Online Public Engagement

This article utilizes the International Association of Public Participation’s “Spectrum of Public Participation” framework to evaluate how well three online platforms support civic engagement principles. It specifically investigates the influence of user interface design on civic engagement. It finds that dynamic, adaptive interfaces – as opposed to static list-based interfaces – are more beneficial since they allow for interaction and collaboration.

Peak Democracy’s Open Town Hall platform receives the highest overall score based on its ability to inform, consult, involve, collaborate, and empower users through its structure and features. The report breaks down the scores of three additional tools and concludes that further research can be done to address the challenge of “filter bubbles” or “echo chambers” where those engaged in line platforms are not exposed to different or opposing viewpoints.