a user guide to online engagement tools...a user guide to online engagement tools sarah parkins,...
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![Page 1: A User Guide to Online Engagement Tools...A User Guide to Online Engagement Tools Sarah Parkins, MCRP Candidate Master Project, Spring 2018 Advisor, William Rohe Ph.D. [Page Left Blank](https://reader034.vdocuments.mx/reader034/viewer/2022042302/5ecd13b4f7220a73da71a7df/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
AUserGuideto
OnlineEngagementTools
SarahParkins,MCRPCandidate
MasterProject,Spring2018
Advisor,WilliamRohePh.D.
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TableofContent
Introduction.................................................................................................................1
Background..................................................................................................................1
NeedforCommunityEngagement.............................................................................5
CritiqueofTypicalCommunityEngagementEfforts...................................................5
TechnologyandCommunityEngagement..................................................................9
BestPracticesfortheDevelopmentofEngagementTools......................................13
KnowyourAudience............................................................................................15
CustomizationandUsability................................................................................15
RegistrationRequirements..................................................................................16
VisualAppearance...............................................................................................16
Accessibility.........................................................................................................17
EvaluatingData....................................................................................................17
DisplayingData....................................................................................................18
OnlineEngagementTechnologyCaseStudies..........................................................18
CoUrbanize..........................................................................................................18
MetroQuest.........................................................................................................25
EngagingPlans......................................................................................................30
UserGuideDevelopment–CatalogueofOnlineEngagementTools......................34
References.................................................................................................................36
UserGuideofOnlineCommunityEngagementTools..............................................37
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IntroductionCommunity engagement, an integral component of the planning process, affords community
memberstheopportunitytoweigh-inonprojectsthatmayimpacttheirwell-being.Whiletypical
engagementactivitiesincludetransparentreportingandtownhallmeetings,therehasbeena
shiftinhowgovernments,developers,andplannersengagewiththepublictoencouragetheir
participation.Althoughcommunitymeetingsandface-to-faceinteractionarevaluable,itisoften
difficult togetcitizens toengagedueto timeconstraints, lackofaccessibility,andpessimism
abouttheirabilitytomakeadifference.Therefore,thepushtomakedatamoreaccessiblehas
ledmany cities to use technology to increase participation in the process. The use of digital
engagementtoolstoincreaseawarenessandaideincollaborativedecision-makingisnotonly
useful,itisbecomingnecessary.
Existingresearchintheplanningfieldisnarrowlyfocusedonwhyplannersshouldutilize
suchdigitaltoolsratherthanhowtousethemsuccessfully.Furtherresearchmatchingthewhy
withthehowisnecessarysothatplannerscanunderstandthewaysthattheirprocessescanbe
improvedwiththesetools.
Thismaster’s projectwill focus on best practices for using digital tools developed for
communityengagement.Theendresultwillbeauserguideaimedatmakingplannersawareof
the various tools that exist and how to select the best ones for their engagement process.
Plannerscanaccessthisguidebyvisiting:https://engagecommunityonline.web.unc.edu
BackgroundTechnologydevelopedforcommunityengagementhasgrownsubstantiallyinthepastfiveyears.
Manyof thenewonline tools address the issues found in traditional engagementprocesses.
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Althoughofferingmoreoptions forplanners, these toolshavestrengthsandweaknessesand
engage citizens in different ways, so when it comes to guiding planners through digital
engagementprocessesitiseasyforthemtobecomeoverwhelmedwiththemanychoicesthey
have.Someprojectsneedengagementprocessesthatwillcollectsurveydata,allocatebudgets,
or rank the priority of projects, and similarly different engagement tools collect this type of
information throughdifferentplatforms.Therefore,understanding the typesofdata the tool
collects, theways it collects thatdata, andhow thatdatabest informs theproject,will help
plannerstobetterengagewiththepublicandtohavebetteroutcomesintheirplanning.
Traditionally, planners have used public meetings, charrettes, and other in-person
meetingstorunengagementprocesses,butthesehavevaryingsuccessesandcanfailtobringa
wide, representative group from the community to the table. Technology fills this gap,with
engagementtoolsreachingabiggeraudienceandcollectingdatainthoughtfulways.Naturally,
therearebarrierstousingthesetechnologies,asnoteverycommunitymemberwillhaveaccess
to, or knowledge of, the tools. However, this gap is closing as technology becomes more
widespreadandaccessible.In2017thePewResearchCenterreportedthat88%ofU.S.adults
usetheinternet,77%ownasmartphone,and73%havebroadbandathome1.Thesenumbers
have steadily increased since 2000, indicating that technology is becoming more and more
accessiblefortheAmericanpublic.
Popular belief can lead to assumptions that spending more time online limits social
interactionsandthereforelimitssocialcapitalandcivicengagement.However,researchdoneby
1Smith,Aaron.RecordsharesofAmericansnowownsmartphones,havehomebroadband.PewResearchCenter.2017
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DhavanShah,etal,in2002foundthattimespentonlineissignificantlyandpositivelyrelatedto
both traditionalcivicparticipationandpublicattendance2.This researchshows thatspending
timeonlineactuallygivesaccesstoresourcesthatfacilitatesocialinteractionssuchasemailand
chatboards,andsocialmediaspreadsinformationtolargeraudiences.Shah,etal,concludethat
theinternetholdspromisesforcivicrenewaleffortsthattargetyouth,adolescents,andyoung
adults--populationsoftentruantincommunityengagementprocesses.
Significantresearchhasbeendoneontheuseoftechnologyincommunityengagement
processes.Attygallewritesthatasonlinetoolsforcommunityengagementdevelop,itinvolves
citizenswhotypicallydonotparticipate.3Removingbarriersmakescitizensmoreaccountablefor
howtheircommunitygrows,shiftingpowerbetweenplannerstothepublic.Allygalleclaimsif
planners were to use tools that allow for this shift in power, communities could be more
responsiblyandcollaborativelydeveloped.However,theyfirstneedtoknowwhichtoolstouse.
Aguideforbestpracticesusingtechnologytoengageunderrepresentedcommunitiesin
planning,writtenbyJillLocantore,showsthepotentialforimprovingplanningprocessesthrough
onlineengagementtools.Sheclaimssocialmediaishighlyeffectiveinengagingthesegroups,as
people expect engagement on these platforms. Socialmedia can be effective for conducting
researchandgatheringinputfromavarietyofdifferentdemographicgroups,as72%ofallonline
usersusesocialnetworking4.
2DhavanShah,MichaelSchmierbach,JoshuaHawkins.NonrecursiveModelsofInternetUseandCommunityEngagement:QuestioningWhetherTimeSpentOnlineErodesSocialCapital.1December,2002.SageJournals.Vol79,Issue4.3Attygalle,Lisa.Forward:Howtechnologyimprovescommunityengagement.Engage!2015.Pages39-434Locantore,Jill.EngagementTechnologyForAll:BestPracticesforUsingTechnologyinEngagingUnderrepresentedCommunitiesinPlanning.Placematters.org.February2014.
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NaderAfzalan’sdissertationevaluateshowandwhyonlineparticipatorytoolsareusedin
planmaking, specifically lookingat three tools:MindMixer, PlaceSpeak, andShareabouts.He
findsthatoftheplanningorganizationsusingthesetools,88%reportedthattheywere"satisfied
withtheusefulnessofthetoolsduringtheplanningprocess.Thetoolsallowedthemtoengage
withawiderarrayofpeoplewhichcreatedcostsavingswhencomparedtoin-personmethods,
andtheideascollectedfromthepublicwererepresentativeofthebroadcommunity."5Healso
pointsoutthatplannersandresearchersstilldon’tunderstandhowonlineplanningtechnologies
areusefultoplanmakingorwhatfactorsinfluencetheirusefulness.
Infact,severalarticlesandpaperspointoutlimitingfactorstounderstandingthesetools.
Raynes-GoldieandWalkerarguethereisalackofestablishedmethodologyforevaluatingthe
effectivenessofonlinecivicengagementtools6.TheFieldScanofCivicTechnologydevelopedby
OpenPlansalsopointsoutthislackofevaluation,andaddsittoseveralissuesindevelopingthese
tools.Specifically,theypointoutthreeareasneededtobeaddressedtoadvancethefield;(1)
bettermeanstoshareandevaluateexistingtools,(2)infrastructurerequiredtosupportthese
tools,and(3)marketplaceofvendorsprovidingthesetools.7Severalresearcherspointoutbest
practicesforuseofcommunityengagementtoolsstressingtheimportanceofunderstandingthe
stakeholdersinvolved,developingtoolkitsforavarietyofuses,andstillsupportingface-to-face
engagement inaddition toonline tools8.However, inorder tosuccessfullyuse the tools, it is
5 Afzalan, N., Sanchez, T., Evans-Cowley, J. (2017). Creating Smarter Cities: Considerations for Selecting OnlineParticipatoryTools,Cities,67,21-30.6Raynes-Goldie,Kate,andLukeWalker.“OurSpace:OnlineCivicEngagementTools forYouth."CivicLifeOnline:LearningHowDigitalMediaCanEngageYouth.EditedbyW.LanceBennett.TheJohnD.andCatherineT.MacArthurFoundationSeriesonDigitalMediaandLearning.Cambridge,MA:TheMITPress,2008.7OpenPlansandLivingCities,FieldScanofCivicTechnology.2012.8Locantore,Attygalle,Raynes-GoldieandWalker.
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imperativethatplannersunderstandwhichtoolstouseforasuccessfulengagementprocess.
Therefore,thefieldmustfocusoncreatingastandardwaytoevaluatethesetools,whichisthe
aimofthismaster’sproject.
NeedforCommunityEngagement
Communityengagementisanimportantpartofanypublicplanningordevelopmentproject,yet
sometimesisnotadequatelyincorporated.Simplyput,communityengagementistheprocessof
providing access to information and providing an opportunity for community actors to give
feedbackinordertomakewell-informeddecisions.Traditionalengagementstrategiesareused
to involvecitizens indevelopmentprojects,yet theyare limited onhowmuch information is
shared and on opportunities for feedback. Often times, development projects most
supported by the community are the ones that incorporate community engagement in the
planningprocess.
CritiqueofTypicalCommunityEngagementEfforts
Therecanbemanynegativeeffectsfromtheabsenceofcommunityengagementinprojects.
AsoutlinedinPorter'sarticle,BreakingtheDevelopmentLogjam,9developerscanlosemoney,
time,andpredictabilityinthedevelopmentprocess.Localofficialsrisklosingthepublic’s
trust.Most importantly,thecommunitycanloseconfidencethattheir inputwillbetaken
seriously.Thesenegativeseffects showthatnotonly is it important tohaveacommunity
engagementprocess, it needs to be effective. Unsuccessful engagement fails to incorporate
communityfeedback,facilitateproductiveconversationsbetweendevelopersandlocal
officials,orresultindevelopmentsthatareprofitableforthedeveloperandcreateanassetto
thecommunity.9Porter,DouglasR.BreakingtheDevelopmentLogjam:NewStrategiesforBuildingCommunitySupport.ULI–theUrbanLandInstitute.June2006.Print.
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Manyactivitieshavebeendesignedtoengagecommunitymembersduringdevelopment
projects; themost commonbeing publicmeetings. These events allow for local officials and
developerstopresentprojectstoalargegroupofinterestedcommunitymembersandprovide
opportunities for public comment. However, these publicmeetings can present a variety of
issues.Tokeepmeetingswithintimelimits,informationhastobeconciseanddetailsmaybe
leftout.Ifthereisalargepresence,theremightbeatimelimitimposedonpubliccommentsor
a cap on the number of citizens that can give comments. The timing ofmeetings can affect
workingfamilieswithresponsibilitieswhomaybeunabletoattend.Inaddition,manymembers
ofthecommunitymaysufferfrom“planningburn-out”,atermusedtodescribeattendingtoo
manyplanningmeetingsthatfailtoproduceresults.Fromthedevelopers’orcityofficials’point
ofview,reservingmeetingspace,preparingmaterialssuchaspostersandhandouts,andstaff
time spentattendingmeetingscanbecomecostly.Ifthereisalowturnout,thecostpercitizen
engagedcanbeconsiderablyhigh.
