DEMOCRACY OS
What if simple text messaging could unlock the collective wisdom of the public and transform how we govern in the digital age?
0→1 Product Leadership
UX Research & Interviews
AI-Driven Insight Synthesis
UX/UI Design & Rapid Prototyping
Stakeholder Alignment
DEMOCRACY OS
What if simple text messaging could unlock the collective wisdom of the public and transform how we govern in the digital age?
0→1 Product Leadership
UX Research & Interviews
AI-Driven Insight Synthesis
UX/UI Design & Rapid Prototyping
Stakeholder Alignment
DEMOCRACY OS
What if simple text messaging could unlock the collective wisdom of the public and transform how we govern in the digital age?
0→1 Product Leadership
UX Research & Interviews
AI-Driven Insight Synthesis
UX/UI Design & Rapid Prototyping
Stakeholder Alignment
DemocracyOS
DemocracyOS
DemocracyOS
DemocracyOS is a SaaS platform that bridges the gap between citizens and civic leaders through meaningful, two-way communication — building trust and improving government decision-making.
DemocracyOS is a SaaS platform that bridges the gap between citizens and civic leaders through meaningful, two-way communication — building trust and improving government decision-making.
Origin
The foundational belief underlying DemocracyOS is that every resident has valuable insights, ideas, and wisdom — i.e. raw data — that are currently untapped. If we can tap that data at scale — and make sense of what it all means collectively — we can dramatically improve the outcomes of democratic government.
After five years designing solutions to democracy’s challenges through nonprofit initiatives — first with Democracy Creative, then with Assemble — I became increasingly frustrated by the limitations of the nonprofit fundraising model. So I set out to find a better one: through a mission-drive startup.
Origin
DemocracyOS solves a critical problem for governments by helping them engage a truly representative sample of citizens — delivering data-driven insights that more accurately reflect the views of the entire community, not just a vocal minority.
It also solves a critical problem for the public, giving residents a simple, effective way to share their voice and genuinely influence government decisions — building trust and strengthening democratic engagement.
Origin
The foundational belief underlying DemocracyOS is that every resident has valuable insights, ideas, and wisdom — i.e. raw data — that are currently untapped. If we can tap that data at scale — and make sense of what it all means collectively — we can dramatically improve the outcomes of democratic government.
After five years designing solutions to democracy’s challenges through nonprofit initiatives — first with Democracy Creative, then with Assemble — I became increasingly frustrated by the limitations of the nonprofit fundraising model. So I set out to find a better one: through a mission-drive startup.
Problem Solved
DemocracyOS is a productized version of that vision: designed to both change the world and be viable as a business so the work can be sustained.
It solves solves a critical problem for governments by helping them engage a truly representative sample of citizens — delivering data-driven insights that more accurately reflect the views of the entire community, not just a vocal minority.
It also solves a critical problem for the public, giving residents a simple, effective way to share their voice and genuinely influence government decisions — building trust and strengthening democratic engagement.
Problem Solved
DemocracyOS solves a critical problem for governments by helping them engage a truly representative sample of citizens — delivering data-driven insights that more accurately reflect the views of the entire community, not just a vocal minority.
It also solves a critical problem for the public, giving residents a simple, effective way to share their voice and genuinely influence government decisions — building trust and strengthening democratic engagement.
Problem Solved
DemocracyOS is a productized version of that vision: designed to both change the world and be viable as a business so the work can be sustained.
It solves solves a critical problem for governments by helping them engage a truly representative sample of citizens — delivering data-driven insights that more accurately reflect the views of the entire community, not just a vocal minority.
It also solves a critical problem for the public, giving residents a simple, effective way to share their voice and genuinely influence government decisions — building trust and strengthening democratic engagement.
How It Works
DemocracyOS works by sending SMS surveys to a randomly selected, representative sample of the population. AI then turns their responses into clear, actionable insights that reflect the broader community — not just the most vocal voices. Built-in feedback loops show people how their input is used, helping them know that their voice matters.
How It Works
DemocracyOS works by sending SMS surveys to a randomly selected, representative sample of the population. AI then turns their responses into clear, actionable insights that reflect the broader community — not just the most vocal voices. Built-in feedback loops show people how their input is used, helping them know that their voice matters.
How It Works
DemocracyOS works by sending SMS surveys to a randomly selected, representative sample of the population. AI then turns their responses into clear, actionable insights that reflect the broader community — not just the most vocal voices. Built-in feedback loops show people how their input is used, helping them know that their voice matters.
SMS
SURVEYS
SMS
SURVEYS
→
INSIGHT
SYNTHESIS
INSIGHT
SYNTHESIS
→
IMPROVED TRUST & DECISION‑MAKING
IMPROVED TRUST & DECISION‑MAKING
My Role
Lead Designer & Founder
I led the product from initial idea, to design, to our first pilot program, working closely with a lead engineer.
Team
Michael Navarra
Engineering Lead
Timeline
January 2025 — June 2025
Outcome
Pilot Test 2 Planned: Late Fall 2025
Pilot Test 1 Active Spring 2025 (Now Closed):
91
Active Users
Active users in Spring 2025 pilot program.
