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    "title" : "Design participation |Digital.gov",
    "description": "Design participation",
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    {"title" :"Design participation","deck" : "","summary" : "Learn how to design for inclusiveness and participation.","date" : "2020-09-08T09:00:00-05:00","date_modified" : "2025-01-27T19:42:55-05:00","primary_image" : { "uid" : "guide-public-participation", "alt" :
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      "filepath" :"guides/public-participation/design-participation.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/bc-archive-content-3/content/guides/public-participation/design-participation.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/bc-archive-content-3/content/guides/public-participation/design-participation.md","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/public-participation/design-participation/","content" :"\u003ch2 id=\"play-5-select-appropriate-design-format-for-public-participation\"\u003ePlay 5: Select appropriate design format for public participation\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEnable broad participation by offering responsive, accessible, intuitive, mobile-ready tools that can be rendered in multiple formats on a wide range of platforms.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"checklist\"\u003eChecklist\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIdentify critical and secondary requirements for program success.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDetermine paths for participation and their requirements, such as accessibility, commenting and annotation.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDesign for flexibility using current coding techniques such as HTML5 and CSS.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIncorporate accessible graphics, color and visual techniques to improve engagement.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUse analytics and feedback to diversify delivery methods, such as mobile.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAdopt mobile-friendly capabilities such as responsive web design and link to mobile friendly pages.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCommunicate through channels like SMS, Interactive Voice Responses and Unstructured Supplementary Service Data for participants without wireless connectivity or access to the Internet.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eContinuously improve operations during the life of the project, and to focus on quality, efficiency and effectiveness of processes.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"case-studies\"\u003eCase Studies\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe White House \u003ca href=\"http://www.whitehouse.gov/engage\" title=\"Engage website\"\u003eEngage website\u003c/a\u003e allows citizens to submit questions and comments, join online events, and engage with government via social media.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUSDA.gov underwent a major redesign to improve participant experience and usability. They used analytics and lessons learned from prior redesigns to determine popular content and participant preferences. This \u003ca href=\"http://blogs.usda.gov/2013/07/24/streamlined-design-and-new-features-for-usda-gov/\" title=\"blog entry\"\u003eblog entry\u003c/a\u003e provides an overview of their redesign process.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"https://www.digitalgov.gov/2013/11/14/noaa-release-mako-now-on-ios/\" title=\"NOAA Release Mako Mobile App\"\u003eNOAA Release Mako Mobile App\u003c/a\u003e allows fishermen to report their releases of Shortfin Mako sharks while in the water. The app uses a device’s built-in GPS to fill in exact location coordinates.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"resources\"\u003eResources\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/105825/Book_3_-_The_Engagement_Toolkit.pdf\" title=\"The Victoria (Australia) Toolkit for Public Participation\"\u003eThe Victoria (Australia) Toolkit for Public Participation\u003c/a\u003e maintains a great selection of different PP formats.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Center for Land Use Education’s PDF guide, \u003ca href=\"http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr-ap/clue/Documents/publicProcesses/Crafting_Effective_Plan_for_Public_Participation.pdf\" title=\" Crafting an Effective Plan for Public Participation\"\u003eCrafting an Effective Plan for Public Participation\u003c/a\u003e, provides a framework for tailoring a plan that fits local needs and capacities.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"play-6-design-for-inclusiveness\"\u003ePlay 6: Design for inclusiveness\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhenever you’re running any sort of public engagement effort, make sure the design and setup are inclusive. Consider persons with disabilities who use screen readers, people with limited English proficiency or low literacy skills, and many others who may experience difficulty reading.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"checklist-1\"\u003eChecklist\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProvide accessibility options for persons with disabilities, the aging population and others.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEvaluate the need for multilingual support, including Spanish language services.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUse Plain Language communication throughout the life cycle of the program.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eConsider both online and offline support, including a physical version and digital package.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnalyze if participants can engage without a facilitator.