Digital devices and social media sites give us dozens of ways to become more informed, to express ourselves, to have our voices heard as part of the national discussion. Yet while we embrace these new channels, the collective volume of that expression is deafening and the sound is unstructured noise. Furthermore, rather than promoting thoughtful discourse and deliberation towards a consensus, current digital tools often amplify our differences.

In this session, Artefact’s co-founder and principal Rob Girling will outline a vision for a design-based solution that can bring clarity and civility to online discourse and help us reach consensus. Using design strategies informed by behavioral economics and cognitive psychology principles and innovative feature concepts, such as incentives, roles, limiting participation size, and voting, the tool, which is funded by a Knight Foundation Grant, drives consensus and decision making amongst a group of diverse strangers.