We have seen progress in recent years. To drive up quality, various key international standards have been put in place – which include the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and the 7 Principles of Universal Design, as well as the Government’s UK Social Value focus and expectations.

In the last few years, in the area of assistive technology, as in other areas, we have seen a major shift from hardware and software to more cloud-based solutions, which users can access on the move and not just when on their home computer. The next natural step change will be the increased focus and utilisation of Artificial intelligence (AI). Everyone’s talking about AI and its many benefits now, but most are failing to realise how transformative it could be if it’s used to support accessibility solutions – we don’t often hear about this in the buzz and debate around this burgeoning technology.

From an accessibility and assistive technology point of view these are exciting times with exciting possibilities. AI boasts potential opportunity to build and enable a fully inclusive society.

Neurodiversity and disability in numbers

It’s estimated that around one in seven people (more than 15% of people in the UK) are neurodivergent, meaning that they may learn and process information differently. Neurodivergent conditions include Attention Deficit Disorders, Autism, Dyslexia, and Dyspraxia, among others.

According to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics, 17.8% of people in England and Wales are disabled, which equates to 10.4 million people. However, other sources suggest that there are a lot more disabled people within the UK. The definition of disability and the methodology used to identify disabled people can vary, which may account for the differences in these figures.

In addition to this it’s important we recognise that whether people are disabled or not, there are levels of challenges that everyone faces. Most people will experience some kind of accessibility challenge in their lifetime, whether it’s temporary like a broken arm, ear infection, or going through menopause; age related, such as hearing loss; or a permanent condition.

So, a lot of people, facing a variety of challenges, could benefit immensely from tools and technology that improve accessibility.

AI assisted tools and accessibility

Technology has played an important role in helping to support people and limit the potential impact of the challenges they face. Many systems originally designed to help specific groups of people have benefitted people outside of those groups. Some of these tools include:

• Microsoft Dictate tool and other voice to text software can help those who struggle to type or work best talking through an idea.
• MS Read Aloud tool can read out a document or presentation helping people to understand and process the information, and it can help with concentration (especially if it’s a lengthy document).
• Audio descriptions which explain what is happening can help those who may suffer with their sight.
• Tools such as CoPilot which use Large Language Models (LLMs)can help summarise and spotlight key information from meetings so people can refer to and digest information in an alternative form.
• Tools such as CoPilot to interpret information and/or create content have the potential to remove challenges and make work easier while improving quality and efficiency.
• LLMs such as ChatGPT and CoPilot can rewrite content in a more casual and easier to understand way. This can help people to read, write and navigate information easier, and remove the reliance on physical and sensory capability.
• Transcripts and captions switched on in meetings and included within videos to support those who may struggle with their hearing or for people accessing content in a noisy environment.

The best types of AI technology are coming from places where they think deeply about inclusive design and accessibility. The future of technology depends on it, because designing tech with accessibility in mind means designing great tech for everyone.

What’s really exciting is that the potential for AI to enhance existing solutions – and create new ones – is vast. I’m hopeful about this untapped potential, and I’m confident that AI holds the key to empowering people and building a more equitable society.

What does the future hold?

There are challenges facing the effective use of all kinds of AI, including biases within the algorithms and the security of tools, so we’ll need to work hard to ensure that the technology is serving people, and supporting an equal and equitable society. The potential benefits that using AI can bring as part of modern assistive technology are obvious, and worthy of focus and commitment.

I think we’ll see greater and easier connection between the different types of assistive technology currently available, which will help all users to reap their benefits. It’s only a matter of time before voice activation applications, screen reader applications, and AI language models come together to support each other – this is where the magic will really happen. It might seem like something out of science fiction but think about how much of what we predicted in the past has become the reality of today – just imagine what the youth of today will see in the future.

Originally posted here

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But, what does that mean in reality?

The week does include in-person conferences and awards and meet-ups, but the vast majority of the week’s content remains online and I believe this remains its secret sauce. 

Why do I believe that an online programme is better than an in-person event? Well I don’t always, but whilst a few days in London or Lisbon is a great experience and for those needing to build relationships and networks with new customers is vital, for the vast majority of us this remains an impracticality. 

Also, these big “national” and “international” in the room events are usually about big tech and those with the biggest budgets fund them and drive the agenda. “No budget, no play” as they say. It can be a format that reinforces the status quo and excludes many for whom hotels and travel is either not a practical option or not allowed by their employer. 