69%
Response Rate
Overall response rate to our SMS Pulse Ballots, demonstrating high engagement.
89
Words Per Text Response
Average words per text response, reflecting the deeper insights drawn out through our UX.
Democracy Erosion
Democracy’s decline is eroding public trust and crippling governments — the urgent challenge driving this project.
Democracy Erosion
Democracy’s decline is eroding public trust and crippling governments — the urgent challenge driving this project.
Democracy Erosion
Democracy’s decline is eroding public trust and crippling governments — the urgent challenge driving this project.
Mission
The mission of DemocracyOS is to solve humanity's most urgent, hair-on-fire problem:
Democracy is breaking down. As it grows less effective, public trust erodes — further accelerating its decline.
The result is governments are increasingly unable to tackle major challenges, trapped in a cycle of polarization, gridlock, and short-term thinking that’s harming all of us.
And the future is only getting more complex.
This is a problem we must solve.
Mission
The mission of DemocracyOS is to solve humanity's most urgent, hair-on-fire problem:
Democracy is breaking down. As it grows less effective, public trust erodes — further accelerating its decline.
The result is governments are increasingly unable to tackle major challenges, trapped in a cycle of polarization, gridlock, and short-term thinking that’s harming all of us.
And the future is only getting more complex.
This is a problem we must solve.
Mission
The mission of DemocracyOS is to solve humanity's most urgent, hair-on-fire problem:
Democracy is breaking down. As it grows less effective, public trust erodes — further accelerating its decline.
The result is governments are increasingly unable to tackle major challenges, trapped in a cycle of polarization, gridlock, and short-term thinking that’s harming all of us.
And the future is only getting more complex.
This is a problem we must solve.
4 in 5
Americans don't trust government to do the right thing — near historic lows.
48%
Percent that public sector workers are more likely to experience burnout than those in the private sector.
Discovery
Discovery
Discovery
Research
Interviewed 22 residents and civic leaders, and studied reports and market data.
Research
Interviewed 22 residents and civic leaders, and studied reports and market data.
Research
Interviewed 22 residents and civic leaders, and studied reports and market data.
Refocusing
For years, I had struggled to financially sustain research and solutions to this democracy erosion problem through traditional nonprofit, 501(c)(3) models. Eventually, I began exploring how I might design solutions that could earn sustainable revenue to support the work of a mission-driven startup.
Refocusing
For years, I had struggled to financially sustain research and solutions to this democracy erosion problem through traditional nonprofit, 501(c)(3) models. Eventually, I began exploring how I might design solutions that could earn sustainable revenue to support the work of a mission-driven startup.
Refocusing
For years, I had struggled to financially sustain research and solutions to this democracy erosion problem through traditional nonprofit, 501(c)(3) models. Eventually, I began exploring how I might design solutions that could earn sustainable revenue to support the work of a mission-driven startup.
User Research
Building on hundreds of conversations and the systemic insights and I developed at my previous nonprofit, I set out to freshly examine this problem through the lens of democracy’s users: the public and civic leaders.
I conducted 22 fresh interviews with civic leaders, government employees, and residents. I also studied reports and publicly available data.
The result was a web of notes, ideas, and threads.
User Research
Building on the hundreds of conversations and systemic insights I developed at my previous nonprofit, I set out to freshly examine this problem through the lens of democracy’s users: the public and civic leaders.
I conducted 22 fresh interviews with civic leaders, government employees, and residents. I also studied reports and publicly available data.
The result was a web of notes, ideas, and threads.
User Research
Building on hundreds of conversations and the systemic insights and I developed at my previous nonprofit, I set out to freshly examine this problem through the lens of democracy’s users: the public and civic leaders.
I conducted 22 fresh interviews with civic leaders, government employees, and residents. I also studied reports and publicly available data.
The result was a web of notes, ideas, and threads.
He said he’d be more likely to give feedback if it was as easier.
He said he’d be more likely to give feedback if it was easier.
He said he’d be more likely to give feedback if it was as easier.
The number one thing for them is engaging more people and not just the same ones who always show up.
The number one thing for them is engaging more people and not just the same ones who always show up.
The number one thing for them is engaging more people and not just the same ones who always show up.
They pay 3k/year for FPF and around 10k for website services.
They pay 3k/year for FPF and around 10k for website services.
They pay 3k/year for FPF and around 10k for website services.
“I’d participate more if I actually thought it would make a difference. But it feels like they’ve already made up their minds.”
“I’d participate more if I actually thought it would make a difference. But it feels like they’ve already made up their minds.”
“I’d participate more if I actually thought it would make a difference. But it feels like they’ve already made up their minds.”
A key metric in determining whether to buy is how many people will this engage that otherwise would not be engaged. If it’s not just the same 20–50 people, but is significantly more, and continuously, it becomes very interesting.
