Challenges and Potentials of the Use of Convertibles in Emergency Management

Abstract

Digitalization in public services constantly progresses. Aspects investigated in research on digital public services range from strategic subjects to organizational, semantic and technical concepts and solutions, and also include user interaction and the hardware used thereby. This work investigates the use of ‘convertible devices” in emergency management from a user perspective. We study challenges and potentials of using convertible devices to support the workers of Crisis Response Organizations (CROs). A qualitative study investigates the emphasized influences of such convertibles on the work within a CRO. The results from the first cohort indicate a positive influence from the perspective of the CRO workers related to the convertible device usage. The participants argue that the device could serve as a laptop, as well as a tablet computer and possibly reduce the number of devices in use. However, the complex interplay of hardware, software, human behavior, emergency management scenarios and environment variables such as mobile network coverage reveal also various challenges for the convertible device usage. According to the participants, the full potential of the hardware could not be exploited. As possible reasons, inter alia, a lack of software support and optimization for pen and touchscreen input, as well as a heterogeneous system environment from a user’s perspective have been identified.