DLWeek is nationwide and all about those who know, sharing with those who need to find out, irrespective of where the speaker is based or the audience live. 

By making the vast majority of Digital Leaders Week online and virtual we maximise that opportunity and let our audience participate from their home desk. 

However, the challenge is to organise it well and after six attempts we now feel we have got it down to a fine art. It’s about great user experience for the speaker and for the delegate alike.

Offering to give a talk is a matter of a few clicks. Our editorial team test talks for quality before loading it up and choosing a time during the week that works for the speaker. With so many talks happening in a five day period, we try hard to make sure talks on the same topics do not coincide, but with over 250 speakers that’s not easy.

What is so great is the variety. With no barrier of cost to give a talk for speakers from government, charities and academics (we do often charge a small fee to the private sector) we get extraordinary speakers offering up real knowledge, best practice and new ideas. Many do it exactly because there is no barrier for the audience to participate and they like the inclusion.

This also means that, free of the “tyranny of geography”, speakers from the North of Scotland or valleys of Wales, or experts in the more obscure areas of digital transformation expertise can find a platform and national audience that needs their know-how.

However, making all 200 plus talks easy to find, book into and experience from your home desk, is about great UX and here I believe we have it.

The key is to make all talks accessible through a single one time registration. We make the talks that matter to you findable through listing them by time, speaker and topic. You can click on everything you want to take part in and once clicked onto, we add them to your personal calendar.

We also get our partners like DWP Digital to create badges that delegates can earn during the week. Effectively, they do the heavy lifting for them by choosing, in their case, the best ten talks about Data. 

During the Week delegates start their day with an email reminding them what they booked into and we send them extra alerts just before each talk. In the evening each day they get the recordings of everything booked into that day and after the week, the whole programme is available on-demand.

All of that would just be a week of webinars, was it not for the Digital Leaders Community itself. For us and them, DLWeek is a key part of a whole year full of activity and knowledge sharing. Those who speak are seen as adding to the community and participation and feedback for them seen as part of the community’s dna. This community aspect takes it beyond just being individual talks to a collective sense of building the UK’s digital confidence together.

That’s why, for this 12th Digital Leaders Week, I shall be staying home. 

If you would like to give a talk at DLWeek 14-18 October 2024 please submit here 

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In opposition to the planned Switch Off, Silver Voices has been leading a national petition calling to review the timetable for phasing out traditional landlines, and push this back from next year to 2030. Through the partnership, the DPA and Disability Rights UK will join forces to support the petition and raise awareness for the millions set to be impacted, and call for a national publicity campaign from telephony providers.

Due to a lack of communication around the switchover, individuals often lack resources or knowledge about the transition to a digital landline, or the ability to delay switching their service. This has raised safety and ethical concerns for the partnered organisations who are calling for greater awareness of the issue.

In response, at the end of 2023, UK Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan asked ‘all providers not to force people to switch over until enhanced protections are in place.’

One of the commitments that addresses this, shared by Donelan, is that no vulnerable user should be migrated to digital landline services without the provider, customer or telecare company confirming they have a compatible and functioning telecare solution in place.  However, the partners have highlighted that many customers are not aware of the need to inform their telephone provider of their age or health conditions, and that lists of such customers are not up to date, which will leave many disabled and older people vulnerable if the digital switchover is not done well.

The partnered organisations highlight a general lack of awareness around the landline switchover, especially against the backdrop of the cost-of-living crisis causing affordability issues to buy new phones and equipment.  This is alongside a lack of digital literacy, particularly among older individuals, to set up routers.

Elizabeth Anderson, CEO of the Digital Poverty Alliance, said:

“There are 1.8 million vulnerable and elderly customers relying on essential landline services in the UK for basic needs such as medical telecare, or reaching family members in a power cut. If major landline providers go ahead and switch off these networks, these vulnerable people could end up more isolated, lacking access to technology, digital skills and connectivity to switch to a digital or mobile device.

There needs to be greater communication around the switchover and fuller guidance widely shared from the telecom providers to ensure millions aren’t left disconnected. It is imperative that government, industry and wider society recognise the dangers of taking away services such as traditional landlines. Many aren’t aware that digital phones won’t work in a power cut now, and until everyone has universal access, emergency coverage and the skills to set up new services, we are concerned that millions could be disadvantaged.”

