E-Barangay

Abstract

Despite the importance of community-level e-governance, prior e-government frameworks focused at the municipal or national levels. The implementation of appropriate community-based e-governance cannot be ascertained because of the absence of a community-level e-government framework. To address this gap, this mixed-method study devised a framework for community-based online services software called the e-barangay framework. A web-based system was developed based on this framework. The usability of the system was also evaluated. Thematic analysis on the transcript of interviews with three local officials showed that filing complaints, requesting documents, sending suggestions, and posting announcements were the core elements of the e-barangay framework. Both the objective and subjective measures of usability showed favorable results. Spearman Rank correlation confirmed that the design-related factors were related to the frequency of use of the e-barangay. It is concluded that the software satisfied the needs of the stakeholders. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.