SYZYGY’s Director of Data and Experience Technology, Anthony Magee, wrote an article for City AM, explaining why the NHS contact tracing app has been beset by issues from the start, and what steps the government can take to fix it.
“Rising app deletions, over 600,000 pings in one week, stores trying to quell panic buying, conflicting advice from the Government when it comes to notifications. The NHS contact tracing app is facing a nightmare backdrop as infection rates rise across the country. It should be a major asset. Instead, the frequent un-contextualised notifications demonstrate that health tech can sometimes cause more issues than it helps solve, irritating people to the point of deletion.
From the start of the app, it has been plagued with problems. By design, it required large scale active adoption in order to be function and make a dent in the spread. Now that it is actively working, it’s also facing a mixture of confused official advice. “Ignore the app advice” from Business minister Paul Scully, “Don’t ignore the app advice” from Downing Street, a mirror of a Matt Lucas comedy sketch.”
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