In July 2023, the Cameroon government introduced a digital transformation to streamline the visa application process, a change warmly received, particularly by the Cameroonian diaspora.
While the accelerated visa processing has garnered praise, Cameroon News Agency has heard from numerous readers about the website’s cumbersome nature, serving as a testament to a subpar user experience. Below, we outline identified issues and propose potential solutions. We invite you to share your own experiences or highlight additional problems in the comments section on our social media pages.
- Unfriendly User Experience:
- Solution: Implement modern interfaces for a more intuitive and efficient form-filling process, possibly by adopting one-question-per-page layouts.
2. Lack of Clear Explanations and Error Notifications for Mandatory Fields:
- Solution: Introduce pop-up explanations for mandatory fields and provide clear error notifications when users attempt to override incomplete entries.
3 . “Other” Field Inconsistency:
- Solution: Ensure the “Other” field consistently repopulates after saving, exiting, and returning for a more streamlined user experience.
4. No Option to Delete Uploaded Attachments:
- Solution: Enable users to delete attachments uploaded in error to enhance overall control and user experience.
5. Poor Handling of Credit Card Failures:
- Solution: Improve the handling of credit card failures during transactions by providing clearer guidance and error messages for users facing payment issues.
6. Lack of Email Notifications for Communication Within the Application:
- Solution: Implement email notifications for communication within the application, especially for responses to visa applicants and status changes, to enhance user awareness.
7. Insufficient 24/7 Support:
- Solution: Prioritize and establish 24/7 support to assist users, addressing concerns promptly and improving overall user satisfaction.
In conclusion, while the digitalization of the visa application process in Cameroon has undeniably expedited procedures, addressing the identified user experience issues and implementing suggested solutions would contribute significantly to the overall effectiveness and user satisfaction of the system. We encourage continued feedback and insights from users to refine and enhance this essential service.
