Civic competence through digital tools

Entertainment, communication, information exchange: significant activities in our everyday lives are increasingly taking place online, and hardly any area of life has been spared from the technological developments of recent decades. Participation in social life and political processes is also increasingly shifting to the digital realm. However, the effects of this change are often one-sidedly thematised as a problem, while the opportunities are neglected.

At the same time, digital development tools repeatedly offer scope for new perspectives: tools such as the Wahl-O-Mat show that digital media can do more than just inform, entertain and enable communication: they can empower. They are able to break through a passive attitude and strengthen self-efficacy and commitment. In this way, digital tools can help to promote civic competences and create responsible (political) subjects.

Citizen Empowerment - by 3pc

"Citizen empowerment by digital means not only works before elections, but also enables permanent intervention in social and political processes.

At 3pc, we are committed to creating fair and inclusive digital opportunities for participation. Our solutions require more than technological innovation. We recognise the needs of diverse target groups and incorporate them into the design and implementation of progressive and user-friendly tools.

We are convinced of this: Only by explicitly integrating social aspects that promote participation can the digital transformation become a driver of positive social change - and make our living environment more sustainable, efficient and liveable.

The role of digital tools in decision-making processes

Wahl-O-Mat

It is impossible to imagine the pre-election period in Germany without the Wahl-O-Mat. Its principle: reduction in the best sense of the word. It focusses on the essentials, forcing people to think and take a stand according to the simple formula: agree / neutral / disagree / skip. "De-complication through focussing", as 3pc Managing Director Armin Berger calls it.

At the same time, the Wahl-O-Mat bundles the parties' positions on issues and theses and enables citizens to gain easy and barrier-free access to the election programmes. In this way, it offers resources for making informed decisions - and for engaging in informed dialogue in a vibrant democracy.

How do you click?

Climate change affects everyone. In order to address the issue and motivate more people to take climate-friendly action, we designed and implemented the "How do you click?" tool on behalf of the German Federal Press and Information Office.

Based on a personality test principle, users are playfully categorised into the climate protection types of Preserver, Active or Innovator - combined with the suggestion to rethink their own actions. To help them, users receive customised climate protection tips that are suitable for everyday use as well as the opportunity to find out more on other federal government websites.

The design aims to optimise the user experience: clear, straightforward and unambiguous. Certified barrier-free, it emphasises the content, supplemented by customised illustrations.

Preparing content in the best possible way and making it accessible, breaking down topics and reducing complexity - we at 3pc are committed to this principle time and time again. And we also apply it to other, less political, projects:

The concert finder

The world of classical music is limitless - so how do I find the concert that really suits me? The Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra would like to make its extensive programme easier to access and is relying on a playful tool that we have implemented for the well-known concert hall.

Whether you're a dreamy connoisseur, a tech-savvy curious person or an inquisitive brain, clicking through the questions in the concert finder opens the door to new musical experiences by categorising you into one of four classical music types. The reward is three individually tailored recommendations from the current programme, including audio samples, best seat suggestions and brief information on the evening's highlights.

Satisfied feedback shows that new audiences can be addressed in this way. Younger users in particular are now discovering classical music for themselves - and at the same time the diversity of the Dresden Philharmonic's programme.

From passivity to participation

Many digital offerings rely on a one-dimensional information model: users consume content and communication is very one-sided. The tools presented, on the other hand, encourage activity. They ask focused questions, provoke interactivity and reflection and facilitate autonomous judgement through comprehensibly prepared information.

Transparency, empowerment and gamification as engagement boosters

Whether political participation or corporate communication: trust is created through clarity. The Wahl-O-Mat, for example, is not a voting recommendation, but a transparent, fact-based compass that structures complex information and makes it understandable. It communicates clearly and on the basis of comprehensible data. Visual minimalism helps to make complex content intuitively comprehensible.

Empowerment only works if everyone has access. Accessibility, simple language, a clear user experience and a design that is optimised for various devices and adapted to the needs of different user groups are therefore essential: Inclusive communication is not an extra, but essential for participation.

All of the tools presented also show that playful elements are a decisive motivating factor for engaging with complex topics. A clear structure promotes engagement, while a feedback system makes decision-making processes tangible.

More than digital information: Productive cooperation

The three tools are best-practice examples of user-centred design and digital participation; they empower well-founded decisions. The opportunities for participation must be intuitive to understand and easy to use. And if the digital tools are also attractively designed, they strengthen the relationships between providers and users in the long term.

The aim is to allow users to participate as actively as possible in the media experience - this creates identification and concretely tangible spaces for discursive debate.

Despite all the problematic developments in the digital sphere, there is just as much potential for productive cooperation: digital and social media can still be accelerators of more open societies and drivers of productive discourse. They can support positive change and ensure that no one is left behind. After all, nothing contradicts totalitarian ideologies more than transparency, discourse and lively dialogue. The tools of our digitalised everyday lives are constantly giving us the opportunity to overcome our - sometimes self-inflicted - immaturity.

Let's get to work. Digital tools are a start. Why not?