A key metric in determining whether to buy is how many people will this engage that otherwise would not be engaged. If it’s not just the same 20–50 people, but is significantly more, and continuously, it becomes very interesting.
A key metric in determining whether to buy is how many people will this engage that otherwise would not be engaged. If it’s not just the same 20–50 people, but is significantly more, and continuously, it becomes very interesting.
"I only hear from the city when there’s a snow emergency or my taxes are due."
"I only hear from the city when there’s a snow emergency or my taxes are due."
"I only hear from the city when there’s a snow emergency or my taxes are due."
“How do you ensure that the responses are not skewed?”
“How do you ensure that the responses are not skewed?”
“How do you ensure that the responses are not skewed?”
4 out of 5 Americans don't trust government to do what is right.
4 out of 5 Americans don't trust government to do what is right.
4 out of 5 Americans don't trust government to do what is right.
Feels like screaming into the void. You send an email, fill out a form, and hear nothing back. Did anyone even read it?
Feels like screaming into the void. You send an email, fill out a form, and hear nothing back. Did anyone even read it?
Feels like screaming into the void. You send an email, fill out a form, and hear nothing back. Did anyone even read it?
For her, the number one issue was how to hear from everybody, and also how typical processes are a lot of work but then over.
For her, the number one issue was how to hear from everybody, and also how typical processes are a lot of work but then over.
For her, the number one issue was how to hear from everybody, and also how typical processes are a lot of work but then over.
He also mentioned he’d like to see a dashboard with buckets determined by him and the city — specifically the priorities they’ve identified. So that when a comment about a sidewalk comes in, it goes under the “healthy and livable” priority category.
He also mentioned he’d like to see a dashboard with buckets determined by him and the city — specifically the priorities they’ve identified. So that when a comment about a sidewalk comes in, it goes under the “healthy and livable” priority category.
He also mentioned he’d like to see a dashboard with buckets determined by him and the city — specifically the priorities they’ve identified. So that when a comment about a sidewalk comes in, it goes under the “healthy and livable” priority category.
I signed a petition last year for more bike lanes. What happened with that? No idea.
I signed a petition last year for more bike lanes. What happened with that? No idea.
I signed a petition last year for more bike lanes. What happened with that? No idea.
He mentioned they use CivicPlus, and he likes it. It is a full package and it works well for them. Part of that is NIXLE, which is a mass text system they use for emergencies, which has about 3,000 people registered. He said they pay somewhere between $5,000 and $8,000 for CivicPlus.
He mentioned they use CivicPlus, and he likes it. It is a full package and it works well for them. Part of that is NIXLE, which is a mass text system they use for emergencies, which has about 3,000 people registered. He said they pay somewhere between $5,000 and $8,000 for CivicPlus.
He mentioned they use CivicPlus, and he likes it. It is a full package and it works well for them. Part of that is NIXLE, which is a mass text system they use for emergencies, which has about 3,000 people registered. He said they pay somewhere between $5,000 and $8,000 for CivicPlus.
She is concerned that the same people would respond. This is a recurring concern, so I need to figure out a way to address this.
She is concerned that the same people would respond. This is a recurring concern, so I need to figure out a way to address this.
She is concerned that the same people would respond. This is a recurring concern, so I need to figure out a way to address this.
“City councilors have different needs than department heads.”
“City councilors have different needs than department heads.”
“City councilors have different needs than department heads.”
I don’t trust or distrust them, I just don’t think about them at all. They’re irrelevant to my daily life.
I don’t trust or distrust them, I just don’t think about them at all. They’re irrelevant to my daily life.
I don’t trust or distrust them, I just don’t think about them at all. They’re irrelevant to my daily life.
“What’s the point? It doesn't change what they do anyway."
“What’s the point? It doesn't change what they do anyway."
“What’s the point? It doesn't change what they do anyway."
He pointed out that the city needs to do an RFP for anything over 10–15k. So keeping it under that would be easier.
He pointed out that the city needs to do an RFP for anything over 10–15k. So keeping it under that would be easier.
He pointed out that the city needs to do an RFP for anything over 10–15k. So keeping it under that would be easier.
She mentioned she works two jobs and is exhausted. The last thing she has energy for is a city council meeting.
She mentioned she works two jobs and is exhausted. The last thing she has energy for is a city council meeting.
She mentioned she works two jobs and is exhausted. The last thing she has energy for is a city council meeting.
He said he thinks texts were very useful and important.
He said he thinks texts were very useful and important.
He said he thinks texts were very useful and important.
Public sector workers are 48% more likely to report being burnt out by their jobs than private sector workers.
Public sector workers are 48% more likely to report being burnt out by their jobs than private sector workers.
Public sector workers are 48% more likely to report being burnt out by their jobs than private sector workers.
There is quantifiable data (i.e. for or against #s) and there is the life circumstances (qualitative data). He wants both.
There is quantifiable data (i.e. for or against #s) and there is the life circumstances (qualitative data). He wants both.
There is quantifiable data (i.e. for or against #s) and there is the life circumstances (qualitative data). He wants both.