The DPA also warned of a wider connectivity issue for those in rural areas that may not have mobile signals to reach critical emergency services in times of urgent need, as well as the behavioural change needed for those who aren’t regular users of mobile phones needing to keep these charged and ready.

Disability Rights UK has suggested that government and regulatory bodies must call for further action to help protect vulnerable citizens against rising and pass over costs of the digital landline switch.

Dennis Reed, Director of Silver Voices said:

“Politicians must get to grips with what is happening to thousands of vulnerable customers as a result of this rushed and under-publicised infrastructure upheaval. Older people are having their traditional landlines switched off, without permission, and replaced with an inferior digital system which places their personal safety at risk. There are serious unanswered concerns about personal alarm systems not working and the inability to make emergency calls when there is an extended power cut or internet outage. The current timetable to complete the switchover by 2025 is completely unrealistic if vulnerable customers are to be protected and Silver Voices is calling for the Government to insist that the timetable be extended by at least five years.”

Kamran Mallick, Chief Executive of Disability Rights UK, commented:

“People broadly aren’t aware of this issue and the telecoms providers don’t advertise the immediate impacts of the switchover. What’s worse is that a lot of these switchovers happen during a contract renewal without being clearly stated. When I contacted BT to reduce my broadband costs, BT turned off the copper landline and sent a new router without letting me know the landline had been turned off. Companies like BT should be the ones being proactive in this instance, and we must also see more from government and regulators to protect citizens against rising costs and hidden switchovers.”

Originally posted here

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The events were designed to raise awareness around the DPA’s Tech4Families scheme that supports families who don’t have access to suitable devices for children aged between 4 – 15 years old, which is already running successfully across five of the most digitally deprived areas of the UK.

Phase two of the scheme has been launched across the Norfolk Coast, including Great Yarmouth, and across the Lincolnshire Coast, including Skegness and the events included speeches from Penny Carpenter, Mayor of Great Yarmouth, Cllr Pete Barry, Mayor of Skegness, Elizabeth Anderson, CEO at the Digital Poverty Alliance and Catrin Hale, Group Social Impact Manager at Currys.

The events saw a laptop presented to one of the local families who applied through the scheme. This device will give them access to the digital world to help improve their opportunities,  supporting the six key missions proposed in the DPA’s National Delivery Plan, revealed earlier in the year, while tackling the issues outlined in the DPA and Deloitte’s digital poverty report.

Elizabeth Anderson, CEO at the Digital Poverty Alliance:

“We are excited to launch phase two of our Tech4Families scheme, extending our help to more digitally deprived families across the UK as we work towards achieving our goal of eradicating digital poverty by 2030. The event highlights our dedication to empowering families, helping to increase their opportunities in regard to education, future job opportunities and everyday access to the digital world.”

“We hope that the scheme will support those who need it most by providing them with access to resources, equipment and connectivity, in turn providing wider benefits to both the community and economy. As we build upon our existing schemes, we encourage businesses, policymakers and third sector parties to join us in support of reducing digital poverty, coming together to ensure equal access to our increasingly digital world.”

Catrin Hale, Group Social Impact Manager at Currys, said:

“We are excited to be able to roll out our Tech4Families scheme to more regions across the UK, as we know first-hand how transformative having access to a device is for families living in digital poverty.”

Originally posted here

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Then, the Digital Leaders announced the launch of the Craig Macdonald Memorial Prize on the 6th of July 2021. This award was to recognise the best grassroots organisation working in their local community to help close the digital divide.  To receive a nomination in this category was quite exciting, but it was also intimidating, as we are a very small organisation that grew organically. Knowledge Pool was created to just help friends and family solve problems using Microsoft Office 365, and was meant to be a one-off training session for about twenty people. To be in the same category with well-established organisations who have made a huge impact was both thrilling and intimidating.

The award saw over 700 nominations nationwide, with over 20,000 votes. I was amazed to receive an email, notifying me that we had made the top 3. The implication of this was that we were closer to clinching the prize, but that we also had to face the task of an interview to justify why we should win. This interview was my first encounter with Rob Wilmot, who I later discovered is an innovator with a great passion for bridging the digital divide in communities. 

On the night of the awards, I was excited just to attend the prestigious event. Although I thought it would be great to win, I didn’t think we had a chance. However, by some miracle, we were awarded the prize on the night. The award came with a prize of £5000.