Engagement processes working to improve stand-alone public meetings can utilize
surveysorprojectwebsites.Surveyscanbesenttothecommunityviamailorcollectedinperson
togatherinformationrelevanttotheproject.Ifwelldesigned,asurveycaninformtheproject's
development,howeversurveysmightnotincludetherighttypesofquestionsortherecouldbe
alowresponserate.Surveyscanalsobeveryexpensivetoconduct.Forthesamereasonsasthe
publicmeetings, citizensmay not be inclined to respond to a survey due to lack of time or
motivation.
Websites allow for developers or officials to create an online presence to provide
information about the process, including project descriptions, meeting times, results of
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community input, or developmental progress. While websites can be a great way to share
informationandkeepcitizensinformed,citywebsitesoftensufferfrompoorlydesignedlayouts,
lackofupdatedinformation,anddifficultyinadvertisingtheprojectwebsite.Developer-created
websitesfacesimilarchallenges,andmayhavetrustissuesfromthosewhobelievedevelopers
areonlygoingtogiveinformationthatportraystheprojectinapositivelight.
Another engagement process is the charrette, which is a meeting-like session where
communitymembers,designers,developers,andpublicofficialsworktogethertocreateavision
foradevelopmentproject. Itprovidesaforumforallactorsinthecommunitytoshareideas,
offerfeedback,andtroubleshootissues,givingdesignersanddevelopersthechancetoadvance
theirproject.Theyallowforthecommunityto feel liketheyaredirectlyaffectingtheproject
whileallowingdeveloperstoguidethediscussioninaproductiveway.Charrettesoftenwillstart
withapresentationtodescribetheprojectandthegoalsofthesession.Theycouldincludea
walk-throughofthesiteorprojectdesignto-date,andthensmallgroupsmaybreakofftooffer
feedbackandgothroughthedesignprocessbeforereportingbacktothewholegroup,creating
asharedcommunitydesign.Whilecharrettesareagreatwaytogetfeedbackfromthegroup
and to reacha tangible result, they also arenotwithout issues. Charrettes canbe incredibly
expensiveandcouldeasilycostdevelopersorpublicofficialsmorethan$100,000 inorder to
cover the cost of materials, design tools, refreshments, site-visit logistics, event space, and
facilitatorstoruntheprocesses.Oftentimes,charrettescanoccuroveraseriesof2-5days.Given
this huge time commitment, it is very difficult to get citizens to attend. This can frustrate
developersandlocalofficialswhospendasignificantamountoftimetoplantheseprocessesbut
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thenhavealackofattendance,leavingasmallgrouptomakeopinionateddecisionsthatmay
notberepresentativeoftheentirecommunity.
Whiletheseengagementopportunitiesareplannedwiththebestintentionsinmind,they
allhavetheirdrawbacksandcanleaveeveryoneinvolvedfrustratedwiththeoutcomes.When
developers and officials spend time and money to plan these events, they hope that the
communitywillberesponsiveandparticipateintheprocessesdesignedforthem.However,itis
oftentypicalthatthemembersofthepublicthatattendarethosewhohaveverystrongopinions
about the project. Those groups are typically composed ofworking families. Developers and
officialsknowthatworkingfamiliesareoftennotwillingorabletocometotheseevents.Special
effortsareoftenmadetoencouragethemtoattendmeetingsbyprovidingfoodandchildcare
duringeveningmeetings,hostingmeetingsatdifferent times suchasa lunchtimemeeting in
additiontoeveningmeetings,andevenpartneringwithcommunitygroupsatsocialeventstotry
toencouragecitizenstoprovidefeedback.
Othergroupspoorlyrepresentedinthesemeetingsincludehomelessindividuals,thosewith
low mobility or disabilities, and other marginalized groups such as those in low-income
neighborhoods,peopleofcolor,orillegalimmigrants.Exclusionofthesegroupsresultsinpoor
communityrepresentation,asonlythesmallpercentageofthecommunityabletoattendwillbe
speakingonbehalfofeveryone.Ifeffortsarenotmadetoreachouttothesemarginalizedgroups,
theymayfeeltheiropinionsarenotwantedandtheirparticipationisawasteoftime.Homeless
individuals, as well as those with low mobility or disabilities, may not be aware of these
engagementprocessesorhavethemeanstoparticipate,even if theyarewillingtodoso.By
consideringaccessibilityinthedesignoftheseprocesses,morepeoplecouldbereached.
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Ofcourse, therewill alwaysbe truantmembersofa community thatareunawareof the
engagementprocesses,orareawarebutchosenottoattend.Plannersanddevelopersmuststill
planforthesepeoplebecausetheywillaffectthewaythecommunitygrowsanddevelops.One
suchgroupincollegetownsisstudents.Studentsusuallydonotliveintheuniversity’scityor
townyear-roundandareonlythereforashortperiodoftime.Therefore,theymayfeellikeit's
notnecessarytobeapartoftheengagementprocess.However,alargepopulationofstudents
canhaveimplicationsonthedevelopmentofatownonthingssuchashousingdevelopment,
commercial activity, and economic stability. Planners and developers should account for the
effectsthatthesekindsofpopulationshaveonthecommunity.
Itshouldbeclearthateffectivecommunityengagementisimportantinordertopreventthe
negativeeffectsofitsabsence.Well-designedengagementprocessescanleadtohavingabetter
representationofthecommunityinthefeedbackstage,andcanlowerthecostoftheseevents
iftheyarewellattended.However,barrierswillalwaysexist,sobylookingtotechnologytohelp
overcomethem,thefieldofplanninganddevelopmentcanfurther improvetheircommunity
engagement processes. Especially by combining online engagement tools with in-person
engagementopportunitiestosuccessfullyreachabroaderaudience.
TechnologyandCommunityEngagementTechnology has allowed for communities to increase their community outreach, especially
throughtheuseofonlineengagementtools.Suchtoolscancomeintheformofmobileapps,
websites,orsocialmediaplatformsthatutilizemethodsofprovidinginformationandcollecting
feedback.Onlinetechnologiesallowforplannersanddeveloperstoengagewithmorepeople
than traditional participation techniques.Andalthough technologyhas achieved successes in
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engagement,therearestillconsiderablebarrierstonavigatebeforetocanreachitsfullpotential.
Therefore,itisimportanttousetheseonlinetoolsinadditiontowithin-persontechniques.
Theuseofonlineengagementtoolshasbenefitstiedtoincreasingcommunitycapacity.
Forone, itallowsfordevelopersandplannerstosavetimeandmoney.Ratherthanspending
timetocreateandorganizesurveysorcharrettes,officialscanusethesetoolstogatherdata
more efficiently. They also can strategically use tools to determine which groups are not
participatingandthentargetthosepeople,therebyusinglimitedresourcesmoreeffectively.For
example,ifanonlinetoolonlyreachescommunitymembersthathaveaccesstotechnology,then
developers and planners can use different engagement tools such as in-person surveys or
communitymeetingstotargetthespecificgroupofnon-engagedpeople.
Cost savings can also be achieved using online tools. Research done by the Metro
NashvillePlanningCommissiononcostcomparisonsofvariousengagementprocessesusedfor
theirAPAaward-winningNashvilleNextprojectshowsthatonaveragetheonlineengagement
tool MetroQuest cost $3/participant, MindMixer cost $8/participant, and Textizen cost
$9/participant10.Meanwhile,engagementtechniquessuchasfocusgroupsandmeetingsrange
between$43-$47/participant.Thesetoolsalsoincreasethepublic'saccesstoinformationwhile
collectingfeedback.Plannerscanthencreateplansbasedondata-drivenrecommendationsand
a clear understanding of what the public wants. Overall, this improves the community
engagementprocess.
However, there are still many barriers to incorporating these technologies. Most
significantly,localgovernmentsareoftenconstrainedbyalackofstaffandfinancingtosupport
10 Biggs, Dave. How Much Does It Cost to Engage a Citizen. MetroQuest.com. 2016.
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theuseofthesetools11.Andbecausethesetoolsarestillfairlynewtomostcommunities,there
isaperceivedriskofusingthemduetoalackofknowledgeaboutthetoolsthatexistandbest
practices for using them. Planners are not online communication experts, and may be
apprehensiveaboutusingtoolsinitiallywithoutpriorknowledgeoftheirmaintenance.
Whiletechnologyisrapidlyincreasingtheopportunitytoreachmorepeople,itcanstill
bedifficulttoreachlow-incomeindividualsthroughtechnologyalone.Thisislikelydueinpartto
alackofawarenessofavailableopportunitiestoengageandlimitedlanguageskillsorreading
comprehension. Previous negative experiences resulting in mistrust or hostility towards
governmentcanalsolimitthepotentialofthesetools12.
Currently the field of online community engagement lacks a deeper exploration of
communityneedsnecessarytodevelopthesetools.Mostonlineengagementtoolsarenotbuilt
inpartnershipwiththeintendedusersorinresponsetotheirpressingconcerns,butratherare
created as a one tool fits all engagement process. Some developers have recognized the
complexityofdevelopmentprocessstagesleadingtothecreationofdifferenttoolsdesignedfor
those different stages. Howver, news of successly using these tools travels slowlymaking it
difficultforothercommunitiestoshareandbenefitfromthesuccessesofothers.
Inadditiontobarriers,therearenegativeoutcomesthatmustbeconsideredsuchashow
thistechnologycanbeusedtoskewdataorframeissuesbythemoderator.Negativecomments
canbeomittedonwebsitestomakeitseemlikethereareonlypositiveresponses,resultingin
thecommunitylosingtrustindevelopersandbecomingmoreopposedtodevelopmentprojects.
11OpenPlansandLivingCities,FieldScanofCivicTechnology.2012.12Locantore,Jill.EngagementTechnologyForAll:BestPracticesforUsingTechnologyinEngagingUnderrepresentedCommunitiesinPlanning.Placematters.org.February2014.
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Instead,byallowingformoretransparencyandrespondingtonegativecomments,amoreopen
dialogcandevelopandimproverelationships.
Lackofactiontakenaftergatheringdatacanalsocauseuserstobecomefrustratedwith
the process causing them to believe it was a waste of their time. Sometimes planners or
developersdon’tincludefeedbackfromthecommunitybecausetheydon’tagree,orwhathas
beensuggestedistooexpensiveordifficulttoprovide.Butbyacknowledgingthefeedbackand
comingtoacompromise,ratherthanignoringit,plannersanddeveloperscanfindcreativeways
tobenefitthecommunitywhilestillreceivingsupporttogetprojectsapproved.Itisimportantto
consider these potential negative outcomes when creating a mindset for community
engagementmethodsandusingdigitalengagementtools.
Bybuildingamindsetforhowbesttouseonlineengagementtools,thefieldcanachieve
theultimategoalofcommunityengagement --givingpowerback to thecommunity13.These
toolsallowthebroadercommunitytogivefeedbackbasedonaccurateinformationandmake
informeddecisionsabouthowtheywanttheircommunitytobeshapedbydevelopment.This
shift in power however, is limited by the barriers and potential negative outcomes outlined
previously.Abalanceofbothdigitaltoolsandin-personmeetingsshouldbeincludedfromthe
startsotheuseofthetoolscanbecomemorenormalized.Communitiesalsoneedtotakeamore
activeroleinbuildingandusingthepropertoolstoeffectivelycollectfeedback.Todothat,there
needstobeabetterunderstandingofthetoolsthatexist.
Abetternetworkamongdevelopersandplannersindevelopingandusingthesetoolsis
necessary.Thereisplentyofresearchonwhyweshouldbeusingthistechnology,butwhatis
13Attygalle,Lisa.Forward:Howtechnologyimprovescommunityengagement.Engage!2015.Pages39-43
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missingisthehow.Thefieldscanofcivictechnologydonein2012byOpenPlansandLivingCities
recommendstheneedforthreestepstocreatethisnetwork:(1)Abettermeanstoshareand
evaluate existing tools, such as peer networks and product reviews; (2) Developing the
infrastructure(datapolicy,technicalpolicy,etc.)requiredtosupportmanycivictechsolutions
andmakethemportablebetweencities;and(3)creatingamorerobustmarketplaceofvendors
providing civic tech product and services.14 This research project focuses on the first step,
creating a better way to evaluate existing tools as a means to share them with other
communities.
