Public Consultation
Our tools are frequently used for public consultation projects
as a way to enable many more people to participate than will attend
community meetings or make formal submissions.
There are many market research techniques employed in online
consultation however there are also some differences.
Interesting Features of The Community Laboratory
Consultation
•The open consultation survey was mirrored as a research study
using a representative sample, to isolate the impact of
self-selection;
•Respondents could choose which areas they commented on rather
than having to go through the whole survey;
•Respondents could choose the language they responded in;
•Whilst the process included a significant amount of
information, respondents could choose whether to read more before
answering questions. This meant the survey flowed intuitively and
respondents could influence the amount they read.
•The survey was run on behalf of three clients who each had
access to the results from their offices, and who could split the
live results to view feedback from their constituency compared to
the regional feedback;
In another example, a quick study with Buzz Channel saved our
client (and therefore ratepayers) a substantial amount of
money.
Respondents were shown a clear photo of three alternative
footpath finishes to ask which one they preferred. The preferred
option was one of the cheaper finishes so the Council was able to
change the specifications confident that the finished result would
be acceptable.