The Scottish Government Digital Directorate has outlined a plan to develop a platform for public engagement on projects and policy.
It has issued a call for ideas for a solution as part of the new round of CivTech Challenges, saying it wants to improve engagement on a case-by-case basis.
This will replace a range of methods currently in use, including online consultations, surveys, focus groups and deliberative public dialogues.
“Given the severe pressures on resources, we need to look at innovative, cost-effective and methodologically robust ways of engaging with the public,” the directorate said. “We believe that technology could help us deliver a high quality, efficient and scalable participation tool or platform for the Scottish Government.”
It added that it had commissioned market research through the Scottish Collective Intelligence Community, that suggested there are gaps for technology to make participation processes more efficient, and it is now looking for a partner to build the platform.
