Date post: | 04-Aug-2015 |
Category: |
Technology |
Upload: | mysociety |
View: | 93 times |
Download: | 3 times |
The Viewpoint Project: Engaging a
Disenfranchised Community with Street
TechNick Taylor
University of Dundee
Enabling Civic Engagement
• Motivation: why get involved?
– Self-Efficacy
• Opportunity: facilitating conditions
• Ability: make the most of opportunities
Online Civic Engagement
• More opportunities than ever before
• Issues around ability
– digital exclusion, bad design
• Motivation can still be lacking
– Self-efficacy again
– Myth of Digital Democracy
Physical Technology
• Familiar forms and obvious interaction
• Smarter environments (ubiquitous computing etc.)
• Creative technology
– Technology, design and art
Drag picture to placeholder or click icon to add
Situated Technology
• Can be encountered serendipitously
• Reach non-tech savvy audience
• Public space is a traditional venue for civic activity
Bespoke Project
• Residents regularly consulted on community initiatives
• Suffering from ‘consultation fatigue’
• Low sense of efficacy due to lack of change
Viewpoint
• Lower barriers to participation
– Approx. 200 votes per week
• Weekly polls from councilors and community leaders
• Feedback mechanism for reporting actions
Challenges
• Trade-off between quality and quantity of data
• Creating a positive feedback loop
• Top-down intervention
– No ability for citizens to drive agenda
• High cost
Viewpoint 2.0
• Second generation worked with activists
• Collecting objective data rather than opinions
• Informing/supporting campaign for pedestrianisation
Viewpoint 2.0
• Data matches a separate street survey
• Proposals put forward to council based on results (April 2013)
• Official plans announced (October 2014)
PosterVote
• Attempting to make Viewpoint cheap
• Cheap electronics combined with auto-generated poster
• Tying in to existing practices around planning notices etc.
PosterVote
• Concept proved to be highly evocative
• Levels of use slightly lower
• Lack of feedback for voters
• Design still largely fixed Image: Microsoft Research
DIY and Activism
• Strong existing relationship between the two
• Developing unique or customised tools that address specific, local needs
• Connecting problem holders with problem solvers
• Sharing skills and sharing solutions
Citizen Science
• Members of the public
collecting/analysing
data
• Mobiles etc. playing
large role
• Potential for evidence-
based policy-making