deliver and our contactless drive and collect service," Bunnings Operations general manager Ryan Baker said.

"Our team are doing an amazing job preparing online orders, however, given the increased demand we do expect it to take a little longer to get items ready for customers and we appreciate their understanding."

Much more here:

https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-australias-tech-savvy-covid-19-response-is-leaving-cald-communities-behind/

Reading this it becomes clear that even the most skilled and capability aware organisations – the major retailers – are finding it difficult to use digital channels with the simplest transactions, such as on-line purchasing, with even most of the population. In passing I also note remote communities point out they also don't have Uber Eats of 'click and collect'!

There is a powerful lesson here for all those who are in the process of considering offering digital health apps and solutions that they need to very carefully consider the alternative channels they need to make available to be even reasonably inclusive of the whole Australian population.

The ADHA should formally review and research just how technology has been deployed to support consumers during the COVID19 pandemic and what the implications are for offering inclusive Digital Health solutions and what needs to be done to fill the gaps that have been exposed.

Doing this research, and developing solutions, could form a useful part of the planned new ADHA Strategic Plan I reckon.

David.