Designing a Civic Tech Solution for Citizen Participation in Copenhagen Municipality: A mixed methods study and the development of a citizen-driven prototype
Translated title
Designing a Civic Tech Solution for Citizen Participation in Copenhagen Municipality
Authors
Grønbæk, Emilia Rask Baad ; Larsen, Charlotte Lægdsgaard ; Rosenkilde, Fanny Alba Windsmose
Term
4. term
Publication year
2026
Submitted on
2026-05-29
Pages
180
Abstract
This thesis explores how civic technology (civic tech)—digital tools and platforms that support public participation—can be designed to strengthen citizen participation in the Municipality of Copenhagen. We use a mixed-methods design: a survey of 1,046 residents measures how much influence and involvement people feel they have in municipal decision-making; a thematic analysis of a focus group with six citizens and two interviews with municipal representatives provides deeper insights. The results show that many citizens experience limited influence and involvement. Communication should shift from one-way information to two-way dialogue, and the impact of citizen input needs to be visible. Participation also competes with everyday life: people face barriers such as limited time, lack of relevant knowledge, and little experience with political systems. Based on these insights, we co-designed a civic tech prototype with six citizens in a design workshop and further developed it using participatory and emancipatory approaches informed by a neohumanist perspective, along with design methods such as Six Thinking Hats and collaborative sketching. The discussion emphasizes that technology alone cannot secure greater democratic influence; meaningful participation also depends on the municipality’s willingness to engage with and respond to citizen input. We argue that civic tech should move beyond one-way communication and support inclusive, dialogic, and collaborative participation embedded in everyday practices. By combining deliberative democratic theory, practice theory, and design approaches, the thesis offers design principles for civic tech that can strengthen democratic engagement and citizen involvement.
Afhandlingen undersøger, hvordan civic technology (civic tech)—digitale værktøjer og platforme, der understøtter offentlig deltagelse—kan designes, så de styrker borgerdeltagelse i Københavns Kommune. Vi anvender en blandet metode: Et spørgeskema med 1.046 svar måler, hvor meget indflydelse og involvering borgerne oplever i kommunale beslutningsprocesser; en tematisk analyse af en fokusgruppe med seks borgere og to interviews med kommunale repræsentanter giver dybere indblik. Resultaterne viser, at mange borgere oplever begrænset indflydelse og involvering. Kommunikation bør flytte sig fra envejs informationsformidling til tovejskommunikation og dialog, og virkningen af borgernes input skal være synlig. Deltagelse konkurrerer også med hverdagen: folk møder barrierer som begrænset tid, manglende relevant viden og ringe erfaring med politiske systemer. På baggrund af disse indsigter samskabte vi en civic tech-prototype med seks borgere i en designworkshop og videreudviklede den ved hjælp af deltagende og emanciperende tilgange informeret af en neohumanistisk tilgang samt designmetoder som Six Thinking Hats og kollaborativ skitsering. Diskussionen understreger, at teknologi i sig selv ikke sikrer større demokratisk indflydelse; meningsfuld deltagelse afhænger også af kommunens vilje til at engagere sig i og svare på borgerinput. Afhandlingen argumenterer for, at civic tech bør gå ud over envejs-kommunikation og i stedet understøtte inkluderende, dialogiske og samarbejdende former for deltagelse, der er indlejret i hverdagspraksisser. Ved at kombinere deliberativ demokratiteori, praksisteori og designtilgange tilbyder afhandlingen designprincipper til civic tech, der kan styrke demokratisk engagement og borgerinddragelse.
[This apstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]