The story began when I witnessed my mother struggle with a mobile application to monitor her pension salary. What should have been a simple authentication process turned into repeated attempts to scan her face, adjusting angles, moving between rooms, and changing lighting, only to end with the app crashing without explanation. 

When she asked me to contact customer service, I realised something more troubling. There was no clear support channel, no customer service, just an application that failed silently.

Her story was just another dramatic episode. Days later, I tried to extend my vehicle registration after being informed that the process was available online. But the application told another. After following every instruction, I discovered that the “online process” didn’t actually exist. The only option left was to queue offline, again.

These experiences highlight a deeper issue beyond technical glitches. Many public service applications are built to digitise procedures, not to serve citizens. Empathy and user experience are treated as secondary priorities in this case.

Premature digitalisation 

Digital transformation in public services is always branded to build a seamless process. However, it contradicts what the user experiences in real life. I gathered several feedbacks from public service apps users, such as:

Source: Taken from BPJS Google Playstore Review

Source: Taken from Andal by Taspen Google Playstore Review

 Source: Taken from National Digital Samsat Google Playstore Review

User reviews on Google Play Store for applications such as BPJS, Taspen, and the National Digital Samsat reveal a consistent pattern. Despite high star ratings, recent reviews continue to surface unresolved issues, such as failed authentication, unclear instructions, system errors, and a lack of responsive customer support. Even in early 2026, many of these complaints repeatedly happened.

What makes this situation more problematic is the lack of choice. These applications are not optional. For many services, they have become the primary and the only gateway. When digital access fails, users are left without clear alternatives, trapped in a system that offers neither guidance nor accountability.

This approach ignores the diversity of users that public service apps must serve. Platforms like BPJS and Samsat cater to citizens ranging from young adults to elderly citizens, while Taspen primarily serves users above 60 years old or retirees. Designing a single experience without adjusting to different levels of users only creates exclusion. As seen in cases like elderly users struggling with basic authentication flows, the result is not empowerment, but frustration.

Also Read: Building for fragmentation: How ASEAN SaaS leaders architect optionality into a paradox

The intention behind digitising public services is valid. However, launching an app is not the finish line. Digitalisation requires continuous user education, clear instructions, regular improvements, and accessible human support. Without these, “going digital” becomes a one-time project rather than a long-term commitment.

What ultimately emerges is not a lack of technology, but a lack of empathy. Many public service applications are designed to satisfy bureaucratic workflows, while human–computer interaction is treated as a secondary priority.

Next step: Mitigation

Criticising premature digitalisation will not solve the situation. The most important thing to focus on is how these public service apps can accommodate the needs of the users while fulfilling the requirements of being seamless and user-friendly. 

• First, empathy must be treated as the core design principle, not as a secondary concern. This means conducting user research across age groups, regions, and levels of digital literacy. Understand that some Indonesian users are elderly citizens, and these people require closer attention during the research.
• Second, digitalisation is created to cut off long bureaucratic processes. Make sure that the app can shorten the administrative procedure and help users avoid long queues at the offline counter.  
• Third,  public service applications need clear and transparent accountability. Features like step-by-step guidance, error message, customer service button, and dedicated customer service agents are not luxurious features; instead, they are all essential infrastructure. So, when the system fails, users can easily contact the person in charge.
• Lastly, an app must be treated as a living product, not a static prototype. Continuous update, usability testing, and an endless iteration process are necessary to maintain trust from the users.

Digital transformation succeeds not when all processes are moved online, but when a technology reduces anxiety, genuinely helps the lives of people, and builds a supporting ecosystem.  

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