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnalyze if participants can contribute with ‘group input’ rather than individual sign-up, and if they can submit input from face-to-face workshops and other sources.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProvide cultural competency support that values diversity reflected in the participant personas.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTalk to underrepresented members of communities.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRecognize common dynamics when cultures interact and develop adaptations to service delivery.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDesign for multiple learning styles.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRecruit volunteers for visual note taking, or graphic facilitation.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProvide contact information for official support and accessibility teams.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTest your content for accessibility at all stages of development.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"case-studies-1\"\u003eCase Studies\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://aucd.adobeconnect.com/_a1005431686/p6o0zuotzzu/\" title=\"Food and Drug Administration: Using Medicines Wisely: Increasing Access to Information for Women with Intellectual Disabilities\"\u003eFood and Drug Administration: Using Medicines Wisely: Increasing Access to Information for Women with Intellectual Disabilities\u003c/a\u003e. FDA’s Office of Women’s Health teamed up with the Administration for Community Living, the Association of University Centers on Disability, and the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to improve their safe medication materials for women. They conducted a series of focus groups with women in the disability community to learn how word choices, font, layout, and graphics could be improved.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Digital Communications Division (DCD) in HHS champions a \u003ca href=\"http://www.hhs.gov/web/508/index.html\" title=\"508 Program\"\u003e508 Program\u003c/a\u003e that leads the development and review of HHS Web content, social media, and supporting technologies. They also assembled a \u003ca href=\"http://www.hhs.gov/web/services/508lab.html\" title=\"508 Accessibility Lab\"\u003e508 Accessibility Lab\u003c/a\u003e with a collection of assistive and evaluative technologies.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.disability.gov/\" title=\"https://www.disability.gov/\"\u003eDisability.Gov\u003c/a\u003e is the U.S. federal government website for information on disability programs and services nationwide and is a model for accessibility on the web.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"resources-1\"\u003eResources\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-section-508-standards/guide-to-the-section-508-standards\" title=\"Guide to Section 508 Standards\"\u003eGuide to Section 508 Standards\u003c/a\u003e. The U.S. Access Board’s Section 508 Standards apply to electronic and information technology procured by the federal government, including computer hardware and software, websites, phone systems, and copiers. Issued under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, these require access to such technologies for both members of the public and federal employees.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.usability.gov/tags/accessibility/\" title=\"Usability.Gov\"\u003eUsability.Gov\u003c/a\u003e contains resources for agencies to evaluate their websites for both usability and accessibility.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"https://www.digitalgov.gov/resources/improving-the-accessibility-of-social-media-in-government/\" title=\"Improving the Accessibility of Social Media in Government\"\u003eImproving the Accessibility of Social Media in Government\u003c/a\u003e toolkit curates and share best practices to help agencies ensure their social media content is accessible everyone, including h disabilities. Efforts are also being made to work with social media platform and tool developers, citizens and partners to encourage greater accessibility.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe U.S. Department of Homeland Security developed \u003ca href=\"http://www.dhs.gov/compliance-test-processes\" title=\"508 Compliance Test Processes\"\u003e508 Compliance Test Processes\u003c/a\u003e that provide instructions for testing the compliance of applications, Word documents, and PDF documents.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"play-7-provide-multi-tiered-paths-to-participation\"\u003ePlay 7: Provide multi-tiered paths to participation\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGood government is responsive and engaging. To ensure broad participation and involve more citizens in the decision-making process use a variety of channels to communicate and provide opportunities for different levels of engagement.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"checklist-2\"\u003eChecklist\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDetermine the level of participation your program needs to succeed.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEmpower stakeholders as decision makers and share information.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDetermine if you hold the resources to sustain a multi-tiered, two-way engagement strategy.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDefine what input you are looking for and what channels people are most likely to use.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNotify employees of opportunities for participation and teach them how to respond if approached.