GUEST COLUMN:
David Jones
Technology Leadership Council
For years, much of what we have called digital transformation in the public sector has really been about replication. We took processes that existed in the analogue world and tried to reproduce them online. That made sense as a starting point – the internet was a new toolset and the first step was to use it to make existing services easier. But that time is ending. We are now at the point where the question has to be: how do we use technology to do things differently?
The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated this shift. Many people who had never seen a reason to be online suddenly found one. Video calls became the norm, transactions moved online, and the number of people with no digital presence dropped. That has changed the way society thinks about the internet. It has become the default option for entertainment, education and work. There is no reason public services should be exempt from that expectation.
But here lies the challenge. Commercial companies can choose their markets, but public services must provide for everyone. That means designing for the confident digital user who expects constant improvement and also for those who are still hesitant or limited in what they do online. Digital exclusion is less about connectivity now; the cost of a smartphone and basic tariff has lowered the barriers. The real divide is in confidence and capability. Some people use digital tools with ease, others only manage the basics. Public services need to be designed with that spectrum in mind.
I find that an analogy with Amazon is useful. At first, the company made shopping online a digital version of a physical process by sending books in the post. Then it moved to Kindle and changed the nature of the transaction. In the same way, public services can move beyond putting forms online or replicating analogue processes. They can use the capabilities of digital technology – data, automation, artificial intelligence – to reimagine how services are delivered.
That requires a shift in thinking. Too often digital public services are treated as one-off projects: build, launch, then move on. But citizens now expect continual improvement. Faster speeds, reduced latency, better design and more functionality are the norm in the consumer technology they use every day. Public services cannot stand still. They must be on a journey of continuous improvement, not a one-and-done approach.
The pace of change makes this difficult. In the past, implementing new systems meant large-scale projects involving servers, racks and licences. Today, most technology is consumed directly by individuals in their daily lives, and that consumer pace of change has spilled into the public sector. Expectations are higher, even as budgets are tighter and governance requirements remain essential. Procurement processes are vital for accountability, but they can also slow down the speed of adoption. Balancing governance with the need for agility is one of the biggest challenges for public services today.
This is not just about technology. It is about people and how they adapt. Some citizens are ready for digital healthcare delivered through devices. Others need support to build the confidence to engage in that way. Just as some companies invest in technology and see productivity gains while others fall behind, the same pattern exists across the population. Taking people on the journey is as important as building the service itself.
That raises the question of responsibility. Should government lead the effort to raise digital skills and confidence, or should it be left to individuals to adapt? Other countries, such as Estonia, have set clear expectations and built digital literacy into education and public life from the outset. In the UK and Wales, we are still working through what that ecosystem should look like.
What is clear is that simply replicating analogue services online is no longer enough. The opportunity is to use digital tools to rethink public services, to create approaches that are more efficient, inclusive and adaptable. That means building services that keep evolving, designing for a spectrum of users, and taking citizens with us on the journey.
David Jones talks about this and more in the Wales Tech Week podcast episode Powering Public Services: Digital Innovation in the Public Sector. Listen to the podcast here.
Tech for People is one of the key themes for Wales Tech Week, which takes place at ICC Wales, Newport from November 24 to November 26 2025. Find out more here:  https://www.walestechweek.com/
