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E-signing
Every day, hundreds of documents are signed at Reykjavík City, involving corresponding waste of paper and time. Previously, documents had to be sent through regular mail, internal office mail, or scanned and re-sent.
The project
There has long been a desire to simplify the process somehow, such as by implementing an employee portal for electronic signatures. The project aimed to develop a simple, secure solution so that Reykjavík City staff could both digitally sign documents and send them out for e-signing.
The goals of the project were:
- To simplify the process for Reykjavík City staff to digitally sign and send out documents for signature.
- To implement a secure employee portal (API solution) for electronic signatures at Reykjavík City, taking into account parallel solutions that could work simultaneously.
- To ensure the successful implementation of the portal.
User research
Before launching the solution, user research was conducted to get an overview of the signatures used by Reykjavík City staff.
The purpose was to take a considered approach to the implementation, rather than just jumping into the first idea that came to mind.
The plan was to review current signing processes to identify challenges, while also talking to staff to understand their attitudes towards electronic signatures.
Method
A online survey was conducted among City staff, along with user interviews with staff from the Department of Education & Youth, Department of Environment & Planning, Department of Finance & Risk Management, Department of Sports & Leisure, and City Hall. Informal discussions were also held with staff from the Department of Services & Innovation, digital leaders, service center staff, and experts from Dokobit.
Research results
Respondents were generally excited about the implementation of electronic signatures, anticipating that it could save time and effort in many tasks.
For some, electronic signatures also implied certain procedural changes, as signing is often part of a chain of actions, and the adoption of e-signing requires adapting other aspects of the job around it.
Such changes can take time and involve new work habits. The importance of considering security, administrative law, and privacy everywhere was also highlighted, as signing processes often differ. Some are very extensive, some sensitive, and it varies where documents go after signing.
Electronic signatures are thus no magic solution that solves everything. However, it is undeniable that despite not being suitable for everyone, everywhere, all the time – just like other digital solutions – there is considerable efficiency in implementing them, and they are useful in many ways.
Signing is as easy as one, two, click!
After identifying the challenges, needs, and attitudes of users, we developed a user-friendly, quick, simple, and secure e-signing portal (an API solution built on top of Dokobit).
This solution works on computers and other smart devices, allowing users to confirm signatures with their electronic ID anytime, anywhere.
It enables documents to be sent for signing both to Reykjavík City staff and other parties, and also allows for receiving documents to sign.