What did this mean for us?

The award gave us validation of the good works had been doing, as well as valuable publicity, as the news was shared nationwide.

We’ve recruited 6 professional volunteers since winning, as people are more interested in collaborating with us. We also had the opportunity to recruit a part-timer to manage our volunteering process.

Most of the grants we receive are usually tied to delivering training or purchasing equipment, however the award from the Craig Macdonald Memorial Prize had no restrictions. 

We increased our reach very quickly with the grant we received, and we were able to support a lot of people that we weren’t able to help in the past. We have provided more digital devices like tablets, mobile phones and internet access. We have enhanced the performance of our organisation, for example through our website, learners management system, and volunteer recruitments. We also created a new guidebook to support learners.

We launched our new digital capability project ‘’Smart Buddies’’; delivered 12 weeks of training to the Afghan community in Doncaster; and ran weekly drop-in digital training sessions at the Sprotbrough library for elderly people struggling with the use of digital devices.

“Smart Buddies” is a digital capability project introduced by Knowledge Pool to meet the needs of the community. Locally, digital exclusion is a very big issue, especially among the difficult to reach people in the community. 

The Craig Macdonald Memorial Prize is an award that has continued to benefit us as time goes on. The support we have received from Rob Wilmot (a patriotic citizen of Doncaster) is invaluable, and goes beyond the evening of the award and subsequent grant. His experience in the digital world and sphere of influence has greatly boosted our efforts and profile. 

Rob wanted to give the award to a worthy winner, and we happened to be one. The cherry on the cake is that we are also Donny citizens, and proud to put our community on the map for the great things that are going on here.

I am extremely grateful for this opportunity and wish all the applicants for this year’s Craig Macdonald Memorial Prize the very best of luck. I strongly recommend that any grassroots organisations working in their local community to help close the digital divide should apply.

Craig Macdonald Memorial Prize, Open to grassroots organisations working in their local communities to help close the digital divide. You can enter or nominate here.

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Presenting the first award of the night, I was thrilled to see three of the DPA’s Community Board members – We Are Digital (with Lloyds Banking Group) and Currys – alongside the Midlands based winners, showcasing the work that organisations are doing to tackle digital poverty across different types of communities, and combatting different sides of digital poverty with their work.

The Midlands team were able to talk about their work to support patients in their area by tackling digital inequalities, with work stretching across the determinants of digital poverty through provide device loans, connectivity and skills, linking provision to the requirements of their service users, and ensuring that digital experiences are tied into the health needs of patients.  From remote monitoring and services through to digital entertainment for in-patients, the work has been thoroughly designed to ensure the best possible outcomes from people benefiting from the scheme – with diverse needs represented and considered.  As we see more and more NHS support moving online, from econsult to virtual wards, from my perspective it’s vital that we are able to showcase this type of brilliant work, which should inspire healthcare providers across the UK to look at how they can build this type of provision and approach into their own strategies facing forward.

There was also a shout out for finalists Currys’ Tech4Families scheme, run with the DPA, as an initiative to provide families of school aged children with access to devices, connectivity and resources to support them to get online, particularly with an eye to children who are often trying to complete essay-based homework requirements without access to a suitable device (or any device, in many cases).  And to the other finalists for that aware – We Are Digital, with Matt Adam joining a panel session to explain the one to one training they have been able to run with Lloyds Banking Group, enabling people of all ages to contact them and learn how to use devices and online services in a safe and consistent way.  Matt explained their social enterprise based model, combining “profit and purpose” to tackle a societal issue as big as digital poverty.  Seeing corporates – from FTSE companies to SMEs – taking a focus on tackling digital poverty is exactly what we need.  The DPA looks to all sectors to take a role in tackling digital exclusion, and I hope that this inspires more companies to get involved and consider how they, too, can be a part of this work.

I was also delighted to be invited by Digital Leaders to judge two of the other categories on the night, and throughout the evening a wide range of charities, corporates and government agencies were recognised as finalists and winners, all of whom using technology to create social good and solve problems.  These ranged from Cognassist – tackling how digital services can take account of neurodiversity across the population, through to Inclutech.co who provide icon based access to emergency support for those who are non-verbal, or for those at risk of abuse, and therefore are unable to engage with traditional telephone based access to emergency services, and many more organisations doing terrific work to give people the support they need through digital tools.  We were also delighted to see Community Board members Internet Matters recognised for their Digital Matters programme, helping children and families stay safe online.