She said she would want to see something easy to digest, with visuals she could use to share it with the city.
She said she would want to see something easy to digest, with visuals she could use to share it with the city.
She said she would want to see something easy to digest, with visuals she could use to share it with the city.
The meetings are too much for me. It’s the same group of angry people every time. I don’t feel comfortable speaking up there.
The meetings are too much for me. It’s the same group of angry people every time. I don’t feel comfortable speaking up there.
The meetings are too much for me. It’s the same group of angry people every time. I don’t feel comfortable speaking up there.
Too much jargon. “Stakeholder,” “ordinance,” “zoning”… just speak plain English.
Too much jargon. “Stakeholder,” “ordinance,” “zoning”… just speak plain English.
Too much jargon. “Stakeholder,” “ordinance,” “zoning”… just speak plain English.
“People are risk averse”
“People are risk averse”
“People are risk averse”
She wishes she could see what her neighbors are saying about local issues.
She wishes she could see what her neighbors are saying about local issues.
She wishes she could see what her neighbors are saying about local issues.
I’m a renter. I feel like they only listen to homeowners who pay property taxes directly.
I’m a renter. I feel like they only listen to homeowners who pay property taxes directly.
I’m a renter. I feel like they only listen to homeowners who pay property taxes directly.
Checking a box. That’s what it feels like. They can say they did public engagement but it doesn’t feel genuine.
Checking a box. That’s what it feels like. They can say they did public engagement but it doesn’t feel genuine.
Checking a box. That’s what it feels like. They can say they did public engagement but it doesn’t feel genuine.
Would like to see more two-way communication. If people who shared input could followed up with, like “how do you want to see us proceed?” Or inviting them to join a focus group to talk more. But she said it always has to be easy.
Would like to see more two-way communication. If people who shared input could followed up with, like “how do you want to see us proceed?” Or inviting them to join a focus group to talk more. But she said it always has to be easy.
Would like to see more two-way communication. If people who shared input could followed up with, like “how do you want to see us proceed?” Or inviting them to join a focus group to talk more. But she said it always has to be easy.
Synthesis
Distilled those insights into clear pain points: 4 for civic leaders, and 4 for public users.
Synthesis
Distilled those insights into clear pain points: 4 for civic leaders, and 4 for public users.
Synthesis
Distilled those insights into clear pain points: 4 for civic leaders, and 4 for public users.
Definition
Over many rounds of iteration, reorganization, and distillation, I identified four main pain points each for both civic leaders and the public. I organized these into a modified version of the pain points framework outlined by Tony Fadell is his book Build:
Definition
Over many rounds of iteration, reorganization, and distillation, I identified four main pain points each for both civic leaders and the public. I organized these into a modified version of the pain points framework outlined by Tony Fadell is his book Build:
Definition
Over many rounds of iteration, reorganization, and distillation, I identified four main pain points each for both civic leaders and the public. I organized these into a modified version of the pain points framework outlined by Tony Fadell is his book Build:
Asking The Right Questions
With these eight pain points clearly defined, I reframed them into eight "How might we…" questions that could spark solutions.
As I worked through this process, the questions seemed to fall into four core themes, each captured by a key guiding question:
Asking The Right Questions
With these eight pain points clearly defined, I reframed them into eight "How might we…" questions that could spark solutions.
As I worked through this process, the questions seemed to fall into four core themes, each captured by a key guiding question:
Asking The Right Questions
With these eight pain points clearly defined, I reframed them into eight "How might we…" questions that could spark solutions.
As I worked through this process, the questions seemed to fall into four core themes, each captured by a key guiding question:
COLLECTION
How can we gather quality input from the most people at the lowest cost?
REPRESENTATION
How can we ensure that input is reflective of the entire community and is not skewed toward a vocal minority?
SYNTHESIS
How can we distill actionable insights from large volumes of public input?
TRUST & EMPOWERMENT
How can we make the process easy and fulfilling for the public, so they want to keep doing it and feel like it genuinely makes a difference?
View Question Distillation Process
The four questions above were developed by first reframing all eight pain points into “How might we…” questions to spark solutions.
It seemed to me that they fell into four broad categories, so I grouped related questions together and distilled each set into one overarching question.
Here’s how the groupings broke down:
COLLECTION
How can we gather quality input from the most people at the lowest cost?
Combination of:
RESOURCE STRAIN
How might we gather more high-quality public input with less demand on staff time and budget?
INACCESSIBILITY
How might we redesign civic participation so people can engage meaningfully on their own time and terms?
REPRESENTATION
How can we ensure that resulting input is reflective of the entire community and is not skewed toward a vocal minority?
Emerged from:
REPRESENTATION GAP
How might we ensure feedback reflects the whole community — not just the loudest voices?
SYNTHESIS
How can we distill actionable insights from these large volumes of public input?
Emerged from:
DATA OVERLOAD
How might we turn a flood of raw input into clear insights that reveal true community priorities?
TRUST & EMPOWERMENT
How can we make that process easy and fulfilling for the public, so they want to keep doing it and feel like it makes a difference?