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"case-studies-2\"\u003eCase Studies\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Army’s \u003ca href=\"http://www.peoacwa.army.mil/bgcapp/public-involvement-at-bgcapp/\" title=\"Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives Program\"\u003eAssembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives Program\u003c/a\u003e established two citizen advisory boards that make project recommendations. The program holds quarterly public meetings with program leadership and maintains an outreach office that’s open to the public and receives in-person feedback.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe U.S. Trade Representative’s traveling roadshow that gathers \u003ca href=\"http://www.ustr.gov/about-us/press-office/blog/2013/December/TTIP-Third-Round-stakeholder-engagement\" title=\"feedback on trade agreement negotiations\"\u003efeedback on trade agreement negotiations\u003c/a\u003e from stakeholders: industry, small business, academia, labor unions, environmental groups, and consumer advocacy organizations.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration solicits multiple levels of participation through its Patient Network site. Participants can comment on proposed regulations and guidance, attend or speak at public meetings, and join an advisory committee to influence decisions like product approvals.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"resources-2\"\u003eResources\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe International Association for Public Participation publishes an \u003ca href=\"https://www.iap2.org/resource/resmgr/imported/IAP2%20Spectrum_vertical.pdf\" title=\"IAP2 standards \"\u003eIAP2 standards\u003c/a\u003e document that describes the various levels of public participation and examples of techniques.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"play-8-provide-effective-and-timely-notifications\"\u003ePlay 8: Provide effective and timely notifications\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThroughout the life of an engagement effort, effective communication with participants and stakeholders is key. This play offers tips and advice for letting your audience know about opportunities to participate, and how to keep them engaged and active for the duration of the event.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"checklist-3\"\u003eChecklist\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDevelop a comprehensive outreach plan that includes timelines to reach different potential participants.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUse a variety of channels such as the Federal Register, SMS, postal, email, flyers and social media.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProvide a toolkit of materials, including an outline of timelines.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDeliver consistent updates and repeat them across multiple platforms.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"case-studies-3\"\u003eCase Studies\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Union of Concerned Scientists released a scorecard on how agencies allow employees to communicate with the public. USGS received a B+, but \u003ca href=\"http://blog.ucsusa.org/four-hours-after-ucs-report-release-united-states-geological-survey-takes-a-step-forward\" title=\"updated its public documentation to address suggested improvements within four hours\"\u003eupdated its public documentation to address suggested improvements within four hours\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFederal Student Aid’s \u003ca href=\"https://hackpad.com/ep/search/?q=%23AskFAFSA\u0026amp;via=DPNf4spU2nK\" title=\"#AskFAFSA campaign\"\u003e#AskFAFSA\u003c/a\u003e campaign sets up monthly office hours for stakeholders to ask questions about student aid via Twitter. This is often faster than asking questions via telephone, and anyone following the hashtag can benefit from the answers. A recap of each session is posted the next day on \u003ca href=\"https://storify.com/FAFSA\" title=\"Storify\"\u003eStorify\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"resources-3\"\u003eResources\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.digitalgov.gov/2014/09/24/the-federal-register-improving-visitors-search-experience-on-agency-websites/\" title=\"DigitalGov Search\"\u003eDigitalGov Search\u003c/a\u003e seeks to provide immediate answers to the public’s search questions. In addition to Federal Register documents, it also incorporates results from other specialized government websites and social media accounts.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"play-9-encourage-community-building-through-responsive-outreach\"\u003ePlay 9: Encourage community building through responsive outreach\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCommunity development and outreach involves communication among community stakeholders, partner organizations, research centers, and government agencies. Goals include communicating reliable information about federal programs and policies, including addressing complaints; obtaining public feedback about the impact of government activities; fostering conversations and incorporating feedback into the policymaking process; and strengthening the channels of communication between communities, the government, and public/private sectors.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"checklist-4\"\u003eChecklist\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDetermine shared decision-making responsibilities for success, problem solving, and accountability.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDevelop a dialogue process that:\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eClearly defines guidelines.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePrepares for variations in commitment to participation.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIncludes time to pause, evaluate input and evolve.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCatalyzes the discussion if engagement stalls.