Whilst it’s not possible to namecheck all of the great work right here, you can visit https://www.impact-awards.co.uk/finalists to read more about their work.  A massive thank you to Digital Leaders – also part of the DPA Community Board – for hosting such a special evening at MediaCityUK in Salford.  Looking at the positive impact of technology just reminds us of how important it is to ensure that everyone has the access they need to get online, in a way that works for them how, when and where they need it.  And it’s vital that we celebrate the achievements of those working hard to make that a reality, so congratulations!

Originally posted here

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Offering an entirely unique playing field through which to reach global audiences, it should come as no surprise that brands quickly sought to find their virtual feet in the metaverse, with household and luxury names such as Nike, Gucci and Coca-Cola staking their flag in the virtual ground. But looking beyond marketing trends and considering the implications of these ecosystems on a social level, this lawless structure runs the risk of allowing antisocial behaviours to proliferate, and begs the question: how do brands navigate these spaces? At SHARE Creative, we conducted extensive social intelligence research to examine behaviours such as bullying to predict how Web 3.0 may compare to its more regulated predecessors on a granular level, mapping the safety of virtual worlds for users in the coming years as the technology continues to evolve – and what this means for brands. 

To anticipate how bullying might present itself in Web 3.0, we investigated how its predecessors spread across Web 2.0 in viral ways, from memes to video, and the real life effects of these behaviours. A key example of this is Rebecca Black, who at only 13 years old released a music video for her song ‘Friday’. Relentlessly criticised across social media and bullied, Black ended up leaving school, and astonishingly 76% of respondents to an InStyle survey revealed that they believed this cyberbullying to be justified. While keyboard warriors find security behind screens of anonymity, Black’s story and the public’s response to her American Dream attempt at stardom prove that cyberbullying is rife, particularly among (young) women. 

But it isn’t just Black – research conducted by the PEW RESEARCH CENTER revealed that 41% of U.S. adults have experienced online harassment, which jumps to a whopping two thirds in users under 30. Given that only 18% said they considered social media companies to be doing a good job at regulating safety in-platform, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility to suggest that this problem may worsen in an even more virtualised world of avatars. Our own research corroborates the PEW findings as cyber safety concerns become more granular: the main pillars of concern for the metaverse among our respondents were racism; criticism of meta itself; privacy and security concerns; and the impacts of the metaverse on children. Draft legislation like the Online Safety Bill may be taking steps to remove the anonymity which online trolls often use as a shield, but in a purely virtual environment this doesn’t remove the fact that virtual actions often have real life consequences for those singled out while their aggressors remain hidden. 

Far from abstract concerns, these forms of abuse are already taking place: stories have begun to arise of women being harassed in the metaverse, and Meta’s own CTO has admitted that ‘moderating what people say and how they act in the metaverse at any meaningful scale is practically impossible’. To examine the scale of this phenomenon and how cyberbullying is discussed online, we conducted extensive social intelligence research with our proprietary AI algorithm to segment the conversation into underlying themes and key drivers. This unique research revealed that 10% of mentions were concerned with the potential of racism in addition to other forms of discrimination, while some 7% focused on the safety of children in the metaverse. So what next? If safeguarding isn’t a viable option in the metaverse, how do brands not only protect but empower these communities as they venture further into its digital folds and expand their marketing strategies to target new audiences? 

Given the nascent status of many Web 3.0 platforms this isn’t an exact science, and marketers will likely learn as they go, but they can draw inspiration from trusty Web 2.0 as a starting point. Just like any other brand taking a stand on social issues on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, the same may apply to brands in the metaverse – perhaps even more so considering the need even for established brands to make their mark. Effective stand out against competition in virtual spaces hinges on facilitating positive social interaction in the metaverse. In Web 3.0, the job of the community manager has reached new heights. By demonstrating their commitment to socio-ethical issues to protect users, and jumping into cultural moments, these community managers will help their brands cut through the noise with instant relevancy and catch the attention of younger, socially-engaged audiences in these gamified realms in the process. The brands themselves will arbitrate on safeguarding, rather than relying on external oversight or regulation. This brings a whole new dimension to brand stewardship, and with it, a whole host of possibilities.

