Viewpoint: Empowering Communities with Situated Voting Devices

Taylor, N; Marshall, J; Blum-Ross, A; Mills, J; Rogers, J; Egglestone, P; Frohlich, D; Wright, P; Olivier, P

doi:10.1145/2207676.2208594

Viewpoint: Empowering Communities with Situated Voting Devices

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Nick Taylor ORCiD, Emeritus Professor Pete Wright, Professor Patrick Olivier ORCiD

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This is the authors' accepted manuscript of a conference proceedings (inc. abstract) that has been published in its final definitive form by ACM, 2012.

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Abstract

Viewpoint is a public voting device developed to allow residents in a disadvantaged community to make their voices heard through a simple, lightweight interaction. This was intended to open a new channel of communication within the community and increase community members’ perception of their own efficacy. Local elected officials and community groups were able to post questions on devices located in public spaces, where residents could vote for one of two responses. Question authors were subsequently required to post a response indicating any actions to be taken. Following a two-month trial, we present our experiences and contribute guidelines for the design of public democracy tools and dimensions impacting their effectiveness, including credibility, efficacy and format.