Combination of:
POWERLESSNESS
How might we show people their voices matter — and lead to real, visible change?
CONFUSION
How might we make government processes easy to understand and clearly relevant to people’s lives?
COMMUNITY DISCONNECT
How might we rebuild trust and reconnect with a disengaged, disillusioned public?
DECAY
How might we show that government works — and delivers real results for everyday people?
View Question Distillation Process
The four questions above were developed by first reframing all eight pain points into “How might we…” questions to spark solutions.
It seemed to me that they fell into four broad categories, so I grouped related questions together and distilled each set into one overarching question.
Here’s how the groupings broke down:
COLLECTION
How can we gather quality input from the most people at the lowest cost?
Combination of:
RESOURCE STRAIN
How might we gather more high-quality public input with less demand on staff time and budget?
INACCESSIBILITY
How might we redesign civic participation so people can engage meaningfully on their own time and terms?
REPRESENTATION
How can we ensure that resulting input is reflective of the entire community and is not skewed toward a vocal minority?
Emerged from:
REPRESENTATION GAP
How might we ensure feedback reflects the whole community — not just the loudest voices?
SYNTHESIS
How can we distill actionable insights from these large volumes of public input?
Emerged from:
DATA OVERLOAD
How might we turn a flood of raw input into clear insights that reveal true community priorities?
TRUST & EMPOWERMENT
How can we make that process easy and fulfilling for the public, so they want to keep doing it and feel like it makes a difference?
Combination of:
POWERLESSNESS
How might we show people their voices matter — and lead to real, visible change?
CONFUSION
How might we make government processes easy to understand and clearly relevant to people’s lives?
COMMUNITY DISCONNECT
How might we rebuild trust and reconnect with a disengaged, disillusioned public?
DECAY
How might we show that government works — and delivers real results for everyday people?
View Question Distillation Process
The four questions above were developed by first reframing all eight pain points into “How might we…” questions to spark solutions.
It seemed to me that they fell into four broad categories, so I grouped related questions together and distilled each set into one overarching question.
Here’s how the groupings broke down:
COLLECTION
How can we gather quality input from the most people at the lowest cost?
Combination of:
RESOURCE STRAIN
How might we gather more high-quality public input with less demand on staff time and budget?
INACCESSIBILITY
How might we redesign civic participation so people can engage meaningfully on their own time and terms?
REPRESENTATION
How can we ensure that resulting input is reflective of the entire community and is not skewed toward a vocal minority?
Emerged from:
REPRESENTATION GAP
How might we ensure feedback reflects the whole community — not just the loudest voices?
SYNTHESIS
How can we distill actionable insights from these large volumes of public input?
Emerged from:
DATA OVERLOAD
How might we turn a flood of raw input into clear insights that reveal true community priorities?
TRUST & EMPOWERMENT
How can we make that process easy and fulfilling for the public, so they want to keep doing it and feel like it makes a difference?
Combination of:
POWERLESSNESS
How might we show people their voices matter — and lead to real, visible change?
CONFUSION
How might we make government processes easy to understand and clearly relevant to people’s lives?
COMMUNITY DISCONNECT
How might we rebuild trust and reconnect with a disengaged, disillusioned public?
DECAY
How might we show that government works — and delivers real results for everyday people?
Design
Design
Design
Guiding Principle:
Every touchpoint should feel like an official, inevitable next step in the evolution of democracy.
Guiding Principle:
Every touchpoint should feel like an official, inevitable next step in the evolution of democracy.
Guiding Principle:
Every touchpoint should feel like an official, inevitable next step in the evolution of democracy.
More Than a Survey
From my analysis of the market, existing solutions, and user research, a guiding design principle emerged: every aspect of the product should feel like a natural, inevitable evolution of democracy itself — official, clear, timeless, and empowering.
I believe this is key for a platform like DemocracyOS. It helps people see the experience as serious and trustworthy, which makes them more likely to engage, support, and share it with others.
More Than a Survey
From my analysis of the market, existing solutions, and user research, a guiding design principle emerged: every aspect of the product should feel like a natural, inevitable evolution of democracy itself — official, clear, timeless, and empowering.
I believe this is key for a platform like DemocracyOS. It helps people see the experience as serious and trustworthy, which makes them more likely to engage, support, and share it with others.
More Than a Survey
From my analysis of the market, existing solutions, and user research, a guiding design principle emerged: every aspect of the product should feel like a natural, inevitable evolution of democracy itself — official, clear, timeless, and empowering.
I believe this is key for a platform like DemocracyOS. It helps people see the experience as serious and trustworthy, which makes them more likely to engage, support, and share it with others.
The Public's Experience
Friction-free SMS “Pulse Ballots” let residents share rich feedback in under a minute.
The Public's Experience
Friction-free SMS “Pulse Ballots” let residents share rich feedback in under a minute.
The Public's Experience
Friction-free SMS “Pulse Ballots” let residents share rich feedback in under a minute.
