A catchy way to discuss policy issues
QandR is a simple and flexible tool, with working forms that you can use and combine in multiple ways. We are regularly pleasantly surprised when QandR is used creatively, in ways we have not seen before. This was the case when Purmerend town council chose a different way to present the results of a mobility survey. With the help of QandR, councillors were presented with a quiz to mirror their assumptions regarding mobility against the survey results and thus discuss various aspects of the survey within the council.
By asking simple questions that stimulated curiosity, it was gauged how councilors look at certain topics. And in the process where their answers were compared with the results of the research, a highly engaged attitude towards the research issue emerged. The grading, once developed to grade concepts or products, is a handy work format to query (all kinds of) numbers and amounts. The average is an instant indication of the opinion of the group as a whole (and how close they got the the correct answer, in this case).
This interactive quiz allowed all 18 council members to jointly visualize the various aspects of the mobility in the city. This type of format provides elements of fun and surprise, and is an inclusive way to trigger a constructive discussion about real issues.
Now that QandR is being deployed structurally, it is very important that the security and privacy of participants are sufficiently guaranteed. QandR is already very secure in its design, but we have taken an extra step with the Purmerend municipality's subscription. Employees of the municipality who control the QandR session (facilitators) log in to their QandR account via 2-factor authentication (in addition to password, also confirm with a code on the phone). With this customised solution, we were not only able to make the municipality happy but also to make QandR another bit better.
For this type of dialog instrument it is important that as participant you know who is organizing the session and what happens with the information collected. We were pleasantly surprised that Noterik was able to come up with a solution for the 2-factor login within a very short period of time. Fast, but also the modern way. Not with an SMS or something, but via an authenticator. A future-proof solution.
Henry Koning, Advisor O&I, Municipality of Purmerend