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eModerate and facilitate conversations to encourage connections and discussion of ideas.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCreate regular reports to summarize contributions so people can see what others are saying.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePublish your programs’ points of contact for communities to access.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCelebrate effectiveness and address critical feedback with participants.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eContinue the conversation and maintain relationships through regular and ongoing engagements such as regularly scheduled check-in meetings with stakeholders.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUse the framework you created to develop future uses for the network.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"case-studies-4\"\u003eCase Studies\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHHS Office on Women’s Health encouraged community organizations around the country to organize events in celebration of \u003ca href=\"https://www.womenshealth.gov/\" title=\"National Women's Health Week\"\u003eNational Women’s Health Week\u003c/a\u003e 2014. They used the platform \u003ca href=\"https://meetup.com/\" title=\"meetup.com\"\u003emeetup.com\u003c/a\u003e so organizations could add their own events, and participants could search for other events in their area.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFDA’s Office of Women’s Health launched the \u003ca href=\"http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ByAudience/ForWomen/TakeTimetoCareProgram/ucm116698.htm\" title=\"Pink Ribbon Sunday Mammography Awareness Program\"\u003ePink Ribbon Sunday Mammography Awareness Program\u003c/a\u003e to educate African-American and Hispanic women about early detection of breast cancer through mammography. By partnering with churches and community organizations, they reached over 100,000 women throughout the country.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eU.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Exchange Program fosters community engagement through the arts. The \u003ca href=\"http://exchanges.state.gov/us/program/american-arts-incubator\" title=\"American Arts Incubator\"\u003eAmerican Arts Incubator\u003c/a\u003e uses new media and/or mural arts as a means to engage youth, artists, and underserved communities in Asia and address local issues.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNASA’s \u003ca href=\"https://spaceappschallenge.org/\" title=\"International Space Apps Challenge\"\u003eInternational Space Apps Challenge\u003c/a\u003e is an international collaboration focused on space exploration that takes place over 48 hours in cities around the world. Local communities create and lead events while the project is managed at the Agency level. City leads mobilize participation in their city, choosing challenges and models appropriate to local interests.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eValley Forge National Historical Park transformed itself through civic input, as reported in “\u003ca href=\"http://www.nps.gov/civic/casestudies/VAFOCaseGMP10-18.pdf\" title=\"From Isolation to Integration\"\u003eFrom Isolation to Integration\u003c/a\u003e”\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"resources-4\"\u003eResources\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe National Park Service published two public participation guides, \u003ca href=\"http://www.nps.gov/civic/resources/Beyond%20Outreach%20Handbook.pdf\" title=\"Beyond Outreach: A guide to engaging diverse communities\"\u003eBeyond Outreach: A guide to engaging diverse communities\u003c/a\u003e. and \u003ca href=\"http://www.nps.gov/history/howto/PAToolkit/consult.htm\" title=\"Tribal and Public Consultation for Historic Preservation Toolkit\"\u003eTribal and Public Consultation for Historic Preservation Toolkit\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTwo Masters students at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government looked at social media and its role in civic participation in both the U.S. and United Kingdom and published a report, \u003ca href=\"http://www.slideshare.net/yasminfodil/social-media-and-civic-participation-final\" title=\"Using Social Media to Enhance Civic Engagement in Federal Agencies\"\u003eUsing Social Media to Enhance Civic Engagement in Federal Agencies\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"play-10-protect-citizen-privacy\"\u003ePlay 10: Protect citizen privacy\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePublic participation is crucial to our democracy, but federal agencies must engage in ways that protect privacy, while maintaining compliance with federal laws such as the Federal Records Act (FRA) and the Privacy Act.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"checklist-5\"\u003eChecklist\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIdentify what information your agency stores or maintains, and for how long.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePublish privacy policies for all engagement channels so the public can see what information you collect, if any, and how your agency may use it.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePublish terms of use detailing record-keeping practices and reasons why you may remove comments including profanity, sharing personal information and other rules that protect privacy.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eConsult with your agency’s Records Officer to determine how to manage digital interactions and public comments as federal records.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDiscuss your privacy policies, terms of service, and other charter documents with your agency’s Privacy Officer and/or legal experts.