If Web 3.0 is all about experience, then issues of bullying or harassment may be inevitable, but that isn’t to say that they can’t be mitigated. Brand purpose is becoming increasingly important in both digital and physical spheres due to overly saturated markets, and these businesses play an important role in empowering their communities to build a safe and engaging space. For many, the metaverse may well be a cause for concern, and yet there are already movements focused on wellness in Web 3.0, spearheaded by figures such as Shira Lazar, public speaker, blogger and founding member of BFF, a community that supports women’s involvement in Web 3.0.

Clearly, by virtue of its immersive nature, the curation of an experience is going to be paramount in the metaverse, and marketers should take heed. It isn’t just about selling a product or service anymore, but rather about creating engaged communities in real-time, which comes with a duty of care or at the very least a move away from the anonymous trolling of keyboard warriors and towards a more authentic, lived (albeit virtual) experience. To crack the code of metaverse success, marketers will need to look beyond the markets themselves and dig a little deeper to really understand the needs of the individual and the communities they want to build in the long term.

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What doesn’t come to the forefront is collaborative design in terms of the built environment. When you do add ‘built environment’ to your search, you will also find many definitions – nowhere near as many and not agreed.

I was reminded of this when I was asked to give a presentation at the Urban Design London Summer School symposium (wearing my Association of Collaborative Design hat). The event looked at urban design through multiple lenses and featured a programme of excellent speakers.

While there is no single interpretation of ‘collaborative design’ for the built environment, there are many commonalities in the descriptions and explanations – all of which point to the use of a broad range of methods and techniques to engage communities, including citizen participants, in a project’s design and decision-making process. So, fundamentally, place-based collaborative design is a process that relates to community engagement. 

With this in mind, I wanted to explore some of those core commonalities in greater depth and how digital tools and technologies are supporting the collaborative design process and community engagement.

Collaborative design is…

Designing with, not for, people

To design ‘with’ people means to take an intersectional approach which values the lived experience and a diversity of perspectives. This is especially important when designing for the built environment as people have different ways of knowing and navigating places, and different experiences and expectations.

East Quay in Somerset is a manifestation of the brilliant things that can happen when you design ‘with’ people. The new arts centre development is the latest project from the Onion Collective, which is a local social enterprise working to tackle social, cultural and environmental injustice in the area.

The Onion Collective kickstarted the project by asking locals ‘What does Watchet need for a stronger future?’, instantly empowering the community to make the decisions about what developments should take place.

In addition to East Quay, locals chose to have a Visitor Centre built and the Boat Museum restored. The project is now developing a mapping tool with a gaming company and has a pilot facility growing mushrooms. Very cool indeed.

Balancing relationships between practitioners and communities

When it comes to knowing an area, nobody knows better than the local communities themselves. So it should be a no-brainer that engagement and communication with these key stakeholders are incorporated as fundamental aspects of the collaborative design process.

Edinburgh Living Lab’s Future of the High Street is another strong model of collaborative design, with this innovative project combining citizen engagement and co-design with rapid prototyping, urban data and research to reimagine two Scottish high streets.

The project used various online and in-person methods to engage local residents and businesses in order to better understand key high street challenges and opportunities in Gorgie-Dalry and Dalkeith, which led to the development of two ideas to pilot on each site.

The collaborative relationship between practitioners and communities continued into the evaluation process too, with the project’s indicators of success including: open learning, local participation, professional exchange, meaningful contribution and critical reflection.

Expansive

To be expansive in the context of co-design means to empower everyone to play a part in the design and planning process from the ground up, which is exactly what Nottingham’s Co-PLACE has sought to do.

Co-PLACE is an example of what a truly democratic planning system looks like, bringing together communities, authorities and industry to identify barriers to communication, increase mutual understanding across sectors and offer a neutral, shared platform where stakeholders can find common ground.

Nottingham City Council has now launched a Community Engagement guide, in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and National Planning Policy Framework, which outlines key elements of the process, criteria and appraisals.

Context dependent

While there is no right way to do collaborative design, there are certainly wrong ways to do it. First and foremost, it is absolutely key for all elements of a place to be taken into account; that means thinking about all of the varying social, physical, environmental and economic factors that make a place, and making sure these are considered at all stages.

Community engagement has been firmly embedded into various planning and development policies over the years, too. Many of these policies highlight the importance of meaningfully involving communities in determining how to shape better places for people, doing so inclusively and providing new ways for people to take part. Let’s take a look at some of these below.

