Choose one track. Master’s proposals target Spring 2027. Final scope and programme approval are agreed with the supervisor; bachelor scopes are suggested adaptations.
TRACK 01 · IMPLEMENTATION INCLUDED
Technical track
Develop a working solution and test whether it addresses the problem.
Possible research question
Can a feedback-analysis tool help service owners identify actionable accessibility and process barriers rather than just topic summaries?
Suggested tasks
Read research on barriers in digital public services and compare existing solutions.
Identify one problem faced by citizens and service owners.
Write a research question and define what the solution should do.
Collect public or fictional feedback about one digital public service.
Build a tool that groups similar problems and links each group to the original feedback and the affected step in the service.
Compare it with manual feedback review. Check whether staff find the right problems and can explain what needs fixing.
Explain what worked, what did not, and how the results compare with earlier research.
Evaluation, degree scope and deliverables
Study and evaluation
Compare the implemented solution with a topic-summary dashboard or manual feedback review. Combine reproducible technical tests with an appropriate empirical evaluation.
Correctly identified actionable barriers
Unsupported or missed findings
Review time and usefulness of proposed follow-up
Degree scope
Bachelor’s
Build a feedback explorer for one simulated service journey with source links and manually reviewed barrier categories.
Master’s
Compare evidence-linked findings with topic summaries, testing whether service owners can justify concrete improvements.
Background
Programming
Text analysis
Interest in accessibility and service design
Possible deliverables
A focused literature review, justified problem and research question
A working prototype with source code and setup instructions
A reproducible comparison and an appropriate study of use
A report explaining design lessons, results and limitations
TRACK 02 · NO IMPLEMENTATION REQUIRED
Non-technical track
Study existing systems, information or work practices. You do not need to develop software.
Possible research question
How do service owners recognise and act on citizens’ reported barriers in digital public services?
Suggested tasks
Read earlier studies of barriers in digital public services.
Choose one problem and write a research question the study can answer.
Review accessibility feedback and complaints for one service using public or approved materials.
Interview service owners about how reported problems become prioritised improvement work.
Use reviewed service journeys to explore which evidence makes a barrier actionable.
Analyse the interviews, observations or documents using a clearly described method. Look for disagreements as well as common patterns.
Explain the findings, compare them with earlier research and suggest practical improvements.
Evaluation, degree scope and deliverables
Study and evaluation
Use a bounded empirical study of barriers in digital public services. Justify case selection, recruitment and the analysis method. Distinguish observed behaviour from participants’ perceptions; use triangulation or a comparison where it serves the research question.
Traceability from feedback to improvement decisions
Accessibility barriers and organisational response practices
Evidence for the findings, conflicting cases and limits of the study
Degree scope
Bachelor’s
Study one case or a small set of existing materials. Agree the interviews, documents or scenario tasks with the supervisor. Describe the method, analyse the findings and give practical recommendations.
Master’s
Use a clear research question and relevant IS theory. Justify the cases, participants and analysis method. Explain what the findings add to earlier research and where they may apply. No software development is required.
Background
Literature review and academic writing
Qualitative or quantitative research methods
Interest in barriers in digital public services; no programming prerequisite
Possible deliverables
A literature review and research question
A study plan and approved research material
An analysis supported by interviews, observations, documents or scenario results
A thesis with findings, recommendations and limitations
Scope and access
Use synthetic or appropriately consented, minimised logs. Validate against reviewed cases; do not infer disability or sensitive traits from behaviour. These implementation-related limits apply when developing or testing a technical solution. For a non-technical study, agree access to participants or existing materials early, use approved or fictional cases where appropriate, and distinguish perceptions from observed outcomes.
Agree access to data, participants or existing materials and any required ethics or privacy review before committing. A non-technical track needs a systematic study, not a working prototype.
Full academic proposal
Working topic
Identifying Barriers in Digital Public Services
Brief outline
This proposal examines barriers in digital public services in the work and information needs of citizens and service owners. The technical track combines a literature review and justified gap with requirements, design, implementation and evaluation of a bounded solution. The non-technical track investigates practices, experiences or organisational conditions through a systematic study of existing systems, documents or scenarios, without requiring implementation. Choose one track and agree the final research question, degree scope and contribution with the supervisor.
Programme fit
Information Systems. These are suggested research approaches, not a statement of confirmed programme policy. Agree the final title, track, degree scope and contribution with the supervisor and programme.
Shared research foundation
Review the literature; identify and justify a gap; formulate research questions; conduct a systematic study; analyse the evidence; explain the contribution relative to prior research and discuss limitations. The technical track additionally includes requirements, design, implementation and evaluation of an artifact.
