1. The Viewpoint Project:
Engaging a Disenfranchised
Community with Street Tech
Nick Taylor
University of Dundee

2. Lightweight Physical and
Situated Civic Engagement
Technology
Nick Taylor
University of Dundee

3. Enabling Civic
Engagement
• Motivation: why get
involved?
– Self-Efficacy
• Opportunity:
facilitating conditions
• Ability: make the most
of opportunities

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