Giventhenatureofplanning,therearedifferentgoalstobeachievedthroughcommunity
engagement processes as such gathering comments on proposed projects, deciding on
guidelines,or implementingprojectplansorbudgets.Therefore,notall toolscanbesimilarly
appliedtoallprojectstoaddressdifferentgoals.Bycreatingamethodologyforhowtoanalyze
tools,plannersanddeveloperscouldbetterunderstandhowandwhentousethem,whatspecific
typesoffeedbacktheycancollect,andwhichtoolswouldworkbestfortheircommunity.Auser
guidethatappliesthismethodologytoeachtoolwouldgiveplannersaneasierwaytolearnabout
different tools thatexistandbuildabetter toolbox to improvetheircommunityengagement
processes.
BestPracticesfortheDevelopmentofEngagementToolsUnderstandingbestpracticesforthedevelopmentofonlinecommunityengagementtools,and
determiningwhatmakesthemsuccessful, isnecessarytocreateacriticalmethodology.Using
14OpenPlansandLivingCities,FieldScanofCivicTechnology.2012.
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threecasestudiesonpopulartools,thisprojectaimstodesignamethodologythatcanbeuseful
tosystematicallyanalyzeonlinetools,basedonfactorsthatcontributetothebestpracticesof
the field. The three studies explore CoUrbanize, MetroQuest, and EngagingPlans; all well-
establishedtoolsusedthroughouttheplanningfield.Theyalsomeetthethreecriteriausedto
defineanonlineengagementtoolforthepurposeofthisproject:(1)thetoolisavailableonthe
internet, (2) the toolenablesmembersof thepublic toparticipate,and (3) the toolprovides
softwareasaservice(SaaS)product,meaningthatitisanapplicationavailableovertheinternet
rather thanhavingtobedownloadedontoacomputer.Foreachcasestudy, theanalysiswill
include:
1. thehistoryanddevelopmentofthetool;
2. theintendedgoalofthetool
3. howthetool’splatformoperates;
4. thestrengthsandweaknessesofthetool;
5. assessmentsofthenavigation,appearance,andaccessibilityofthetool;
6. thecostsandavailableITsupportforthetool;
7. awalk-throughofanexampleprojectthatusesthetool.
Unfortunately,somefactorsaredifficulttoincludeinthemethodologyduetothelackof
datatransparency,suchasthenumberordemographiccharacteristicsofparticipantsreached.
Without the data, it is difficult to quantitatively measure or rank these tools.Without data
transparencyamongalltooldevelopers,thefieldisnotaccountabletoensuringtoolsreachthe
groupstraditionallyunderrepresented. Instead,plannersusingthetoolsmustmakesurethey
usetherighttooltoreachthosegroups.
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Becauseplannersarenotexpertsinonlinecommunication,theyarelimitedtothetools
thatcurrentlyexistwhichmaynotsatisfyalltheirneeds.Thishasallowedfortooldevelopersto
focusmoreonthemarketingsideoftooldevelopmentratherthancreatingstrongtools.Ideally,
tooldevelopersshouldworkwithclientstomakeahighlycustomizabletoolthatwillallowthe
plannerstoengageamorerepresentativegroupofthecommunitywiththelimitedresources
theyhave.
KnowyourAudience
Whenchoosingatoolforanengagementprocesstheaudiencemustbeunderstood15.A
toolhastheabilitytoreachawideaudience,butitwillbemoresuccessfulifdeployedmindful
of the audience. For example, a planning process for a neighborhood versus a regional
process should usedifferentengagementtools16.Theneighborhoodprocessesmayleadto
consensusbuildingwhiletheregionalprocessmayattempttoaddressconcernsaboutimpacts.
Smalleraudiencesmightbenefit from tools that use message boards where participants
can provide more detailedfeedback,whereasifalargeraudiencedidthesameitcouldresult
intoomuchdataforaplannertoanalyze.
CustomizationandUsability
Highly customizable tools allow for planners to use tools at different stages of the
engagementprocess, using toolsmore iteratively. Forexample, some toolsmaybebetter at
collectingdataaboutcommunitymembers’ideasaboutthetypeofdevelopmentacommunity
might be considering in the earlier stages, while a different tool might be best for getting
15 Attygalle, Lisa. Forward: How technology improves community engagement. Engage! 2015. Page 41 16 Afzalan, N., Sanchez, T., Evans-Cowley, J. (2017). Creating Smarter Cities: Considerations for Selecting Online Participatory Tools, Cities, 67, page 25.
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feedbackonspecificdetailsofthatdevelopment,suchasdesignguidelinesatthelaterstageof
adevelopmentproject.
Whilecustomizabletoolsareuseful,simplifyingthetechnologyisimportantinorderto
engagecitizenswhomaynotbeastechnologically literate.Toolsthatmake itdifficulttofind
informationor sharecomments/give feedbackmaynothavegreat success.However,making
toolsuser-friendlyandprovidingupdatedinformationrelevanttotheproject’scurrentprogress,
willlikelyleadtocommunitiesappreciatingthesetechnologiesandbecomingmoreinvolvedin
thefuture.
RegistrationRequirements
Thereareongoingdebatesaboutwhetherhavingparticipantssign-inandprovidebasic
personal informationwillreduceparticipation,or if it is imperativetodatacollection17.While
requiringasign-intoprovideaddressesorotherpersonalinformationmaypreventparticipation,
completeanonymitywillresultinnotknowingwhoisparticipatingandmaycauseissueswith
spam.
VisualAppearance
MetroQuest, in their guide of best practices for using their tool, stresses visual
appearance.Theyrecommendstickingtotheseven-secondandseven-minuterulethatitshould
takenomorethansevensecondstogetauser’sattention,afterwhichtheuser’sattentionwill
onlyberetainedforsevenminutes18.Toolsmustthereforebedesignedtobeattentiongrabbing
andconciseintheinformationthattheyaresharingorseeking.Todothis,MetroQuestsuggests
17Afzalan,N.,Sanchez,T.,Evans-Cowley,J.(2017).CreatingSmarterCities:ConsiderationsforSelectingOnlineParticipatoryTools,Cities,67,page27.18Attygalle,Lisa.Forward:Howtechnologyimprovescommunityengagement.Engage!2015.Page41
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usingmorevisualsthantext,astexttakeslongertoreadandlargeamountsoftextmaydissuade
auserfromfiguringoutwhattheprojectisabout19.Havinganappealingdesignthatusesgraphics
overtextwillbemoresuccessful.
Accessibility
Thereareseveralrequirementsthatshouldbemadecompatiblewithtoolstomakethem
accessible to everyone. The most important, and frequently incorporated, is language
translation. It is important to enable community members to engage using their primary
language.OftentoolscanincorporateGoogletranslate,orasimilarproduct,thatautomatically
translates the text into a language of the user’s choice. Similarly, while visuals are often
encouragedforgrabbingattention,theyarealsousefultoimproveunderstandingforthosewith
poorreadingcomprehensionskills.Byusingsimplephrases,images,orvideocomponents,those
unabletoreadwellcanstillbeengaged.Itisalsoimportantfortoolstosupportaccessforthose
visuallyimpairedsuchastextaidsforthevisualimpaired.Incorporatingtheseconsiderationsin
toolplatformswillencouragemorecommunitymemberstoengage,especiallythosewhooften
feelleftout.
EvaluatingData
It is imperativethatcommunityengagementtoolsarechosenbasedontheirabilityto
analyze,report,andexportdata,aswelltheirfunctionalityintheengagementprocess.Evaluating
dataallowsforplannerstocomparedatatheyreceive.Incaseswheretheengagementprocess
isaskinguserstoranktheirprioritiesorbudgetallocations,toolsshouldbeabletoevaluatethe
dataandprovidethoserankedresultstotheplanners.
19PublicInvolvementSoftwareUserGuide.MetroQuest.Page5
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DisplayingData
Similarly,itishelpfulwhentoolscanallowplannerstoeasilycreatemapsandgraphsof
thedataorexportdatatouseintheplanningprocess.Theultimategoalofonlineengagement
toolsistoallowthecommunitytoprovidefeedbacktobeusedinplanning.Ifthedataisignored,
thenthereislittlepointinusingthetools.
OnlineEngagementTechnologyCaseStudiesBasedonthesebestpracticesforonlineengagementtools,thefollowingsectionsexaminethree
casestudies,analyzingwhatmakesthesetoolssuccessfulorunsuccessful.Basedonthesecase
studies,thefinalmethodologywillbedevelopedandappliedtoalltheselectedtoolsintheuser
guide.
CoUrbanize
CoUrbanizeisaplatformthatallowsdevelopersandplannerstocreateandmanagetheirown
onlineprojectpagebyallowingthemtosendupdates,provideinformationandgivecommunity
memberstheopportunitytoaddideas,makecomments,oraskquestions.Thetoolistargeted
toanumberofclients,althoughit ismostlydesignedforprivatedevelopmentprojectsrather
thancommunityplanning.However,thereareseveralprojectsledbycouncilsofgovernmentfor
urbandevelopmentusingthetool.
CoUrbanizewasdevelopedbyateamfromMIT’sSchoolofArchitectureandPlanningand
foundedatTechStars,aBostonbasedstart-up/acceleratorprogram.Theydevelopedthetoolto
bring technology into the fieldof realestatedevelopment,urbanplanning,andconstruction,
realizing these professionals didn’t have the resources to reach a broader and more
representative audience online. Their goal is to: (1)make project information easy to share,
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understand, and commenton; (2) and tohelp residents voice theiropinions; and (3)helping
developersstopmisinformationfrombeingcirculated.
Thetoolworksbygivingdevelopersaccesstoaself-serveplatformtocreateaproject
page,andalsoprovidesassistancebydrivingtraffictothepageviaemail,socialmedia,physical
signs,printmail,andotherservices.Theirflexibleplatformallowsforadifferentconfigurationof
servicesforengagementincludingcommunityforums,interactivemapping,SMStextmessaging
campaigns, surveying and polling, targeted emailing, sentimental analysis, civic engagement,
permitting and entitlement strategy, construction communication, social media and content
creation.Whilethetoolhasawiderangeofservicesthatitoffers,theprojectpagetemplateis
consistent across projects, allowing users to easily become familiar with the CoUrbanize
platform.
Figure1-CoUrbanizeProjectPageforKendallSquareatMITProject
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Each project page opens to a homepage that shows a slideshow of images including
renderings,siteplans,andcurrentconditions,alongwithinformationabouttheprojectandthe
developer.Here,participantscaneasilylearnwhattypeofprojectitisandwhatthedevelopment
includes (usesandscale).Options to “commentonthispage,” “follow,”or “share” theproject
pagearealsoprovided.Thisinformation(Figure1)remainsatthetopofthepageasparticipants
exploretherestoftheprojectwebsite.Belowthistitlesection,developershavetheoptionto
choose the type of information tabs they want to include such as info, updates, timelines,
comments,FAQs,andotherpagetypes.Thesetabsworkasawaytoorganizetheinformation
thedeveloperdeemsimportanttoshare,withoutmakingthepagetoocluttered. Theinfotab
can include more detailed information about the project such as the reasons for the
development,howitwillaffectthecommunity,wheretheprojectcurrently is intheprocess,
whoisinvolvedintheproject(architects,consultants,etc.),mapsoftheprojectarea,plansand
documents,andanythingelsethatdoesn’tfitintootherinformationtabs.
The info tab is the most likely to become content heavy, but is arguably the most
important tab for theprojectpageas it is the firstoneparticipantswill see.Thus, itmustbe
structured well to introduce the participant to the project and make them interested in
continuingtousethetool,ratherthanoverwhelmingthem.Theupdatestabworkssimilartoa
blogformat,allowingdeveloperstocreateshortpoststhatshowthepageisbeingupdatedwith
informationregularly.Thetimelinetabprovidesaglimpseatimportantmilestonesfortheproject
inthepastandfuture,includingeventsthatparticipantscouldattendsuchaspublichearingsor
communitymeetings.Thetimelineisformattedinawaythatthemostrecenteventsareplaced
atthetopofthetabandparticipantscanscrolldowntoseeeventsthathaveoccurred.TheFAQ
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tab allows for developers to anticipate or respond to commonly asked questions about the
projectandmaketheirstanceontheprojectclear.
