Abstract Summary
Brainstorming ideas of solutions to urban societal problems is complex since it requires including the perspective of diverse stakeholders with unique needs and values at a large scale. Applying participatory design approaches can center on people's perspectives but suffer from scalability problems. In addition, participatory design usually relies on policymakers' experiences in integrating diverse perspectives at a small scale. There is a lack of digital tools that can support policymakers in doing so at a large scale. In response to this challenge, we are developing a web-based tool to crowdsource opinions collection for large-scale design policymaking, such as COVID-19 measures. Also, based on previous work, we identify empathy as a crucial factor in engaging people in ideation at a small scale, such as design workshops. Building on this prior knowledge, we investigate how digital tools can augment empathy between different stakeholders to support large-scale ideation on pressing societal issues. We conducted user studies to understand the relationship between empathy, people's behaviors, and user interaction design. We recruited around 400 participants using a crowdsourcing platform (Prolific). Participants were asked to provide opinions on policies regarding smart working during the pandemic. Using our tool, they can look at other people's choices and motivations. They can also choose to change their opinion. We use the results (e.g., the user interaction design that led to a more balanced policy) to derive empirical design implications and discuss them in this presentation. Even though the results are for a specific use case, we believe they can be generalized to create more inclusive urban interventions.
