Digital Pop-Up: Investigating Bespoke Community Engagement in Public Spaces

This paper presents findings from a series of iterative field studies on the use of interactive, situated digital technologies deployed within a pop-up style format used for the purpose of community engagement. Based on observations, participant interviews, and a focus group with representatives from the local government authority, the contribution of this research is twofold. First, we propose five elements to guide the design of digital pop-up interventions for community engagement. Second, we demonstrate the effectiveness of combining digital interfaces and a physical pop-up within a civic space equipped with a large urban screen to engage wider cross-sections of the public. From that, we derive insights about the utilisation of this approach in attracting the attention of people who do not generally attend traditional community engagement events, and provide a more seamless consultation process by enabling citizens to submit their responses on the spot.