The Public’s experience is designed to feel effortless and meaningful. The goal is a process that encourages ongoing participation and empowers residents to shape their community.
The journey begins with a short, simple SMS opt-in. Users share their basic contact information and click to continue.
Registering to Engage
Registering to Engage
The journey begins with a short, simple SMS opt-in. Users share their basic contact information and click to continue.
Registering to Engage
The journey begins with a short, simple SMS opt-in. Users share their basic contact information and click to continue.
After the user shares the basic contact information and opts-in to contact (giving us the ability to follow up with drop-offs), they're guided to a demographic onboarding flow. This is where they provide the minimum details necessary to allow us to select stratified, random samples of the public — critical to ensuring greater accuracy of insight.
Above are the screens we designed within the constraints of Fillout's platform, allowing us to rapidly test and iterate.
Demographics Form
Demographics Form
After the user shares the basic contact information and opts-in to contact (giving us the ability to follow up with drop-offs), they're guided to a demographic onboarding flow. This is where they provide the minimum details necessary to allow us to select stratified, random samples of the public — critical to ensuring greater accuracy of insight.
Above are the screens we designed within the constraints of Fillout's platform, allowing us to rapidly test and iterate.
Demographics Form
After the user shares the basic contact information and opts-in to contact (giving us the ability to follow up with drop-offs), they're guided to a demographic onboarding flow. This is where they provide the minimum details necessary to allow us to select stratified, random samples of the public — critical to ensuring greater accuracy of insight.
Above are the screens we designed within the constraints of Fillout's platform, allowing us to rapidly test and iterate.
We coined the term "Pulse Ballots" for our mobile surveys. The purpose is to distinguish them from generic polls, inviting the recipient to treat them with more gravity and consideration — like an actual ballot.
The UI/UX echoes the trust of official government processes — with clean lines, clear typography, and authoritative yet friendly copy — to reinforce the legitimacy of the interaction.
Pulse Ballots
Pulse Ballots
We coined the term "Pulse Ballots" for our mobile surveys. The purpose is to distinguish them from generic polls, inviting the recipient to treat them with more gravity and consideration — like an actual ballot.
The UI/UX echoes the trust of official government processes — with clean lines, clear typography, and authoritative yet friendly copy — to reinforce the legitimacy of the interaction.
Pulse Ballots
We coined the term "Pulse Ballots" for our mobile surveys. The purpose is to distinguish them from generic polls, inviting the recipient to treat them with more gravity and consideration — like an actual ballot.
The UI/UX echoes the trust of official government processes — with clean lines, clear typography, and authoritative yet friendly copy — to reinforce the legitimacy of the interaction.
ITERATING FOR A BETTER USER EXPERIENCE
At first I thought a single, well-written, open-ended question could prompt users to think deeply and share the issues on their minds. Analyzed at scale, this data could give us a broad sense of public sentiment.
Early testing, however, showed this approach was too intimidating; while some users knew what to say immediately, conversations with users made it clear that most needed more than a blank text box.
We developed a hybrid method: start with an open-ended question, but then allow users to proceed to a list of general topics to jog their memory.
"PICK THEN PROBE" APPROACH
It's easy to look at a list of issue categories and pick the ones that matter most to you.
But then, on the next screen, we could follow up and ask why the user made those selections. This two-step process invited far deeper and more thoughtful responses than a simple open ended question.
The approach proved effective. In the pilot, users’ responses were much longer, more detailed, and of higher quality than we anticipated.
ITERATING FOR A BETTER USER EXPERIENCE
At first I thought a single, well-written, open-ended question could prompt users to think deeply and share the issues on their minds. Analyzed at scale, this data could give us a broad sense of public sentiment.
Early testing, however, showed this approach was too intimidating; while some users knew what to say immediately, conversations with users made it clear that most needed more than a blank text box.
We developed a hybrid method: start with an open-ended question, but then allow users to proceed to a list of general topics to jog their memory.
"PICK THEN PROBE" APPROACH
It's easy to look at a list of issue categories and pick the ones that matter most to you.
But then, on the next screen, we could follow up and ask why the user made those selections. This two-step process invited far deeper and more thoughtful responses than a simple open ended question.
The approach proved effective. In the pilot, users’ responses were much longer, more detailed, and of higher quality than we anticipated.
ITERATING FOR A BETTER USER EXPERIENCE
At first I thought a single, well-written, open-ended question could prompt users to think deeply and share the issues on their minds. Analyzed at scale, this data could give us a broad sense of public sentiment.
Early testing, however, showed this approach was too intimidating; while some users knew what to say immediately, conversations with users made it clear that most needed more than a blank text box.
We developed a hybrid method: start with an open-ended question, but then allow users to proceed to a list of general topics to jog their memory.
"PICK THEN PROBE" APPROACH
It's easy to look at a list of issue categories and pick the ones that matter most to you.
But then, on the next screen, we could follow up and ask why the user made those selections. This two-step process invited far deeper and more thoughtful responses than a simple open ended question.
