Understanding what drives digital inclusion is a challenge for many across the public, private and third sectors. The digital divide is changing, but not for the better – whilst more people are connecting to and making use of the internet, those that are excluded are becoming even more so. This deepening of the divide, which acts to exacerbate the negative impacts of digital exclusion, is only going to get worse with ubiquitous technology that continues to change. And with the advent of new AI tools, exclusion will likely become more pronounced. Taking active steps to lessen the digital divide must become a priority.

A complex problem with no simple solution

Many organisations across the UK work hard to reduce the impact of digital exclusion – helping people to gain access to the internet, become confident and capable using it, and supporting people to safely navigate the web. From Digital Champions programmes that use a peer-to-peer model of learning, through to excellent device lending and re-use schemes, there is a lot happening to help people. But a major challenge many programmes face is that often they focus on the “effect” end of digital exclusion – the person needing support. Whilst this is vital, and can generate tangible benefits for individuals, it doesn’t necessarily change the “cause” side of the equation. Change is instead on the individual to flex and accommodate digital services or tools, learn new skills, and shift their habits and beliefs to make use of services.

Behavioural Systems Mapping: a way to identify root causes?

It is for this reason that we undertook research as part of the UK Government’s Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund to trial a new method: Behavioural Systems Mapping, to help unpick the systemic factors that are driving individual digital exclusion to see whether or not it is possible to reorient the focus of our thinking toward changing the system so that it better accommodates and supports those most vulnerable in our society. Our focus in the project was on supporting older people, exploring neighbourhood dynamics that influence the digital exclusion of people aged 60+. This week we’ve published the findings of our research, and a new guide to help public sector and third sector professionals to explore the method and apply it to their own work.

Over the course of seven months, we worked in five neighbourhoods across the country to trial Behavioural Systems Mapping with local authorities and their third sector and NHS partners. With our consortium partners the Royal Borough of Greenwich, Ealing Council, Haringey Council, Leicester City Council and North East Lincolnshire Council we ran four workshops, a mix of online and face-to-face sessions develop maps from the ground up – defining actors, their behaviours, and the drivers shaping them. Using this map we then identified leverage points: the places where changing the system is likely to create impact, and worked with each neighbourhood to develop intervention blueprints that describe the policies, processes, and activities that could be implemented.

Throughout the project we tracked important lessons from the process, to understand the feasibility of Behavioural Systems Mapping, and the value it brings to local government teams. We wanted to assess not only if the interventions were well aligned to the neighbourhoods (e.g. not off-the-shelf, but designed for their context), but also what could be done to improve mapping and the outcomes of the process. We then used these lessons – like ensuring user engagement throughout, and making sure not to overly complicate the map by being more focused, to develop our guidance for the public sector.

Understanding the system helps us understand the experience of individuals

So, what did the study reveal?

Firstly, Behavioural Systems Mapping is an effective diagnostic and design tool for addressing neighbourhood-level digital inclusion among adults aged 60+. There were added benefits to it too: bringing stakeholders together around the same table (virtual or otherwise) to share their perspectives and explore the system they work in together. Secondly, by uncovering systemic drivers, the mapping process revealed that local digital inclusion issues are in-fact grounded in distinct behavioural systems. Thirdly, when backed by expert facilitation and mixed-methods data each neighbourhood managed to generate targeted interventions ideas. However, the methodology does have limitations: resulting maps were highly complex maps which required time to embed and navigate. Also, because these maps primarily reflect stakeholder perspectives, direct community engagement is essential to validate underlying behavioural assumptions and stress-test the resulting interventions. Engagement became a vital part of the method, which in the future we would ensure is embedded throughout.

We’ve captured the findings in an easy to explore website, where the reports and guidance can also be downloaded.

We think there’s a lot of potential in Behavioural Systems Mapping, and are excited to see what others do with the method in their work. The method is truly participatory, and provides a valuable step-by-step approach to reveal hidden or undescribed factors that shape digital exclusion. The resulting outputs are the result of deep collaboration and shared understanding of complex systems, and we think that thinking and acting with this in mind is the way to unlock digital inclusion for those most vulnerable in our communities.

Check out the research - the link is in the comments.