🌍 How can web3 help solve real-world problems and drive the public good?

This post is part of the series on Megatrends.

In previous post, I’ve started looking into the Megatrend that Sitra, a Finnish innovation fund titles “The battle for democracy is intensifying”. I talked about the importance of public spaces when it comes to democracy.

Today, we will look at the principles of designing inclusive and accessible physical public spaces, and how they might translate to digital.

Intro

In the dynamic, always evolving urban landscapes, public spaces play an indispensable role. They serve as platforms for social interaction, democratic expression, and cultural vibrancy. 

As we navigate further into the digital age, the notion of public spaces has been expanded to include not just physical settings but also digital realms. 

In this exploration, we will dive into the key principles underpinning the design of accessible and inclusive physical public spaces, and how these principles can be adapted and applied to digital environments.

⛏️ Let’s dig in…

Ok… Why are public spaces so important?

Public spaces are integral to the social fabric of any community.

They provide a stage for individuals to connect, express their ideas, engage in civic actions, and experience the richness of diverse cultures.

But more than that, these spaces are democratic forums where different voices, opinions, and ideas can come together, facilitating dialogue, debate, and mutual understanding.

If we look to architecture for some guidance, designing public spaces is about creating environments that are accessible, inclusive, and welcoming to everyone, regardless of their physical, cognitive, or mental abilities. The design must be universal - meeting the needs of all users without focusing on specific disabilities.

How can we achieve this? Through applying the principles of Universal and Inclusive Design, of course. 💥

Ok, what are these principles? If you google them, you might find different sets of principles, from different sources. I only mention two sources here, but they should all overlap nicely, especially when it comes to inclusivity and accessibility.

➞ The universal design principles, as detailed by the North Carolina State University, encompass seven areas:

1. Equitable Use: The design should be usable and appealing to all, providing equal means of use, preventing segregation or stigmatisation, and ensuring privacy, security, and safety.

2. Flexibility in Use: The design should cater to a wide range of individual preferences and abilities, accommodating right- or left-handed use, providing choice in methods of use, and facilitating the user's accuracy and precision.

3. Simple and Intuitive Use: The design should be easy to understand and use, eliminating unnecessary complexity, and providing effective prompting and feedback during and after task completion.

4. Perceptible Information: The design should present necessary information effectively, regardless of ambient conditions or the user's sensory abilities.

5. Tolerance for Error: The design should minimise hazards and adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions (we could also call this safety)

6. Low Physical Effort: The design should allow efficient and comfortable use with a minimum of fatigue.

7. Size and Space for Approach and Use: The design should provide appropriate size and space for approach, reach, manipulation, and use, regardless of the user's body size, posture, or mobility.

➞ In a similar vein, the UK's Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) has defined five key principles of inclusive design:

1. Inclusive design places people at the heart of the design process.

2. Inclusive design acknowledges diversity and difference.

3. Inclusive design offers choice where a single design solution cannot accommodate all users.

4. Inclusive design provides for flexibility in use.

5. Inclusive design provides buildings and environments that are convenient and enjoyable to use for everyone.

Now, what I want to add that is not included in these principles 🤯, but is, in my opinion, one of the most important aspects of public spaces (and anyone walking alone through a public space in the middle of the night - or day for that matter - will appreciate it), is Security. In addition to safety, security is very important. A well-designed public space should make users feel secure, both physically and emotionally.

Going digital

How, then, do we extend these principles from the realm of physical spaces to the digital world, particularly in the face of emerging technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Metaverses?

To anyone working in UX and practising User centred design (UCD), a lot of this should be familiar. 😎

1. Accessibility and Flexibility: Digital spaces should emulate their physical counterparts, ensuring accessibility and flexibility. For instance, providing text alternatives for non-text content, using captions or other alternatives for multimedia, allowing controls for moving or time-based media, and providing customisation options to accommodate individual preferences and abilities.

2. Simplicity and Intuitiveness: Just like physical spaces and the use of signage, digital spaces should be simple to navigate, with information easily perceptible and the interface's behaviour predictable. This can be achieved by eliminating unnecessary complexity, providing clear feedback, and maintaining consistency across the digital environment.

3. Tolerance for Error: As in the physical world, digital spaces should be designed to minimise the likelihood of errors. For instance, they can provide warnings about potential errors, offer 'undo' functions, and ensure that critical actions require confirmation before execution.

4. Inclusivity: Digital spaces, like their physical counterparts, should be inclusive and accommodating of a wide range of individual preferences and abilities. This includes providing customisation options, ensuring all users have equal access to the same functionalities, and avoiding designs that could result in stigmatisation or segregation.

5. Security: Feeling secure is a fundamental aspect of public space design, as it directly impacts users' sense of well-being and their willingness to engage with the space. In physical spaces, this could mean adequate lighting, visibility, maintenance, maybe the presence of security personnel. In digital spaces, security considerations could include data privacy and protection measures, secure user authentication methods, and safeguards against cyber threats.

Bridging the gap with Web3

The emergence of web3 tech with its potential for decentralised ownership and governance, has opened up new possibilities for designing digital public spaces. 

Web3 gives power back to users. By doing that, it enables the creation of new digital platforms where public interests remain at the forefront of decision-making. With this shift, we can begin to envision and construct digital public spaces that truly embody the inclusivity, accessibility, and democratic ethos of well-designed physical spaces. 

So… as we build the next wave of digital innovation, our challenge lies in ensuring that our digital public spaces are as inviting, inclusive, and accessible as the physical world we've come to know and cherish.

In the next post, we’ll take a more detailed look into how web3 can help with accessible and inclusive and safe digital spaces.

(Image: Created with DALL·E. Prompt 1: From physical to digital spaces; Prompt 2: democracy in public spaces)

Thanks for reading! Subscribe to be notified of new posts. I’d appreciate it!

Resources:

1. Principles of Universal Design, North Carolina State University 

2. Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment. (2006). The principles of inclusive design. (They include you.). CABE. 

3. Inclusive design for a barrier-free city: case study of the City of Lincoln, UK. 

**
**