The approach proved effective. In the pilot, users’ responses were much longer, more detailed, and of higher quality than we anticipated.
ITERATING FOR A BETTER USER EXPERIENCE
At first I thought a single, well-written, open-ended question could prompt users to think deeply and share the issues on their minds. At scale, this data could give us a broad sense of public sentiment.
But early testing revealed it was too intimidating. While some users responded easily, most struggled with a blank text box.
So we created a hybrid approach: begin with an open-ended question, then guide users with a list of topics to help jog their memory.
"PICK THEN PROBE" APPROACH
It’s easy to scan a list and choose the issues that matter most.
But on the next screen, we asked why. This simple follow-up led to far deeper, more thoughtful responses than an open-ended question alone.
The approach worked. In our pilot, users’ replies were longer, richer, and more insightful than expected — averaging 89 words per response.
The Pulse Ballot experience is designed to capture both burning, top-of-mind feedback AND deeper insights that might only surface through a subtle, carefully crafted user experience.
Gathering Quality Insights
Gathering Quality Insights
The Pulse Ballot experience is designed to capture both burning, top-of-mind feedback AND deeper insights that might only surface through a subtle, carefully crafted user experience.
Gathering Quality Insights
The Pulse Ballot experience is designed to capture both burning, top-of-mind feedback AND deeper insights that might only surface through a subtle, carefully crafted user experience.
After a Pulse Ballot closes, participants are told exactly how and when their input will be used, and who will review it. This is a crucial step that contributes to peoples' sense that their input does matter.
Once a report is compiled and reviewed by civic leaders, our aim is for every participant to receive meaningful feedback — showing how their input shaped the conversation and how it fits within the broader community’s perspective.
Our goal is to build a system where even if people disagree with the outcome, they can accept it — because they know their voice was heard and that everyone’s input is being used transparently and effectively to guide better decisions.
Closing the Feedback Loop
Closing the Feedback Loop
After a Pulse Ballot closes, participants are told exactly how and when their input will be used, and who will review it. This is a crucial step that contributes to peoples' sense that their input does matter.
Once a report is compiled and reviewed by civic leaders, our aim is for every participant to receive meaningful feedback — showing how their input shaped the conversation and how it fits within the broader community’s perspective.
Our goal is to build a system where even if people disagree with the outcome, they can accept it — because they know their voice was heard and that everyone’s input is being used transparently and effectively to guide better decisions.
Closing the Feedback Loop
After a Pulse Ballot closes, participants are told exactly how and when their input will be used, and who will review it. This is a crucial step that contributes to peoples' sense that their input does matter.
Once a report is compiled and reviewed by civic leaders, our aim is for every participant to receive meaningful feedback — showing how their input shaped the conversation and how it fits within the broader community’s perspective.
Our goal is to build a system where even if people disagree with the outcome, they can accept it — because they know their voice was heard and that everyone’s input is being used transparently and effectively to guide better decisions.
To encourage meaningful, long-term engagement, I created a visual metaphor that shows how each contribution builds a collective “Public Mind.” This shared intelligence represents the wisdom of the community, growing smarter and more responsive with every idea added. By seeing their input as part of a larger, living system, users are invited to feel ownership over this collective whole — recognizing that their voice shapes something that matters beyond a generic survey.
The Public Mind
The Public Mind
To encourage meaningful, long-term engagement, I created a visual metaphor that shows how each contribution builds a collective “Public Mind.” This shared intelligence represents the wisdom of the community, growing smarter and more responsive with every idea added. By seeing their input as part of a larger, living system, users are invited to feel ownership over this collective whole — recognizing that their voice shapes something that matters beyond a generic survey.
The Public Mind
To encourage meaningful, long-term engagement, I created a visual metaphor that shows how each contribution builds a collective “Public Mind.” This shared intelligence represents the wisdom of the community, growing smarter and more responsive with every idea added. By seeing their input as part of a larger, living system, users are invited to feel ownership over this collective whole — recognizing that their voice shapes something that matters beyond a generic survey.
Government's Experience
Interactive dashboards convert raw input into real-time, map-based insights for evidence-driven decisions.
Government's Experience
Interactive dashboards convert raw input into real-time, map-based insights for evidence-driven decisions.
Government's Experience
Interactive dashboards convert raw input into real-time, map-based insights for evidence-driven decisions.
I identified governments as the most viable customer: they face real challenges and are equipped with the resources to solve them. With this in mind, I designed the government experience to deliver deep insight into public priorities and sentiment, enabling smarter decisions while building trust and participation that benefit everyone.
When civic leaders think about which issues matter most to their communities, they often rely on intuition, anecdotal feedback, or limited engagement — essentially, informed guesswork.
I wanted DemocracyOS to replace that guesswork with clarity. The platform provides a real-time, data-driven map of public priorities — a visual snapshot of community mindshare across key issues — all possible with Pulse Ballots and random, representative sampling.
Real-Time Priority Snapshot
Real-Time Priority Snapshot
When civic leaders think about which issues matter most to their communities, they often rely on intuition, anecdotal feedback, or limited engagement — essentially, informed guesswork.
