VoiceYourView: anytime, anyplace, anywhere user participation

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Participatory Design
• Ergonomics

Background:

• Traditional public consultations often suffer from limited participation due to inconvenient timing, format, or respondent numbers.
• There is a need for accessible and flexible methods to gather citizen feedback on issues affecting them.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and trial a system, VoiceYourView (vYv), that facilitates convenient user commenting on their environment.
• To explore the usability and usage of the vYv system in a real-world setting.
• To demonstrate the transferability of the approach to various domains for user information gathering.

Main Methods:

• A prototype system was trialed at Coventry University, allowing users to submit comments via five different technologies (e-mail, online form, iPhone app, SMS, kiosk).
• Submitted comments were automatically analyzed for theme, sentiment, location, and actionability.
• Data was visualized online in a 2D format.

Main Results:

• The VoiceYourView system demonstrated a viable method for gathering user feedback in a convenient manner.
• The analysis of comments provided insights into user perceptions of the university environment.
• The system's usability and usage patterns were explored during the trial.

Conclusions:

• The VoiceYourView system offers a flexible and accessible approach to public consultation, enhancing user participation.
• Online data collection methods, including crowd-sourcing and social network analysis, represent a rich resource for future ergonomic studies.
• The system's framework is adaptable for diverse applications requiring user input.