Evaluation of Open Government and public transparency systems in Brazilian capitals

ABSTRACT

The open government culture emphasizes cooperation between the government and society based on transparent management, social participation, and accountability of agents. Therefore, it is crucial to assess whether citizens can use transparency websites and portals efficiently to understand the effectiveness of data provision. Heuristics, a common technique in the field of Human-Computer Interaction, can be used to evaluate this. The quality of the user’s connection and device and their familiarity with the technology can impact their ability to use and comprehend the available data. A deductive methodology with a theoretical-empirical basis was used for the tests. The outcomes indicate that while most web and mobile sites are somewhat adapted to the screens of mobile devices, they require significant improvements or even complete reconstruction in some cases. The lack of responsiveness limits open government and promotes negative impacts that could harm participation and transparency, making the non-accountability of managers easier.

Keywords:
Open Government; responsiveness; web and mobile access; Nielsen heuristics; and WAVE.