TheprocessforpublicparticipationonCoUrbanizeishandledthroughthecommentstab
where thedeveloperhas theoption tocreateapollor survey thatwillallowthemtocollect
specificinformation.Thesurveystructureisflexibleallowingforopen-endedormultiple-choice
questions.Oftenthesesurveyswillaskonaveragefourtargetedquestionsinordertokeepthe
Figure2-CoUrbanizeCommentsTabforKendallSquareatMITProject
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survey short and increase the likelihood of participants completing it. Below the survey,
participantshaveanoptiontopostacommentonamessageboard,whichisviewabletothe
public.Eachpost includestheparticipantsname,thedatetheypostedthecomment,andthe
optionsto“support,”“flag,”or“share.” Supportingthecommentissimilarto“liking”aposton
Facebook, indicating that other participants on the page support the comment that is being
made. Flagging the post allows participants to report the comment if they think it is
inappropriate. Sharing the post gives the participant a link to share it to other socialmedia
platformssuchasFacebook,Twitter,Googleplus,oremail.Bothparticipantsandthedeveloper
areable tocommentonapost,allowing fora two-wayconversation (figure2).Posts canbe
sortedbynewestorbypopularity,whichbringspoststhathavebeensupportedthemosttothe
top.
Inordertoparticipateinthesurvey,postacomment,commentonposts,orflagposts,
participantsmustbeloggedintoCoUrbanize.Ifyouarenotlogged-in,youwillbepromptedto
loginormakeanaccount.Asign-upscreenwillpopupgivingtheparticipanttheoptiontosign
upwithFacebook,Googleplus,oremail.DoingthisprovidesCoUrbanizewithyourfirstandlast
nameandyouremail.Whenfillingouttheinformation,thereisapromptthatreads“Fullfirstor
lastnamerequired.Pleaseuseyourrealname:)”.Ifaparticipantdoesnotwishtousetheirlast
name, theyhavetheoption touse their last initial instead.While the firstand lastnameare
required,participantsalsohavetheoptiontoaddaprofilepicturethatisvisibletoanyone,as
wellastheirzipcodewhichisnotvisible.Byaddingazipcode,participantscanoptintogetting
notificationsaboutnewnearbyprojectsthatcreateaCoUrbanizeprojectpage.
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Critique
CoUrbanizehasseveralstrengthsthatmakeitasuccessfulplatformforengagement:thebiggest
strengthbeingthatneitherCoUrbanizestaff,northedeveloperscreatingtheprojectpage,can
hidepostsonthecommentstab.Theyreportthatthey“neverhide,edit,ordeletecomments
thatcomplywithguidelines,and[won’t]messwiththeirpopularityranking.”Thismeansthat
commentsthathaveanegativeattitudetowardstheprojectcannotberemovedorhiddenatthe
bottomofamessageboard,makingitappeartrustworthytocommunityparticipants.Thetool
alsoincorporatesseveralcapabilities,suchasincludingtheGoogletranslateintegrationthatgive
a choice of 18 languages; using Mapbox for information map graphics (widely used among
websitesmakingitfamiliartoparticipants);andoptimizingtheplatformtobeviewedonmobile
devicesandothersmallscreens.Byensuringthatparticipantscanaccessthetooleasilyandview
the information inwaysthatarefamiliartothem,thetoolcanbeverysuccessful inreaching
moreparticipants.Thetool’ssimplifiedlayoutforallprojectsalsomakesitsuccessfulasatool
that participants can become comfortablewith using, perhaps increasing theirwillingness to
participateinotherprojectsthatuseCoUrbanize.
However,thereisdebateamongthoseintheengagementtechnologyfieldthathavingto
log-on toawebsite toparticipate,especially to leavepubliccomments,willdiscouragemany
fromdoingso.Forprojectsthatarehighlycontested,membersofthecommunitymightnotwant
otherstoknowtheiropinions,orwanttopostonamessageboardwheretheircommentscan
betrackedbacktothem.Inordertoensurethatmessagesaren’tspam,andtobettercollectdata
onwhoisparticipating,requiringparticipantstolog-inorprovidebasicinformationcanhelpthe
developertoknowwhoisinvolved,andwhoisn’t,sotheycanbetterengagetheiraudience.For
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thesakeofthisresearch,havingtolog-intoatoolwillbeconsideredaweaknessofthetool,
whereasonlyhavingtoprovideyournameorotherbasicinformationaspartofasurveywillnot.
Thisistoaccountfortoolsthatcreatebarrierstoparticipation,whicharedeemedlesssuccessful
forcommunityengagement.
CoUrbanizealsohasacoupleofotherlimitingfactorsintheirtooldesign,includingthe
projectpagestandardizedtemplate.Havingastandardtemplatethatallprojectpagesmustuse
ishelpfultobecomefamiliarwiththeplatform;however,itlimitsthetypeofprojectsthatthis
tool can accommodate, specifically in its community engagement capabilities.With only two
optionstoengagethepublic,abriefsurveyorviacomments,thetypeofengagementthatcan
bedone is seriously limited.Communitymembersmaybe less inclinedtouseaproduct that
allows them very little opportunity to engage and therefore may only use the tool for
information,nottoprovideinput.Thereisclearlyabalanceneededbetweenthetool’splatform
beingfamiliartoallusersandallowingforcustomizationsothatdevelopersandplannerscanuse
thetooltobestfittheengagementprocess.Toolsthatlimitcustomizationfortheirengagement
strategies,forthisresearch,willbeconsideredaslesseffectiveforthesereasons.
CoUrbanizestates that theirpartnersare“buildingbetterprojects faster”byusingthe
platform,andasanengagementtool it issuccessful insharinginformationandrespondingto
questionsorconcernsfasterandforlessmoneythantheywouldattraditionalmeeting.Thecost
for CoUrbanize varies from$1,500-$75,000 per project, based on the type of support that a
projectwillneed,suchasadvertising,analysis,andstrategyplanning.Asacompany,CoUrbanize
seemstobeverysuccessfulinreachingcommunitiesforthesedevelopmentprojectsandhelping
developerstonavigatethesecommunityengagementprocesses.Butthetoolseemstobedoing
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onlythat,helpingdeveloperstomoreeasilyhaveacommunityengagementprocessusedfor
projectframing.Sowhilethetooliswelldesignedandhasgreatfeatures,itscapabilitieswhenit
comestodeepeningcommunityengagementthroughthedesignofengagementopportunities
arelacking.Insteadofhavingmultiplewaysforthecommunitytoprovidefeedback,thetoolis
more successful at providing information. That isn’t to say that CoUrbanize shouldn’t be
consideredforuseinthecommunityengagementprocess,asitcoulddowellasonetoolina
toolkitusedduringtheprocess.Butintermsofcollectingmeaningfulcommunityfeedback,this
toolisn’tassuccessful.
MetroQuest
MetroQuestisapublicengagementsoftwaretoolthatworkstomaximizethenumberandspan
of participants, and collect informed and actionable public input. The tool is different from
CoUrbanizeinthatinsteadofbuildingaprojectpagetoshareinformation,MetroQuestworksas
anonlinesurveycollectingtargetedinformationtobeusedinthedevelopmentofaproject.The
platform is targeted for planning and government agencies to use during community
engagementprocesses.MetroQuesthasbeenusedbymanylargeagenciesandconsultingfirms
acrossthecountry,makingitoneoftheleadingonlineengagementtoolsonthemarket.
MetroQuest was developed from a large, interdisciplinary research project at the
UniversityofBritishColumbiathathadbeenintendedtoservetwofunctions:“leverageback-
casting to help foster understanding of the sustainability of regional growth, and provide a
vehicleforresearchingtheeffectivenessandutilityofsuchtoolsandtechniques.”20Sincethen,
20Walsh,M.,&Burch,S.(2012).Communitiesatthecrossroads:Usingmetroquesttohelpcommunitiescreateconsensusaroundavisionofthefuture.InL.Bazzanella,etal.(Eds.),TheFutureofcitiesandregions(pp.45– 64).Dordrecht:SpringerNetherlands.
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MetroQuesthasbeencommercializedbyEnvisionSustainabilityTools.FoundedbyDaveBiggs
andMikeWalsh,membersof theoriginal research team, toaddress theneedsofurbanand
regionalplannersindevelopinglong-rangeplans,MetroQuesthasbeendesignedtoeducateand
engage stakeholders, helping them to grapple with the complexities of thinking about
sustainabilityinthecontextofaregion,andthenmotivatingthemtogetinvolvedintheplanning
process.Whilethetooliscertainlystillusefulinlong-rangeplanning,ithasevolvedtodoingall
sortsofplanningprojects.
AllMetroQuestprojectsworkthesame.Aplannerwill
usetheMetroQuestdashboardtoset-upanengagementsite
and launch it to the public. The dashboard is then used to
watchdatacomein,aswellastoanalyzeandreportonallthe
public input. From the participants’ view, MetroQuest is a
project survey that contains a series of four to five
standardized screens that guide the participant through the
processoflearningabouttheprojectandprovidinginput.The
plannerhasawiderangeofscreentypestochoosefromthat
canbeeasilymixedandmatchedtosuittheengagementneed
of the development project. Figure 3 shows a list of all the
standardized screens that can be combined tomake up the
survey.
Figure3-ListofMetroQuestScreenOptions
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Figure4-MetroQuestProjectPage,SouthernAllegheniesBikeandPedPlan
Each project survey starts with a “Welcome” screen that opens to a window asking
participantstotakeamomenttorespondtothesurvey(Figure4).Thewelcomescreencould
include details such as the title of the project, the agency sponsoring the survey, basic
informationabout theproject,orwhy theyareasking for surveydata.At the top righthand
corner,aprogressbarindicateshowfaralongtheyareintakingthesurvey.Atthebottomleftof
eachscreenthereisa“?”button,thatwhenclickedbringsupapop-upscreenthatincludes:a
helptabexplaining“whatshouldIdo?”“whenismyinputcollected?”and“whathappenstomy
input?”;aprivacytabthatexplainsMetroQuest’sprivacypolicy;andanaboutMetroQuesttab,
whichgivesinformationaboutthetool.Thesetabsarealsolocatedrightbelowthesurveyscreen
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astextoptions.Ontherightofthescreentherearefourbuttonsthatallowparticipantstoshare
thesurveyviaFacebook,Twitter,email,orShareThis.
Tocontinuefromthewelcomescreentothenextscreenonthesurvey,theparticipant
mustclickonthesecondverticalbarontheright,whichwillsaythenameofthenextscreen,
suchas“standardsurvey”or“mapmarkers.”Theyalsocanclickonthebuttonintherightupper
handcornerthatsays“nexttask.”Eachtimeanewscreenisopened,adialogueboxwillopento
explainwhattheparticipantshoulddoonthatscreen.Iftheparticipantneedsareminderofwhat
todooneachpage,thereisa“?whattodo”buttonnexttothetaskbuttonthatwillreopenthe
initialdialogueboxforthatscreen.Attheendofeachprojectsurveytherewillbeeithera“final
questions”,“stayinvolved”,or“wrapupscreen”whichwilldenotetheendofthesurveyandthank
theparticipantfortheirtime.Whileparticipantsarenotrequiredtosign-in,thewrap-upscreen
allowsforthecollectionofdemographicinformationandcanaskforname,age,gender,email,
andiftheywouldliketostayinvolvedviaemail.
Critique
While theMetroQuest platform is static in that itwill always have four to five standardized
screens,thetoolishighlycustomizableforspecifictypesofengagementprojects.Thefourteen
differentscreentypesallowforplannerstogetveryspecificdatafromthecommunityinaway
thatiseasytoanalyzeandreporton.Thismakesthetoolveryfeaturerich,givingplannersthe
flexibilitytousethetoolatdifferentstagesoftheplanningprocess.Forexample,plannerscould
usethemapmarkerandprojectselectiontoolatthebeginningoftheprojectdevelopmentto
decideonwhatkindofprojecttodoandwhereitshouldbe.Thenlater,theycanhaveanother
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MetroQuestsurveyforvisualpreference,budgetallocation,andimageratingtodecidewhatthe
projectshouldlooklikeandhowmuchitshouldcost.
