SpeakApp - what you think matters!
Reference number | |
Coordinator | Sveriges Ungdomsråd |
Funding from Vinnova | SEK 300 000 |
Project duration | April 2018 - January 2019 |
Status | Completed |
Venture | Social innovation - development and testing |
Call | Social innovation - step 1 |
Important results from the project
SpeakApp´s potential to include more young people in democratic processes has been confirmed within the project period. The accessibility of the application is seen as an important strength by the target groups, and the demand for digital solutions to engage more people in the democratic conversation is vital. The result of the study, however, shows that the follow-up and transparency of the opinions that the application brings in is crucial to to maintain the democratic value of SpeakApp. There is no doubt that this additional work complicates the applications ability to be scaled up.
Expected long term effects
The study includes user tests and interview material with medium-sized and larger municipalities such as Malmö, Gothenburg, Falkenberg and Burlöv. The selection is an attempt to identify specific needs depending on the number of inhabitants living in each place. The results have been compiled and functional and aesthetic improvements have been sent to our developers for further work. We expect that the effects of these updates will mean that key words such as "transparency" and "follow-up" are seen as guidelines when municipalities invest in the SpeakApp.
Approach and implementation
SpeakApp has been tested and evaluated by three identified target groups: youths, officials and outside stakeholders. Since the majority of user tests resulted in discussions linked to municipal administrative work, there has been a great focus on management and follow-up during the second half of the project period. By meeting officials who works with questions regarding citizen dialogue, there has been a strive to create deeper knowledge linked to the accessibility aspect of SpeakApp.