FIELD METHOD
From a civic tech tool to a usable public service
Use documented programme examples to design a service pathway you can verify locally.
- Person’s task
- Accessible channel
- Responsible handover
- Verified response
What the 2025 source documents
GIZ’s Annual Report 2025 discusses fifteen AUCTF-supported projects and describes Esheria LexChat in Kenya and Teacher Bank in Nigeria on page 23. Those examples are reported programme accounts, not an independent assessment by this website.
Map the complete service pathway
Begin with the person’s task, not a feature list. Show how they discover the service, understand its limits, submit a question, reach a responsible person and receive a response. Identify the stage where the digital tool hands work to a human organisation. A successful submission is not the same as a resolved need.
Make the handover explicit
For information services, define who checks content and who updates it when rules change. For referrals, name the organisation that accepts the case and the channel it actually monitors. Test using fictitious, non-sensitive examples agreed with the receiving team. Never publish private cases as a demonstration.
Plan for different access needs
Offer a route for people who cannot use the preferred device or language. Specify what works with low connectivity and how a user can stop sharing information. A chatbot, map or app is only one channel. Document the supported alternative and its responsible owner.
Measure response rather than enthusiasm
Choose a small service measure: a verified referral receipt, a completed explanation or a documented follow-up. Record missing responses and reasons for exclusion alongside successful cases. Revisit the route when the team, contact or information changes; historic programme examples cannot certify today’s operation.
Put the method to work
Illustrative service test: a resident asks where to find a published council decision. Record the starting channel, accessible explanation, human contact and response. If the link works but the contact is unanswered, report both facts. Do not turn an accessible link into proof that the public institution acted.
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