Design stage: Background research and goal setting
Lecture: Public sector services are at crossroads — the impacts of digitisation, new demand for more direct and immediate participation, and austerity — all these elements require careful thinking for the future governance and structure of public service delivery. Digital Civics as a concept results from ideas of self-organisation, supported by digital media, political engagement through ‘issue-driven publics’, and the idea that public service delivery may shift to more ‘commissioning’-based models, where everyday citizens may play a greater role in priority setting, but possibly also delivery. We will introduce a few key debates from the academic literature on the topic to narrow down what describes ‘digital civics’ as a field of research and practice.
Seminar: The first seminar we cover some housekeeping matters. We introduce the structured design process that the module will follow over 12 weeks. We are also want to get to know each other a bit better ready to kick-start the design projects the week after. For this, you will find your group and see your design briefs, describing your challenge for the weeks ahead. Meet your team, we want to agree on team names, and discuss your challenge: “Why are we doing this project?”; “Where do we want to be six months, a year, or even five years from now?”; “What question do we want to solve?”
Team tasks:
- GOAL SETTING: Introduce your team and your team members.
- NOTICE AMBIGUITIES IN THE BRIEF: Consider any open questions which you think you should discuss with the client?
- INITIAL RESEARCH: Consider the brief. What goals should your client meeting achieve? Describe your goals/expectations for the client meeting; what ‘digital civics’ might your project involves and what challenges do you see in relating to those civic groupings?
Reading
- Knapp et al., 2016. Chapter 1: “Welcome to the sprint” from The Sprint.
- Olivier, P., & Wright, P. C. (2015). Digital civics: taking a local turn. Interactions, 22(4), 61–63.
- Dantec, C. A. L., & DiSalvo, C. (2013). Infrastructure and the formation of publics in participatory design. Social Studies of Science, 43(2), 241–264.