MetroQuest also has written several blog posts and their CEO Dave Biggs gives
informationproductmarketingtalksoften,puttingthemaheadofthecurveonthebestpractices
fortooluse.Theseresourceshelpplannerstomakethemostofthetool,guidingtheminbuilding
asuccessfulsurvey.Aspartof theproductpackage,plannersreceive ITsupportandtraining.
MetroQuest claims that they have tools and techniques to identify and helpmitigate ballot
stuffing in order to protect the integrity of the data results.While the visual appearance of
MetroQuestisclearlydatedcomparedtoothermodernengagementtools,thetoolalwayslooks
thesameacrossdifferentprojects,makingtheparticipantfamiliarwiththetool.
In addition to the outdated appearance of the platform, MetroQuest also has the
disadvantageofnotbeingabletobeembeddedintoaprojectpage.Thismeansthatinorderto
find the survey, onemust have the link or follow the link from the projectwebsite possibly
resultinginparticipantsnotseeingitrightaway,ormissingitentirelyiftheprojectwebsiteis
poorlydesignedornotadvertisedwell.Thetoolalsohasnosocialcomponent,asitissolelyfor
datacollection.Ifaparticipanthasaquestionabouttheproject,theycouldnotuseMetroQuest
toaskthatquestionortogetananswertoit.Thecommunityingeneralwillhavenoideaifthe
surveyisbeingwellused,orhowothersintheircommunityareresponding.Thisfactormakesit
crucialthatMetroQuestbeusedinconjunctionwithin-personmeetings,sothatthecommunity
canstillaskquestionsandbeabletoknowwhatothersarethinking.
MetroQuest makes it very easy for planners to provide information and to collect
meaningful data to be used in the planning process. The company hasworked hard to give
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plannerstheresourcestheyneedtocreatesuccessfulsurveys,whilesharingbestpracticesand
providingsupport.Thetoolhasalsobeenconsideredtobeacostsavingstoagencies.At$4,000
permonth,withoptionsforadiscountonvolumepricing,thecostwhenconsideringthenumber
ofparticipantscanbesignificantlylowerthanthecostofin-personengagement.TheNashville
MetroPlanningCommissionfoundthatthecostoftheircomprehensiveplanningprojectusing
MetroQuestwas$3perparticipant,comparedto$47perparticipantforin-personengagement
events21. The tool seems tohaveanexcellentbalanceof customization,allowingplanners to
createasurveythatfitstheirengagementprocess,whilealsoremainingfamiliartoparticipants
acrossdifferentprojects.As it isalreadywidelyused,MetroQuest isavery successful tool in
improving community engagement processes. However, additional research on just how
successfultheprojectstendtobe,especiallyinknowingtheaudiencesthattheyreach,andif
thoseaudiencesarewellrepresentedbyallgroupsinthecommunity,wouldimproveanalysisof
theirproduct.
EngagingPlans
Partof theUrban InteractiveStudio (UIS) thatspecializes inpublicengagementsoftwareand
consulting for public administration, planning, architecture, and engineering firms,
EngagingPlansisanonlineengagementtoolthatprovidesinteractiveprojectwebsitepagesto
help project teams effectively reach communities, share news and updates, and gather
community input through a range of services. The platform allows for planners to create
customizableprojectwebsites thatcan includevarious tools to share informationandcollect
21MetroQuest,NashvilleWinsanAPADanielBurnhamAward
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databasedonthedesignofthecommunityengagementprocess.Theyhaveabroadrangeof
clients, includingpublicandprivatesectors,duetothetool’scustomizationabilityofthetool
thatmakesitusefulforanytypeofprojectincorporatingpublicinvolvement.UISisaDenver-
based cross-disciplinary team of planners, designers, andweb developers. Its founder, Chris
Haller,hasbeeninvolvedinfacilitatingstakeholderengagementsince2002andhasaneducation
backgroundincityandregionalplanning.22
EngagingPlansisatooltargetedforplanningagenciesthatdon’thavethestaffcapacity
to build a projectwebsite. It is similar to other commonwebsite creation software, such as
WordPress or Squarespace, except that is specifically designed for projects that involve
communityengagement.
No two project websites on EngagingPlans look the same, as they are completely
customizable.ByusingEngagingPlans,plannershaveaccesstotheEngagingPlansAppSuiteof
intuitivetoolsdesignedtomakecomplexinformationeasilyaccessibletocitizens,givingthem
powerastheyexplore informationandprovidefeedbackonprojects.Forsharing information
there are features such as new updates, event timelines, document libraries, FAQs, email
subscriptions,socialmedialinks,andimagegallery.Tocollect input,plannerscandeployidea
walls, discussion& comment sections, surveys, polls and instant results, anddraft document
review. EngagingPlans also offers tools to curate and evaluate data by using content
management systems, report builders and data exports, comment moderation options, and
spamfilters.Becauseofthiscompletecustomizability,itcanbeverydifficulttoanalyzewhether
EngagingPlanscanbeaneffectivetoolforeverycase.
22ChrisHaller,LinkedIn.com
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Critique
As the platform is highly flexible to fit the needs of the project, the tool is built around the
engagementprocess,ratherthanmakingtheengagementprocessfitthetool.Inordertodothis
however,plannersmustknowexactlywhattheywant,whichmaybedifficultiftheyaregiven
toomany choices. EngagingPlans does offer IT support and training, therefore they canhelp
clientsbuildtheirprojectwebsitesbasedonbestpracticesforwebsitedesign.Thishelpstomake
projectpagesmorevisuallyappealing.Thetoolisalsohighlyfeature-rich,withmapsandsurveys
offeringmanydifferent topics for the typesofdata thatcanbecollected.However,with too
manyoptions,websitescanbecomeoverwhelmingfortheparticipantmakingthemunsureof
wheretostarttolookforinformation.
OneexampleofthisistheprojectfortheDowntownMasterPlanforToledo,Ohio23.The
homepageforthisprojecthasagridofposts,allcontainingdifferenttypesofinformationthat
donotseemtobearrangedinanysortoforder.Thewebsitealsohastabsatthetopofthepage
indicatingsectionsforhome,project,team,events,participate,gallery,andcontactus.However,
asparticipantshoverovereachlinktothattab,adropdownmenuappearsforevenmorepages
thatmust be selected to find information. All these choices, and the seemingly unorganized
nature of this website, are not appealing to community members who may become
overwhelmedbyalltheinformationandfrustratedwhentheycan’tmakesenseofit.
Somepagesarewellorganizedthough,suchastheFacilityMasterPlanfortheDenver
Zoo24. This project website is a single page, and as participants scroll down they start to
23http://downtowntoledoplan.com24http://denverzoomasterplan.org/facility-master-plan-community-feedback
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understandwhattheprojectis,whyitisimportant,andhowthecommunitycanhelp.Thepage
includes photos and graphics that are eye catching to break up large amounts of text. As
participantsscrollthroughthepagetheyarenotoverwhelmedwithinformation,butinsteadfind
sectionsthataremucheasiertodigest.Attheend,thereisabriefsurveythatasksparticipants
torankfiveprioritychoicesandthenasksfortheparticipant’szipcodewithanoptiontoinclude
their name and email. This project pages shows the importance of process design and how
informationissharedinordertocapturetheattentionofanaudience.
Anotherweakness toEngagingPlans is thatplannersareable tomoderate comments,
givingthemtheoptiontoproactivelyreviewandapprovecommentsbeforetheyareliveonthe
site. If planners prevent negative comments fromgetting onto the site, it can lead to public
mistrust if the public believes their comments are being censured. This practice is generally
frowneduponforonlineengagementtoolsbecause itcreatesamajorbarrierbetweenthose
runningtheengagementprocessandthosewhoareparticipating.Thisisnotthestandardsetting
forcommentpageshowever,so it is theresponsibilityoftheplannerordevelopertochoose
whethertousethisoptionornot.
EngagingPlans iscertainlyusefulasanengagementtoolas it increases thecapacityof
agencies unable to create effective project websites, and it has the ability to include
opportunitiesthatallowforthecommunitytoparticipate.However,asatoolitdoesnotalways
encourageengagement,andsomeprojectsdon’t includeopportunitiesforengagementatall.
Thistoolcanbeusedbyagenciesthatknowthetypeoftoolsthattheywishtouse,butareunable
tocreatethewebsitethemselves.However, itmaynotbethebesttool foragenciesthatare
unclearonhowtostartanonlineengagementprocess.
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UserGuideDevelopment–CatalogueofOnlineEngagementTools
These three tools,CoUrbanize,MetroQuest,andEngagingPlans,werealldevelopedasonline
engagement tools that share importantproject informationaswell as encourage community
participation. However, the three tools have very different functionalities giving them very
differentstrengths,weaknesses,andeffectivenessincommunityengagement.WhileCoUrbanize
offers a standard format that allows for familiarity along community projects and provides
coherentprojectinformation,itlacksin-depthcommunityengagementandmaybemoreuseful
for project framing. MetroQuest has a highly customizable platform that remains within a
standard framework and has excellent data collection capabilities, yet the appearance is
outdated and it cannot stand alone in a community engagement process. EngagingPlans
increases an agency’s capacity to build project websites, yet the highly customizable nature
makesitatoolnotrecommendedforagenciesthatneedmoreguidanceinonlineengagement
opportunities.This isnottosaythatanyofthesetoolsarebadornotrecommendedforuse.
Ratheritsupportstheargumentthatofalltheonlineengagementtoolsthatexist,eachhasvery
differentcapabilitiesthatplannersshouldunderstandbeforeselectingone.
Theconclusionsfromthesecasestudiessupportthreeimportantareastoconsiderwhen
analyzingalltheengagementtoolsforthisproject’suserguide:
1. Customization and standardizationmust bewell balanced, as they have trade-offs to
successfulandcontinuousengagementamongcommunities.Standardizationwillallow
participantstobefamiliarwiththetoolsinfutureprojects,makingthemmorelikelyto
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participate;however,customizationallowsforagenciestodesignthetoolsaroundthe
engagementprocess,ratherthanmakingtheengagementfitthetool.
2. Engagementopportunitiesareasimportantasproject information.Aprojectpagecan
havealotofgreatinformationtoframeaproject,butifitmissesopportunitiesforthe
communitytogivefeedbackandotherwisebeengagedwiththeproject,thenit isnot
successfulasanonlineengagementtool.
3. Navigation and appearance of a toolmust bewell designed in order to engagewith
participants and not create barriers to participation. Tools that are unorganized, text
heavy, or are difficult to navigate will prevent participants from using the site and
discouragethemfromgettinginvolvedintheproject.
ThesethreepointswillbeconsideredinthemethodologyofanalysisfortheUserGuideofOnline
EngagementTools.Byanalyzingseveral importantaspectsoftooldevelopmentandproviding
themtoagencies,theuserguidewillaidthoseintendingtouseengagementtoolstofindtheone
thatbestfitstheircommunityengagementprocessneeds.
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ReferencesAfzalan,N.,Sanchez,T.,Evans-Cowley,J.(2017).CreatingSmarterCities:
ConsiderationsforSelectingOnlineParticipatoryTools,Cities,67,21-30.Afzalan,N.Participatoryplanmaking:Whetherandhowonlineparticipatorytoolsare
useful.UniversityofColoradoDenver(2015).Attygalle,Lisa.Forward:Howtechnologyimprovescommunityengagement.Engage!
2015.Pages39-43Biggs,Dave.HowMuchDoesItCosttoEngageaCitizen.MetroQuest.com.2016.Claride,Tristan.DefinitionsofSocialCapital.” SocialCapitalResearch.OnlineBlogPost.
January7,2004.DhavanShah,MichaelSchmierbach,JoshuaHawkins.NonrecursiveModelsofInternet
UseandCommunityEngagement:QuestioningWhetherTimeSpentOnlineErodesSocialCapital.1December,2002.SageJournals.Vol79,Issue4,Page.
Huysman,MarleenandWulf,Volker.SocialCapitalandInformationTechnology.TheMITPress.2004.
Locantore,Jill.EngagementTechnologyForAll:BestPracticesforUsingTechnologyinEngagingUnderrepresentedCommunitiesinPlanning.Placematters.org.February2014.
