The Digital Language Divide: Accessibility and Usability of Icelandic Public Digital Services for Foreign-Born Residents

This thesis examines how foreign-born residents in Iceland experience public digital services and how language, interface design, and access mechanisms influence usability, autonomy, and institutional trust. Although Iceland has developed extensive digital government infrastructure, core platforms such as Ísland.is, Skatturinn.is, and Heilsuvera.is remain predominantly Icelandic in language and administrative style. As a result, services may function technically while remaining practically inaccessible to non-Icelandic speakers. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study draws on survey data from 148 participants and qualitative insights from municipal multicultural officers, Icelandic-as-a-second-language instructors, and healthcare professionals. Quantitative results show recurring challenges related to partial translations, navigation complexity, and administrative terminology. Qualitative responses reveal strong emotional reactions—confusion, stress, and fear of errors—which reduce autonomy, discourage engagement, and weaken trust in public institutions. The findings demonstrate that barriers persist even among advanced Icelandic speakers, indicating that the exclusion is systemic rather than tied to individual competence. The thesis integrates theories of service quality, meaningful digital access, emotional UX, intercultural communication, and high-context administrative culture to propose a conceptual model linking language accessibility to cognitive load, emotional strain, and perceived institutional fairness. The study concludes that improving accessibility requires coordinated efforts across UX design, translation governance, legal drafting, and integration policy.

Author dc:creator

• Melissa Hortencia Moran Torres 1995-

Contributors dc:contributor

• Háskólinn á Bifröst

• Tungumál
• Stjórnsýsla
• Innflytjendur

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1946/52107

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:skemman.is:1946/52107