Nick presented a session at The Impacts of Civic Technology Conference (TICTeC2015) on 25 March 2015 in London.
To see more coverage of TICTeC2015, visit: http://lanyrd.com/2015/tictec/
4. 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
5. Physical
Technology
• Familiar forms and
obvious interaction
• Smarter environments
(ubiquitous computing
etc.)
• Creative technology
– Technology, design and art
6. Situated
Technology
• Can be encountered
serendipitously
• Reach non-tech savvy
audience
• Public space is a
traditional venue for
civic activity
7. How can lightweight, physical
interventions in public spaces
engage members of the public?
8. Bespoke Project
• Residents regularly
consulted on
community initiatives
• Suffering from
‘consultation fatigue’
• Low sense of efficacy
due to lack of change
9. Viewpoint
• Lower barriers to
participation
– Approx. 200 votes per week
• Weekly polls from
councilors and
community leaders
• Feedback mechanism
for reporting actions
10. 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
11. Viewpoint 2.0
• Second generation
worked with activists
• Collecting objective
data rather than
opinions
• Informing/supporting
campaign for
pedestrianisation
12. Viewpoint 2.0
• Data matches a
separate street survey
• Proposals put forward
to council based on
results (April 2013)
• Official plans
announced (October
2014)
13. PosterVote
• Attempting to make
Viewpoint cheap
• Cheap electronics
combined with auto-
generated poster
• Tying in to existing
practices around
planning notices etc.
14. PosterVote
• Concept proved to be
highly evocative
• Levels of use slightly
lower
• Lack of feedback for
voters
• Design still largely
fixed Image: Microsoft Researc
15. 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
16. Citizen Science
• Members of the public
collecting/analysing data
• Mobiles etc. playing large
role
• Potential for evidence-
based policy-making
17. Thank you!
• Taylor et al. (2012). Viewpoint: empowering
communities with situated voting devices. CHI
2012.
• Vlachokyriakos et al. (2014). PosterVote:
expanding the action repertoire for local political
activism. DIS 2014.
nick-taylor.co.uk
@nicktaylor3