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Germany is not the most advanced country, when it comes to digitalisation and AI. Below you can see the Digital Economic and Soicety Index (DESI)
Germeny is ranked at position 14. We Dutchies are ranked on position 3 😉
When I recently had to contact the German employment agency, I encountered a familiar problem: I had to download PDF forms, print them out, fill them in, scan them and upload them again. For someone like me, who deals with topics such as digital transformation and digital innovation, this is simply frustrating. Not only is it an unnecessary extra effort, but it also incurs costs for ink and paper.
I ask myself: where is the much-vaunted digitalisation?
At a time when AI and online forms have long been the norm, this process is simply no longer appropriate. A modern user interface (UI) and a user-friendly experience (UX) could significantly reduce the effort for everyone involved – for us citizens, but also for the employees of the authorities. This would not only save time and money, but also a lot of nerves.
It is time for us as a society, and especially our institutions, to rethink processes and finally take the leap into the digital age.
I wrote a message to the agency:
Subject: PDF files as forms are no longer appropriate
Dear Sirs,
I already obtained certification in 2020 for the topics of digital transformation, chief digital officers and digital product innovation. Digitalisation is a topic that has still not taken place in Germany.
The fact that I have to download a form as a PDF so that I can print it out (which costs ink and, if necessary, printing costs), scan it again and then upload it is really no longer appropriate. I am familiar with Adobe Acrobat, but the prices are quite high and require a subscription. Adobe is completely cloud-based.
This is something that many people are unwilling or unable to afford. As an agency that deals with unemployed people, such costs should be simplified by a more modern UI (user interface) and an equally outdated UX (user experience).
There are online forms that can be filled out directly by the user with a mouse and cursor and saved ad hoc. The data is stored directly in the database and is immediately available to the responsible employee.
This saves time, money and, not to mention, nerves. We are living in the year 2025, where digitalisation and artificial intelligence are part of everyday life. Perhaps it is time to catch up and rethink processes.
Kind regards
Rob van Linda
And as a proff of concept, that I know what I am taking about, I added my link to my page on which all my certificates are listet: https://curriculum-vitae.digital/