OpenPlansandLivingCities,FieldScanofCivicTechnology.2012.Pathi,Krutika.CreatingaBetterCommunityThroughTextMessages.Citylab,14June
2017.Porter,DouglasR.BreakingtheDevelopmentLogjam:NewStrategiesforBuilding
CommunitySupport.ULI–theUrbanLandInstitute.June2006.Print.Raynes-Goldie,Kate,andLukeWalker.“OurSpace:OnlineCivicEngagementToolsfor
Youth."CivicLifeOnline:LearningHowDigitalMediaCanEngageYouth.EditedbyW. Lance Bennett. The John D. and Catherine T.MacArthur Foundation Series onDigital Media and Learning. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2008. 161–188. doi:10.1162/dmal.9780262524827.161.
Smith,Aaron.RecordsharesofAmericansnowownsmartphones,havehomebroadband.PewResearchCenter.2017
Walsh,M.,&Burch,S.(2012).Communitiesatthecrossroads:Usingmetroquesttohelpcommunities create consensus around a vision of the future. In L. Bazzanella, et al.(Eds.),TheFutureofcitiesandregions(pp.45–64).Dordrecht:SpringerNetherlands.
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UserGuideofOnlineCommunityEngagementTools
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Introduction
This User Guide for Online Community Engagement Tools has been developed for
practitioners hoping to utilize these tools to enhance their community engagement
processes. The following sections outline the terms and methodology categories that
were used to describe and organize the tools.
There are five groups of tools: surveys, website builders, budget simulators,
message boards, and mappings. Each grouping contains a chart for each tool that
outlines the analysis of that tool. It is recommended that practioners take time to think
about the type of information they hope to gather through the community engagement
process and then decide the type of tool that will best help them collect that information.
This analysis emphasizes opportunities for engagement, and therefore tools were
selected based on the quality of their engagement abilities. Each tool has different
strengths and weaknesses that should be considered when deciding among them.
Practioners should also consider the best practices outlined in the research that
accompanies this user guide.
Terms
Developer:Thedeveloperoftheonlineengagementtool
OnlineEngagementTool:ASaaSproduct(softwareasaservice)thatisviewableontheinternet,
helpsagenciescollaboratewiththepublic inaplanningprocess,andenablesmembersofthe
publictoparticipateintheonlineplatform.
Participant:Memberofthecommunitythatwillengagewiththeonlineengagementtool
User:PlannerorStaffMemberwhoisdeployingtheonlineengagementtool
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MethodologyCategories
Thefollowingtableoutlinesthecriteriathatwillbeusedtoassesseachtool.Thetoolswillthen
besortedintodifferentgroupingsbasedontheiruses(survey,websitebuilder,etc).Thisprocess
willallowforuserstoeasilyfollowtheguidetochoosethegroupoftoolstheyneedfortheir
engagementprocess,andthenpickthebesttoolfortheirneeds.Thefollowingsectionsoutline
eachoftheanalysisprovidedforeachcategory.
Metric Analysis
Use/Purpose BriefOne-SentenceDescriptionInteraction/EngagementOpportunities
Quantitativelist/descriptionofopportunities(survey,poll,etc.)
Appearance/Organization Ranking(GraphicHeavy,EqualMix,TextHeavy)UserSet-up Ranking(Standardized,EqualMix,Customizable)Relevance/UpdatedInformation Measureoftime(daily,weekly,monthly,etc.)SupportsMultipleLanguages Yes/No-Number/listoflanguagessupportedStrengths QuantitativelistWeaknesses QuantitativelistCosts DollarValueAvailableITSupport Yes/No - Type/CostsassociatedTraining Yes/No - Type/CostsassociatedUse/Purpose
Aconciseone-sentencedescriptionofthetool’smainpurposeisprovidedtoallowtheuserto
easilyunderstandhowitshouldbeusedandwhatitscapabilitiesare.Forexample,thesentence
willincludethetypeofplatformthetooluses(website,survey,mapping,messageboard)and
explainthemissionofthetool,suchastomaximizeparticipants,collectinformation,createdata
graphics, etc. This sentence is based on the tool’smission and vision statements,marketing
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information,andthroughanalyzingthestrengthsandweaknessesofthetool.Thiscategoryis
listedfirstsothatuserscaneasilydetermineifthistoolshouldbeconsideredfurther.
Interaction/EngagementOpportunities
Interactionandengagementopportunitieswillconsiderthenumberandbreadthofengagement
opportunities.Itwillincludealistordescriptionofeachwaythatparticipantscanengagewith
theprojectthroughthetool,aswellasgivefeedbackthroughdatacollectionandanalysis.
Appearance/Organization
Basedonbestpracticesfordevelopmentofonlineengagementtools,successfultoolshavemore
graphics than text in order to better engage with participants. This category will use three
qualitativemeasurestoassesthetools:“GraphicHeavy,EqualMixofgraphicsandtext,orText
Heavy.”Toolsthataregraphicheavywillberankedhigher,followedbyequalmix,andthentext
heavy.
UserSet-up
This category will consider whether the tool uses a more standardized platform, a more
customizableplatform,oramixofboth.Thiswillnotaffecttherankingofthetool,asitisupto
theusertodeterminewhethertheywantatoolthatismorestandardizedorcustomizable,based
onthetrade-offsthatareconsideredinbestpracticesforonlineengagementtooldevelopment.
Ifnecessary,usersetupwillbeexplainedfurtherineitherthestrengthsorweaknessescategory.
SupportMultipleLanguages
Thiscategorywilleitheransweryesorno,andifknown,willincludethenumberoflanguages
thatareavailableforeachtoolaswellasthetranslationplug-inavailable(Googletranslate,etc.)
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StrengthsandWeaknesses
Thesetwocategorieswillcontainalistofthemostimportantstrengthsandweaknessesofeach
tool. This category will allow for an explanation of the ease of navigation,
interaction/engagement opportunities, appearance/organization, and relevance/updated
informationcategories.Thissectionwillnotcontributetotherankingofeachtool,butwillgive
furtherdetailontheuseofthetool.
Costs
Quantitativedataonthecostofthetool,andifavailable,whatisincludedinthatcost.
AvailableITSupport
Yesornoanswerand,ifavailable,furtherdetailonwhatisincluded.
Training
Yesornoanswerand,ifavailable,furtherdetailonwhatisincluded.
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TableofContentsfortheToolsSurveyTools......................................................................................................................................43
MetroQuest................................................................................................................................................43
AllOurIdeas...............................................................................................................................................44
InteractiveText..........................................................................................................................................45
Codigital.....................................................................................................................................................46
WebsiteBuildingTools.....................................................................................................................47
CoUrbanize.................................................................................................................................................47
Neighborland..............................................................................................................................................48
BangtheTable/EngagementHQ................................................................................................................49
EngagingPlans.............................................................................................................................................50
CitizenSpace..............................................................................................................................................51
Crowdbrite.................................................................................................................................................52
Participate.Online.......................................................................................................................................53
Wejit...........................................................................................................................................................54
BudgetSimulatorTools....................................................................................................................55
BudgetSimulator........................................................................................................................................55
CitizenBudget............................................................................................................................................56
MessageBoardTools........................................................................................................................57
DialogueApp...............................................................................................................................................57
MindMixer..................................................................................................................................................58
Loomio.......................................................................................................................................................59
Zilino...........................................................................................................................................................60
MappingTools..................................................................................................................................61
Maptionnaire.............................................................................................................................................61
SocialPinPoint...........................................................................................................................................62
CommonPlace...........................................................................................................................................63
CommunityRemarks..................................................................................................................................64
PlaceSpeak.................................................................................................................................................65
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SurveyToolsThe following toolsareused to create surveysorpolls thatwill beused to collectdata from
participants.Otherpopularsurveytoolsthatarenotincludedinthisguideincludewebsitessuch
asSurveyMonkeyandQualtrics.
MetroQuest Analysis
Use/Purpose Publicinvolvementsoftwarethatenablesuserstomaximizethenumberandbreadthofparticipants,collectinformedandactionablepublicinput,andbuildgreatercommunitysupportthroughinteractivesurveys.
Interaction/EngagementOpportunities
Screens:welcome,wrapup,priorityranking,scenariorating,visualpreference,imagerating,mapmarker,projectselection,budgetallocation,fundingbalance,visionstatement,tradeoffs,strategyrating,standardsurvey
Appearance/Organization EqualMixUserSet-up EqualMixSupportsMultipleLanguages YesStrengths •Featurerich
•Nosign-inrequiredwithstillcollectingdemographicdata•Optimizedformobile/smallscreens
Weaknesses •Notaflexible,scalableprojectwebsitepublishingtool•Nosocialmediaintegration
Costs $4,000/month($12,000per3-monthproject)Discountforvolumepricing(ex.6projects$40,000)
AvailableITSupport YesTraining Yes,ProvidesGuideBookExample http://metroquest.com/how-it-works/
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AllOurIdeas Analysis
Use/Purpose Createsa"wikisurvey"websitetoallowforparticipantstovoteonideasandaddtheirown.Thetooleasilycollectsthedata,transparenttotheparticipants,andallowsforuserstointegratetheresultsintotheplanningprocess
Interaction/EngagementOpportunities
Participantsvotebetweenchoicesonagiventopicandaddtheirownchoices.Choicesaremoderated,thenappearasachoiceforotherparticipantstovoteon.
Appearance/Organization TextHeavyUserSet-up StandardizedSupportsMultipleLanguages Yes-16Strengths •Participantscanaddtheirownchoices
•Simpletosetup,andsimpletouse•Participantscanseetheresultsinstantly
Weaknesses •Noinclusionorwrap-upinformationwhichcouldleaveparticipantsuncertainofthenextsteps•Verylittledescriptionofwhatisbeingdone/nocontext•Nocontroloverthesurveybecauseofthenatureofopenendedquestions/answers
Costs FreetouseAvailableITSupport N/ATraining N/AExample http://allourideas.org/planyc_example?guides=true
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InteractiveText Analysis
Use/Purpose Collectrepresentativefeedbacktobuildasharedvisionforthefutureorimproveexistingprocesses.Trackparticipantsovertime,soprogramscanimproveandgrow.Sendmessageswhenitcounts.Bite-sizededucationandreal-timeexercisesworkbetterforbusylives.Getpeoplesigneduponthespotandsendremindersbytext.Closethegapbetweeninterestandparticipation.
Interaction/EngagementOpportunities
Sendtextmessages,participantsrespondtothetextmessage
Appearance/Organization TextHeavyUserSet-up StandardizedSupportsMultipleLanguages N/AStrengths •Cancustomizetocollectthedataneededwithmultiple
questiontypes,built-inlogic,customareacodes,etc.•Canbeusedatanytime,duringmeetingsorbefore/after
Weaknesses •Doesnotcollectdemographicdataunlessthatisthequestionbeingasked
Costs NotPubliclyAvailableAvailableITSupport YesTraining YesExample https://www.textizen.com/welcome
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Codigital Analysis
Use/Purpose Askanopenquestionandhaveparticipantssubmitananswer,ortakeanexistinganswerandtrytoimproveitwithmodifications.
Interaction/EngagementOpportunities
Participantscanvoteonideas,editideas,oraddtheirownideas.Pairsofanswersareshowntoparticipantsandeachtimetheyareaskedtopicktheonetheyprefer,rankingthepreferenceofanswers.
Appearance/Organization TextHeavyUserSet-up StandardizedSupportsMultipleLanguages N/AStrengths •Allowsforparticipantstobeflexibleintheirresponses
(openendedanswers)•Simpleplatformthatiseasytonavigate•Prioritizesresponsesasparticipantsvote,makingiteasyfordataanalysisandincorporationintoplans
Weaknesses •Noprojectcontextorinformationgiventoexplainthepurposeofthesurveywithinthetool•Nocontroloverthesurveyasanswersareopenended•Textheavy•Noconclusionorwrap-upinformationincluded
Costs Freeforupto50participantswithoneprojectatatime.Corporateratesforunlimitedparticipantsandunlimitedprojectsarenotpubliclyavailable
AvailableITSupport N/ATraining N/AExample http://cd.codigital.com/p/planet
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WebsiteBuildingToolsThe following tools are used to create websites for community engagement projects. Other
popularwebsitebuildingtoolsthatarenotincludedinthisguideincludeSquarespace,Wix,and
Wordpress.