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEstablishing procedures for handling personally identifiable information (PII).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProvide a medium for people to provide input anonymously.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUse indirect means, like hashtags, to join conversations online instead of targeting individual users.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"case-studies-5\"\u003eCase Studies\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.fema.gov/privacy-comment-policy\" title=\"The FEMA Privacy \u0026amp; Comment Policy\"\u003eThe FEMA Privacy \u0026amp; Comment Policy\u003c/a\u003e comprehensively addresses how social media, web, mobile, and SMS data is used, stored, and managed. The policy is plain-language and concisely explains and justifies the retention and management of different data sets.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.peacecorps.gov/apply/privacy/\" title=\"The Peace Corps Privacy Act Notice\"\u003eThe Peace Corps Privacy Act Notice\u003c/a\u003e is a plain language example of a comprehensive, brief, and easy-to-understand privacy policy for the web.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"resources-5\"\u003eResources\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://cio.gov/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2013/07/Privacy-Best-Practices-for-Social-Media.pdf\" title=\"CIO Council's Privacy Best Practices for Social Media\"\u003eCIO Council’s Privacy Best Practices for Social Media\u003c/a\u003e: This comprehensive guide provides resources and best practices for creating social media policies that are in compliance with the Privacy and Records Keeping Act.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/big_data_privacy_report_may_1_2014.pdf\" title=\"White House Expands Data Protection\"\u003eWhite House Expands Data Protection\u003c/a\u003e: There is no formal guidance on how agencies can use big data. However, this report and recommendation from the White House provides insight on how and when agencies may be able to use big data from the Internet of things, the web, mobile, and more, and whether agencies will be required to extend universal Privacy Act Protections.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"metrics-how-do-you-know-you-successfully-design-participation\"\u003eMETRICS: HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU SUCCESSFULLY DESIGN PARTICIPATION?\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGenerate solid baseline data on how much your audience knows, and how well they responded to your message. This will help you determine whether public understanding of your message stayed the same or improved.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnalyze whether the program becomes integrated with participants or owned by the community.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMeasure:\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReadership/visits/participation in channels, i.e. programs, sites and blogs.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAwareness about the federal agency’s goals, mission, purpose, or resources.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePublic participation (survey responses, event attendance, other contributions, i.e. time and ideas).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVolume of community organizations participating compared to previous programs.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSize of community that your partners reach\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe role of public engagement in the planning/decision-making process.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVariation in percentage between current overall participation and previous efforts\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOnline engagement trends (e.g. comments and shares) over the entire length of the event.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEngagement across each channel, independently, to determine the level of participation on each.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFor privacy protection, measure:\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePercentage of your programs, websites and social media sites contain provisions for protecting PII and maintaining Privacy Act compliance.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFrequency that community managers monitor comments for PII.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVolume of comments community managers delete for PII on a monthly or bi-monthly basis.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFrequency of agency record audits to ensure it is not maintaining broader records than necessary.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFor accessibility, start with guidelines in:\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.w3.org/TR/accessibility-metrics-report/\" title=\"W3C Web Accessibility Metrics\"\u003eW3C Web Accessibility Metrics\u003c/a\u003e, a detailed report on useful metrics to assess the accessibility level of websites, including the accessibility level of individual websites, or even large-scale surveys of the accessibility of many websites.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://webaim.org/standards/508/checklist\" title=\"Section 508 Checklist\"\u003eSection 508 Checklist\u003c/a\u003e, including Pass/Fail criteria for each of the Section 508 standards (e.g. a text equivalent for every non-test element, functional electronic forms).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUS Access Board guidelines and standards to help meet accessibility and inclusion standards, including \u003ca href=\"http://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it\" title=\"Communications and IT\"\u003eCommunications and IT\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n"}
  ]
}