Digital tools and technologies that support community engagement

While traditional forms of community engagement, such as village hall meetings, still have an important role to play in urban planning and development, digital tools and technologies are helping to make the process more efficient and creative.

Importantly, they are enabling and empowering citizens to play a more active role in local decision-making, ensuring people have their voices heard at all stages of the design and planning process.

Engagement Apps

Stakeholder engagement apps are increasingly being used to enable two-way communication between urban planners and the community, also helping to increase the transparency of projects.

Site Podium, for example, allows urban planners to publish pictures, videos and documents to show developments in projects and poll the community about important subjects, while also giving local residents a platform to contact community engagement managers with questions, complaints and feedback.

The app includes a measurement feature as well, which allows planners to benchmark the level of satisfaction between projects and decide whether they need to make any changes in line with what citizens are telling them.

Participation platforms

Citizen participation platforms provide a central place for people to share their ideas with other citizens and local authorities online. While these sorts of platforms are not always fully-inclusive as they require access to an internet connection and device, therefore excluding some marginalised groups, they still have an important role to play in enabling diverse participation.

Take Linz’s participation platform, for example, which allows citizens to participate on any topic from anywhere at any time, and vote on what they would like to see the city take on. Projects that receive at least 30 votes from other citizens within 60 days are taken into account. Within the first few months of the platform’s launch, 26 proposals were shared; four of these reached the threshold and at least one will be implemented.

VR and AR

Tools like virtual reality and augmented reality are great for engaging communities in urban planning in particular as they give a ‘real world’ perspective and allow people to experience what enhanced areas might look like in ways that other technologies simply can’t.

This immersive nature not only encourages greater engagement with projects, it also helps to strengthen the relationship and trust between local authorities and communities as citizens can actually see what’s being planned.

In one study examining how VR can increase civic participation in designing public spaces, participants that viewed the 360 degree rendered images with VR technology expressed a “significantly higher” engagement in the co-design process than those using their computer at home or viewing 2D paper planes.

Gamification

Gamification is increasingly being explored as a way to boost citizen participation in urban planning – from enhancing stakeholder exploration, motivation and interactions to rewarding people for sharing their ideas.

Sustainability app GreenApes, for instance, allows cities to choose sustainable behaviours they would like to reward. This could be anything from waste sorting to energy savings to green mobility. Citizens then earn ‘BankoNuts’ when they share their sustainable ideas, for example a creative recycling project, which they can then use to claim rewards from GreenApe partners, venues and companies.

This is an incredibly effective way to encourage community engagement in a way that also encourages more planet-friendly behaviours.

Community engagement through digital placemaking

For the past four months, Calvium has been researching how digital placemaking can enhance the physical and mental health and emotional wellbeing of North London’s stakeholder communities.

Given North East London’s growing and diverse population, which covers eight boroughs, stakeholder community engagement has been crucial to the development and direction of this project. This involved various methods of engagement – traditional and digital – in order to imagine digital placemaking futures.

While what we have learned about people’s attitudes towards digital technologies in this context has been mostly favourable, we will also be taking any concerns into account. To ignore these would go against the fundamentals of inclusive design and ethical practice.

The Heritage Eye app we designed and developed for Bristol City Council, meanwhile, shows how digital placemaking has a role to play in community engagement beyond the planning and consultation stage.

The app enables citizens to submit quick reports about buildings in their neighbourhoods when they spot a potential problem, providing a platform to take photographs and write short comments about local buildings.

Within the context of the built environment, supporting communities to play a meaningful role in the management and maintenance of heritage sites and urban areas should be seen as a natural extension of the collaborative design process.

Originally posted here

More thought leadership

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There’s a flurry of excitement about modern developments in artificial intelligence (AI).

The arrival of powerful image generators, AI agents able to perform multiple tasks or seemingly (to some) sentient chatbots are an exciting prospect for data scientists that use machine learning to tackle big societal challenges in areas such as health, education and the environment.

One of the unofficial remits of AI is to “solve intelligence and then solve everything else”. We have to assume that “solving” would include reducing inequalities in education, tackling obesity and decarbonising our homes. Are we about to get AI systems that could help us solve these problems?

Industrialised AI

An absence of data in the social sector

Model risks

Ethical risks

Political risks

Craft AI

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