CoUrbanize Analysis
Use/Purpose Createsanonlinehomeforrealestatedevelopmentandcity/townplanningprojects.Userspostupdatesandhostonlineconversationsabouttheirplanswithparticipants
Interaction/EngagementOpportunities
Suggestions/Askquestionsincommentssection.Receiveresponsesfromtheprojectteam.“Support”optiononcomments;“Follow”optiontoreceiveprojectupdatesbyemail;Surveying/polling/interactivemapping;Timelineofproject/teamupdates;Socialmediaandcontentcreation
Appearance/Organization TextHeavyUserSet-up StandardizedSupportsMultipleLanguages Yes– 18languagessupportedStrengths • Nohidingofcomments fromprojectteam
• Maphaslayers/legends(niceMapboxintegration)• Optimizedformobile/smallscreens
Weaknesses • Noanonymity.Noprivatemessaging• Projectpageisnotconfigurable• Limitedeventfunctionality
Costs Variable($1,500-$75,000perproject)AvailableITSupport N/ATraining N/AExample https://courbanize.com/projects/theladybird/information
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Neighborland Analysis
Use/Purpose Designedtohostprojectsonline,listentostakeholders,integrateonlineandofflineengagement,acceptdonations,conductsimplesurveys,andreportbackonimpact.Themissionistoempowerpeopletoshapethedevelopmentoftheirneighborhoods
Interaction/EngagementOpportunities
Surveys,ideation,upvoting,commenting,prioritizations,mapping,scenarios,donations
Appearance/Organization EqualMixUserSet-up EqualMixSupportsMultipleLanguages Yes-googletranslateStrengths •Featurerich(manydifferentwaysforengagement)
•Googleanalyticsintegrationforreporting•Compatibleonalldevicetypes•Template-basedlayoutoptionsthatmeetspecificprojectneeds
Weaknesses •Longscrollingpagescouldbecomeoverwhelmingwithtoomuchtext•Havetosign-in(optiontoallowanonymoususers)
Costs $1000+/monthAvailableITSupport AdditionalfeeTraining Helptextbuiltintoadminview,howtovideosavailableto
partnersarefree.HandsontraininghasadditionalfeeExample https://neighborland.com/stadiumneighborhoods/about
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BangtheTable/
EngagementHQ
Analysis
Use/Purpose UsestheEngagmentHQsuiteoftoolsfordesigningwebsitestocollectdataandreportinformation,andlistencitizens’totheconcernsofcitizens.Usedbytowngovernmentstosharemultipleongoingprojectsinoneplaceandallowsfordifferentengagementstrategiesforeachproject.
Interaction/EngagementOpportunities
Engagementtoolsinclude:Mappingsurveying,"virtual"postitnotesforideas,surveys,forums,questions,guestbooks,andpollsInformationandreportingtoolsinclude:participantrelationshipmanagement,e-newsletters,socialplatforms,blogs,informationalwidgets,levelsofvisibility;datainsights,datasummaryreports,demographicbreakdown,commentanalysis,exportableformatsandcharts
Appearance/Organization EqualMixUserSet-up EqualMixSupportsMultipleLanguages Yes-cancreateseparatewebsitefordifferentlanguages,or
usethegoogletranslatewidgetStrengths •"Homepage"isverygraphicandeasytonavigate
•Eachprojectcanbetreateddifferently,withitsownwaystoengageorgiveinformation/updates•Projectpagesacrosstheboardarestandardized
Weaknesses •Requiressign-upinordertoparticipate;however,youdonothavetosharepersonaldetailswhenyouparticipate•Projectpagescanbeverytextheavy•Difficulttounderstandwaystoengageimmediately
Costs NotPubliclyAvailableAvailableITSupport YesTraining Yes
Example https://letstalk.niagarafalls.ca
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EngagingPlans Analysis
Use/Purpose PartoftheUrbanInteractiveStudio–allowsforprojectteamstobuildaprojectwebsitethatincludestoolsforsharinginformationandcollectingfeedback
Interaction/EngagementOpportunities
Sharinginformation(newsupdates,timeline,documentlibrary,FAQs,emailsubscription,imagegallery);collectinginput(ideawall,discussion&comments,surveys&polls,draftdocumentreview);evaluate(contentmanagementsystem,reportrebuild&dataexports,commentmoderationoptions,builtinSPAMfilter,helpdesk)
Appearance/Organization TextHeavyUserSet-up CustomizableSupportsMultipleLanguages Yes-GoogleTranslateStrengths •Highlyflexible
•Feature-richWeaknesses •Commentscanbehidden/moderated
•Nosociallayer•Noconsistencyamongprojects
Costs Variable:$1,000-$20,000/projectAvailableITSupport Yes–WebsupportonlyTraining Yes–$125/hourExample https://abc-zone.com
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CitizenSpace Analysis
Use/Purpose Anadaptablesystemforcreatingonlineconsultations.Manageallpublicinvolvementactivity,runonlineconsultationsandsurveys,andanalyzeandreportbackonfindings.Specificallydesignedwithgovernmentsforpublicsectoruse.(PartoftheDelibtoolset)
Interaction/EngagementOpportunities
Participantscansearchfordifferentconsultationprojectsandengagementactivityopportunitiesthatanorganizationhasgoingon.Thetoolcanconnecttootherengagementtoolsoruseabuilt-insurveyapplication.Theorganizationcanalsoshareimportantinformation,summarizeconsultationresults,andprovidedocumentsandcontextualinformation.
Appearance/Organization TextHeavyUserSet-up EqualMixSupportsMultipleLanguages YesStrengths •Keepsallengagementopportunitiesinonelocation-easyto
find•Canlinktoothertools,allowsformultiplewaysofengagement•Integratesdocuments,maps,andcontextualinformationeasily
Weaknesses •Limitedin-toolengagementopportunities-onlyoptiontocreatesurveys•Canbetextheavydependingonmanagementbyuser
Costs NotPubliclyAvailableAvailableITSupport YesTraining Yes-dedicatedsupportpersonforeachprojectExample https://www.citizenspace.com/info/tour
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Crowdbrite Analysis
Use/Purpose Communicateplans,buildcommunity,prioritizeinvestment,andinspireactionthroughmobilefriendly,onlinetoolsforcomprehensiveplanning,capitalimprovements,andothermajorprojects.Hastoolsforfivemajorplanningareas:informing,consulting,involving,collaborating,andempowering.
Interaction/EngagementOpportunities
Audio/video"welcomes"tocommunicatepurpose,goals,andobjective;visualsurveys;drag&dropideamap;idea/commentcards;progresstrackers;onlineopenhouse;documentreview;andfeedbackforms.Alsoprovidesresourcesforenhancingonsiteengagementoptionssuchastwitterpostcards,paperpolls,posterboards,workshopsupplies,mobilesurveys,kiosks,openhousehit,digitalworkshop/charrettekit,andsmarttables
Appearance/Organization EqualMixUserSet-up CustomizableSupportsMultipleLanguages N/AStrengths •Compellingwebsitedesignsthatfeaturegraphicswith
informationoverlays•Widerangeofengagementopportunitiestofitanystageoftheengagementprocess•Layoutamongprojectwebsitesremainsstandard•Strongmobileandsocialcomponents
Weaknesses •Projectwebsitescancontaintoomuchinformation•Engagementopportunitiesnotimmediatelyfeatured,moreimportancegiventoinformationthandatacollection•Successfuldeploymentoftooldependsonguidancefromthetooldeveloperteam
Costs NotPubliclyAvailableAvailableITSupport YesTraining N/AExample http://www.urbanforestsf.com
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Participate.Online Analysis
Use/Purpose Projectwebsitesdesignedtomimicapublicopenhouse-stylemeeting.Thewebsitesectionsaretopicfocusedasifparticipantswereatanin-personmeeting(tables,booths,boards,organizedaroundaroom).Participantscantakenotesastheyreadthroughtheinformationandthensubmitcomments.
Interaction/EngagementOpportunities
Surveysfordemographics,Commentsubmissions,onlineconversations,mappingcomments
Appearance/Organization EqualMixUserSet-up CustomizableSupportsMultipleLanguages YesStrengths •Flexibleintegrationwithothertoolssuchasmailchimp,
vimeo,andsuveygizmowithintheplatform•Don'tneedtologintoparticipate,veryeasytosubmitcomments•Usesgoogleanalyticstotrackdatacollected
Weaknesses •Highlycustomizableformatcanleadtotextheavyprojectwebsites•Websiteisformattedinthatyoureadthroughmanypagesofcontextbeforegettingtomakecomments(aplacetotakenotesisatbottomofeachpagehowever)•Limitedengagementopportunities
Costs $5000forsingleeventsAvailableITSupport YesTraining YesExample https://demo.participate.online
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Wejit Analysis
Use/Purpose Createaone-pagewebsitethatcollectsvotes,commentsandresults
Interaction/EngagementOpportunities
Participantscanrespondtothetopicbyselectingoneofthetopics(poll)orbywritinganopenendedanswer.
Appearance/Organization EqualMixUserSet-up StandardizedSupportsMultipleLanguages N/AStrengths •Onlyonepagewhichkeepstheprojectsimple
•Fivedifferentoptionsforthetypeofengagementtouse(openendedanswers,yesornowithjustification,multiplechoice,prioritization,orvoteforsuggestion)•Canaddimage,video,anddocumentstothepage
Weaknesses •Limitedtoonlyonetypeofengagementopportunityperproject•Lackofcustomization•Havetolog-intoparticipate
Costs FreeAvailableITSupport N/ATraining N/AExample http://www.mywejit.com/#!signin
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BudgetSimulatorToolsThefollowingtoolsareusedtocreatebudgetsimilationstocollectdataonhowparticipantsthink
budgetsshouldbebalancedforcommunityengagementprocesses.
BudgetSimulator Analysis
Use/Purpose Engagecitizenswithbudgetsandinspireinsightfulresponse.Adigitaltoolthatletspeopleexploreandconsiderthetrade-offsbetweendifferentcombinationsofpriorities.(PartoftheDelibtoolset)
Interaction/EngagementOpportunities
Participantsadjustslidersondifferentareasorthemes,seeingtheeffectonitemssuchaslikeoverallbudget,taxlevels,andconsequencesforservices.Usersarepresentedwithtotalbudgetandthencanadjustspendinginkeyareasuntilthey'resatisfiedwiththeoverallbalanceofallocations
Appearance/Organization TextHeavyUserSet-up EqualMixSupportsMultipleLanguages Yes(extrafeetoprovide)Strengths •Showshowbudgetscanaffectparticipantpersonallybased
ondemographicinformation(ex.Howthebudgetwillchangetheirpropertytaxrates)•Includespotentialconsequencestotheoverallprojectforeachchangetothebudget•Projectpagesacrosstheboardarestandardized,buteachprojectcanbecustomizedwithgraphics
Weaknesses •Maytakeawhiletosetupalltheinformation•Textheavywithahighreadingcomprehensionlevelneeded•Noteasilyembeddedintoprojectwebsite-needstoredirectparticipantstoaseparatewebsitetousethetool
Costs NotPubliclyAvailableAvailableITSupport YesTraining Yes-Providesaguideonlineandaccountmanagertohelp
withconfigurationExample https://www.budgetsimulator.com/info/tour
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CitizenBudget Analysis
Use/Purpose Interactiveplatformthatshowsthefinancialimpactsonbudgetofparticipants'choicesinrealtime,educatingthemaboutthetrade-offsandconstraintsfacedbymunicipalities
Interaction/EngagementOpportunities
Participantsmakebudgetchoices,answersurveyquestions,andmakecommentsonselectedtopics.Theyalsogetinformationaboutthetopics,andcanbelinkedbacktotheprojectwebsite/relativeprojectdocumentstohelpmaketheirdecisions.
Appearance/Organization EqualMixUserSet-up CustomizableSupportsMultipleLanguages YesStrengths •Canembedlinksandgraphicsintotooltolinkbackto
projectwebsite•Optiontocreateprintversionsofbudgetconsultationtoreachofflineresidents•Commentboxesandsurveyquestionsincludedwiththebudgetsliders
Weaknesses •Maytakeparticipantsawhiletoanswerallquestions•Customizationcancauseanoverwhelmingamountofinformationprovidedtoparticipants•Notvisuallyexciting
Costs NotPubliclyAvailableAvailableITSupport YesTraining Yes-dedicatedsupportpersonforeachprojectExample http://www.citizenbudget.com/index.html
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MessageBoardToolsThefollowingtoolsareusedtocreatemessageboardsforcommunityengagementprocesses
thatwillallowparticipantstohaveconversationswitheachotheraswellaswiththeusersofthe
tool.Socialmediasiteshavesimilarcapabilitiesasthesetools,howevertheyarenotincludedin
thisguide.
DialogueApp Analysis
Use/Purpose Solvepolicychallengeswithinputfromparticipantsthroughconstructiveconversationonline.Dialoguegivesusersanopportunitytoinvolvecommunitiesintheissuesthatmattertothem(PartoftheDelibtoolset)
Interaction/EngagementOpportunities
Participantscanaddcommentstotopicscreatedbytheuser,commentonotherparticipantsposts,andvoteoncomments.Usersareabletorespondtocommentsaswell
Appearance/Organization TextHeavyUserSet-up StandardizedSupportsMultipleLanguages YesStrengths •Verysimpleplatformthatiseasytouse
•Moderationformatkeepsconversationsontrackandencouragesproductiveengagement•Userdashboardgivesheadlinestatswithabilitytoexportdataeasily•Verysimpletoolsetupwithuser-friendlyadmintools
Weaknesses •Notvisuallyexciting,nographics•Lacksspacetoincludecontextaboutprojects
Costs NotPubliclyAvailableAvailableITSupport YesTraining Yes-dedicatedsupportpersonforeachprojectExample https://www.dialogue-app.com/info/tour
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MindMixer Analysis
Use/Purpose Createsaprojectwebsitethatallowsforusestoshareprojectinformationandreceivecommentsfromparticipantsondifferenttopics.
Interaction/EngagementOpportunities
Participantscanaddideasindifferenttopicsections,rateothersideas,commentonthoseideas,orsharethroughsocialmedia.
Appearance/Organization TextHeavyUserSet-up StandardizedSupportsMultipleLanguages Yes-GoogleTranslateStrengths •Hasdedicatedspacetoincludecontextabouttheproject
•Engagementopportunitiesarefoundeasilyandsimpletouse•Canchoosetoreceiveupdatesabouttheproject
Weaknesses •Limitedpublishingfunctionality•Havetosignintoparticipate•Limitedspaceforgraphics,makingittextheavyandoverwhelmingonsomeprojects
Costs •$3,000/annualfor1license•$5,000/annualfor5licenses
AvailableITSupport N/ATraining N/AExample https://www.mindmixer.com
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Loomio Analysis
Use/Purpose Appforcollaborativedecision-making.Empowersparticipantstocometogether,buildsharedunderstanding,andagreeonaclearcourseofaction.
Interaction/EngagementOpportunities
ParticipantsgatherintheLoomioapp,startadiscussionwhereeveryoneinthegroupcanparticipate,makeproposals,andthendecideandactbyagreeing,abstaining,disagreeing,orblockingtheproposal.Whenparticipantsselecttheirpositionstheycanalsoenterashortstatementtoexplainwhy,creatingasummaryofeveryone'sthoughts.Alsooptionsforpollingabouttopics.
Appearance/Organization TextHeavyUserSet-up StandardizedSupportsMultipleLanguages YesStrengths •Simpletouse
•Formatmakesdecisionmakingmoreefficient•Formattedwellformobileuseandintegrationwithothertools
Weaknesses •Mustuseemail,Google,orFacebookaccounttologin•Lacksspacetoincludecontextaboutprojects
Costs •Freeforcasualandcommunitygroups(onegroupatatime)•$19/monthforGoldsubscription•$99/monthforProsubscription
AvailableITSupport N/ATraining OnlineguideExample https://www.loomio.org/p/lGcs8zJ5?invitation_token=
3ccd3ef5fcc5b002a890
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Zilino Analysis
Use/Purpose Zilinoisaweb-basedsolutionforhostingadvancedgroupdialogues.Zilinoenablesfacilitatorsandothergroupprocesspractitionerstodesign,hostandmanagedeliberativeonlineforumsandothertypesofintentional,well-structured,well-facilitatedandoutcome-orientedparticipatoryprocesses.
Interaction/EngagementOpportunities
Moderateannouncementsandgroupupdates,resourcesharinganddocumentuploadforcollaborativelearning,whole-groupdiscussionincludingstructuretheming,small-groupdialogueandbreakoutsessionsincludingcollaborativenotetaking,pollingandvotingincludingrankorderingandrangevoting,storytellingandstorysharing
Appearance/Organization EqualMixUserSet-up EqualMixSupportsMultipleLanguages N/AStrengths •Incorporatesseveralwaysforengagementfocusedaround
theconversation•Projectpagesnotvisuallyexcitingandcanbecometextheavy
Weaknesses •Mustcreateanaccounttoaccessanypartofthetool•Cannotbeembeddedintoexistingprojectwebsites
Costs •PerProject:$5/participant/month,$150/facilitator/month•Subscriptionsstartat$100/month•Full-servicepackagesrangebetween$5,000-$25,000
AvailableITSupport N/ATraining N/AExample http://ecastonline.zilino.com
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MappingToolsThe following tools are used to create maps that collect data from participants on various
communityengagementprojects.
Maptionnaire Analysis
Use/Purpose Engagesparticipantsthroughmappingtocollectsurveydata.Usersmakeamap-baseddatacollectionandcantransformthedataintotangibleinsightsanddevelopdeeperunderstandingoftheresults.IncorporatedatacollectedusingMaptionnariesintoplansanddesigns.
Interaction/EngagementOpportunities
Participantsanswersurveyquestions,placemarkersonthemap,andaddcomments.
Appearance/Organization EqualMixUserSet-up StandardizedSupportsMultipleLanguages YesStrengths •Givesparticipantsoptionsfortypesofmaptouse(Bing
satelliteorMapBox)•Surveyquestionsstartwithdemographicswithoutrequiringanameoremail•Differenttypesofsurveyquestionskeepparticipantsengagedandinterested•Howtoaddmarkersandcommentstothemapiswellexplainedandeasytodo
Weaknesses •Cannotseeother'sresponseswhileaddingtothemap•Lacksspacetoincludecontextabouttheproject•Cannotbeintegratedintoanexistingprojectwebsite
Costs Oneprojectcanrangefrom$625-$2000dependingonthenumberofmonthstheprojectislivefor•$250/monthforeachmonthover4months•$6251/yearforafullannualplan
AvailableITSupport Yes-AdditionalpriceTraining Yes-AdditionalpriceExample https://app.maptionnaire.com/en/2133/
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SocialPinPoint Analysis
Use/Purpose Mappingtoolthatallowsparticipantstoshowexactlywheretheirfeedback,ideas,andconcernsrelateto.
Interaction/EngagementOpportunities
Participantscanaddcommentstoamap,viewotherscomments,likeordislikeothercomments
Appearance/Organization EqualMixUserSet-up StandardizedSupportsMultipleLanguages N/AStrengths •Projectsetupisquickandsimple
•Comprehensivedataanalysisprovidedbyplatform•Hasawiderangeoffeaturestobeutilized•IncorporateownGISdataintothemap
Weaknesses •Cannotbeintegratedintoexistingprojectwebsite•Nowaytocollectdemographicinformation•Limitedengagementopportunities
Costs •StandardProjectLicense$1920/annual•ProfessionalProjectLicense$2880/annual•Enterpriselicensenotpubliclyavailable•Organizationalpricingalsoavailableformultipleprojects
AvailableITSupport YesTraining N/AExample https://www.socialpinpoint.com/project/central-coast-
council-coast-pathways/
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CommonPlace Analysis
Use/Purpose Commonplace'sonlineconsultationplatformgivesqualityanddepthofengagementneededtoincreasereach,buildtrust,andgetbuy-infromlocalcommunities.Allowsuserstosetupawebsitetoprovideinformationandupdatesaboutaproject,whilereceivingcommentsaboutareasthatneedimprovementsorfeedbackontheproposeddesigns
Interaction/EngagementOpportunities
Participantscanmakecommentsonamapbychoosingthelocation,providinganactionthatisneeded,andanyadditionalcomments.Participantscanagreewiththesecommentsbylikingthem,orsharingthemonsocialmedia.Inprojectswithnomapsparticipantscanmakecommentsontopics.Optiontolinktosurveysfromexternaltools.
Appearance/Organization EqualMixUserSet-up EqualMixSupportsMultipleLanguages N/AStrengths •Choiceofstandardizedlayoutsforwebsitesthatallowsfor
customizationthroughthetypeofinformationtheuserprovides•Addingcommentsisveryeasyandtakesverylittletime•Providesoptionsforresponsesinordertoframethediscussionratherthangatheronlyopenendedanswers•Norequirementtolog-intoprovidecomments•Optiontocreatecompellinggraphicsfromtheresultsofcommentscollected
Weaknesses •Cannotbeintegratedintoexistingprojectwebsite•Nowaytocollectdemographicinformationunlessparticipantchoosestocreateanoptionalaccount
Costs NotPubliclyAvailableAvailableITSupport N/ATraining N/A
Example https://bristolbugbears.commonplace.is/comments
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CommunityRemarks Analysis
Use/Purpose CommunityRemarksmakesiteasyforparticipantstoplotacommentonaGooglemap.Showsimprovementprojectsandillustratespertinentprojectdetailstogetinformedfeedback.Crowdsourcecommentsduringthevisioningprocess,thenpresentplansforfeedback.Useitcontinuouslyforalltypesofprojectsinplanningareaswithoutincreasedfees.
Interaction/EngagementOpportunities
Participantscanaddcommentstomaptopics;addphotostocomments;voteonother'scomments;cansharecommentsonsocialmedia;commentsarealsoaddedtostreetview.Registrationisnotrequired,butoptional.
Appearance/Organization EqualMixUserSet-up StandardizedSupportsMultipleLanguages Yes-GoogleTranslateStrengths •Commentsubmissionisguidedthroughpromptsrather
thanopenended•Googlemapsintegrationmakestheplatformfamiliartomostparticipants•OverlayscanbeaddedtomapstoshowlandmarksthroughGISlayers(canalsobeexportedtoGIS)•Wellintegratedformobileuse-willfindcurrentlocationofparticipant
Weaknesses •Cannotbeembeddedintoexistingprojectwebsite•Doesnotintegrateanyotherwaysforengagement
Costs •BasicLicense,collectplace-basedcomments:$1,995(one-timefee)•Basic+Plus,allphasesofengagement:$2,720(one-timefee)•Basic+PlusforTIP,DOTprojects&fiscalconstraints:$5,845(annual)•WebHosting:$320(annual)
AvailableITSupport Yes(dependsonlicensing,minimumof4hoursoftechnicalsupport)
Training Yes-1-hourdemosessiontofullyutilizeallthefeaturesintheadmin
Example https://communityremarks.com/projects/
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PlaceSpeak Analysis
Use/Purpose PlaceSpeak’suniquegeo-verificationprocessconnectsparticipants’digitalidentitytotheirphysicallocationandmakecommentsonprojects.Existingparticipantsareautomaticallynotifiedofnewconsultationsintheircommunitybasedontheirinterests.
Interaction/EngagementOpportunities
Participantsselecttopicsonamapoftheirlocalareaandaddcommentsortakesurveys
Appearance/Organization EqualMixUserSet-up StandardizedSupportsMultipleLanguages Yes-GoogleTranslateStrengths •Canbeintegratedintoanexistingprojectwebsite
•Engagementopportunitiesoneachsectionforeachproject•Lightontext,makingitvisuallyappealingandeasytonavigatethrough•Canviewotherparticipantscomments
Weaknesses •Participantsmustregisterforthesitewiththeiraddressandphonenumber,howevertheycanmaketheiraccountprivate•Doesn'tcollectanyotherdemographicdataotherthanlocation
Costs •StandardLicense$249.99/monthor$2499.99/year•PremiumLicense$499.99/monthor$4999.99/year•Additionalchargesforadd-ons
AvailableITSupport YesTraining Yes-$500/hourforupto4peopleExample https://www.placespeak.com/en/topic/5700-556-576-
conservation-dr/#/overview
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