I wanted DemocracyOS to replace that guesswork with clarity. The platform provides a real-time, data-driven map of public priorities — a visual snapshot of community mindshare across key issues — all possible with Pulse Ballots and random, representative sampling.
Real-Time Priority Snapshot
When civic leaders think about which issues matter most to their communities, they often rely on intuition, anecdotal feedback, or limited engagement — essentially, informed guesswork.
I wanted DemocracyOS to replace that guesswork with clarity. The platform provides a real-time, data-driven map of public priorities — a visual snapshot of community mindshare across key issues — all possible with Pulse Ballots and random, representative sampling.
There's something inherently empowering about maps. They help us understand ideas by laying them out across a framework we understand — a map of our city — and help us literally get a bird's eye view, rising above the noise to see the big picture.
I knew a great map view was an important part of the product and I designed it to be central to the customers' experience.
Interactive Map View
Interactive Map View
There's something inherently empowering about maps. They help us understand ideas by laying them out across a framework we understand — a map of our city — and help us literally get a bird's eye view, rising above the noise to see the big picture.
I knew a great map view was an important part of the product and I designed it to be central to the customers' experience.
Interactive Map View
There's something inherently empowering about maps. They help us understand ideas by laying them out across a framework we understand — a map of our city — and help us literally get a bird's eye view, rising above the noise to see the big picture.
I knew a great map view was an important part of the product and I designed it to be central to the customers' experience.
By tracking aggregated sentiment data we could display a "Civic Health" score, giving leaders a contextual sense of the community's overall mood and how it's trending.
I also often heard from civic leaders a desire to track progress on specific priority areas. For example, if a city was focused on improving public safety, how could they measure that they were actually making progress? Pulse Ballots make it possible to track not only general sentiment, but to zero-in on specific priority areas to track sentiment over time.
Policy Progress Tracking
Policy Progress Tracking
By tracking aggregated sentiment data we could display a "Civic Health" score, giving leaders a contextual sense of the community's overall mood and how it's trending.
I also often heard from civic leaders a desire to track progress on specific priority areas. For example, if a city was focused on improving public safety, how could they measure that they were actually making progress? Pulse Ballots make it possible to track not only general sentiment, but to zero-in on specific priority areas to track sentiment over time.
Policy Progress Tracking
By tracking aggregated sentiment data we could display a "Civic Health" score, giving leaders a contextual sense of the community's overall mood and how it's trending.
I also often heard from civic leaders a desire to track progress on specific priority areas. For example, if a city was focused on improving public safety, how could they measure that they were actually making progress? Pulse Ballots make it possible to track not only general sentiment, but to zero-in on specific priority areas to track sentiment over time.
Impact
Impact
Impact
Pilot 1 Results
A 69% response rate and 89-word average answers validated engagement and insight quality.
Pilot 1 Results
A 69% response rate and 89-word average answers validated engagement and insight quality.
Pilot 1 Results
A 69% response rate and 89-word average answers validated engagement and insight quality.
Key Metrics
The pilot was a successful step toward de-risking our core hypotheses. It demonstrated that:
A) Users would provide deeply insightful and valuable information via SMS surveys when the experience was framed as a well-designed evolution of democracy itself; and
B) The resulting data could be synthesized into valuable insights for civic leaders.
Across the life of the short pilot program, we maintained a 69% response rate across 91 total pilot participants.
Open-ended responses were exceptionally detailed, providing rich, high-quality qualitative data. On average, we saw 89 words per response when users shared text input.
While these results don't definitively prove business viability, they do show that there remains tremendous potential in this space for democracy innovation. They reflect a successful step forward, shaving some risk off of our business assumptions.
Key Metrics
The pilot was a successful step toward de-risking our core hypotheses. It demonstrated that:
A) Users would provide deeply insightful and valuable information via SMS surveys when the experience was framed as a well-designed evolution of democracy itself; and
B) The resulting data could be synthesized into valuable insights for civic leaders.
Across the life of the short pilot program, we maintained a 69% response rate across 91 total pilot participants.
Open-ended responses were exceptionally detailed, providing rich, high-quality qualitative data. On average, we saw 89 words per response when users shared text input.
While these results don't definitively prove business viability, they do show that there remains tremendous potential in this space for democracy innovation. They reflect a successful step forward, shaving some risk off of our business assumptions.
Key Metrics
The pilot was a successful step toward de-risking our core hypotheses. It demonstrated that:
A) Users would provide deeply insightful and valuable information via SMS surveys when the experience was framed as a well-designed evolution of democracy itself; and
B) The resulting data could be synthesized into valuable insights for civic leaders.
Across the life of the short pilot program, we maintained a 69% response rate across 91 total pilot participants.
Open-ended responses were exceptionally detailed, providing rich, high-quality qualitative data. On average, we saw 89 words per response when users shared text input.
While these results don't definitively prove business viability, they do show that there remains tremendous potential in this space for democracy innovation. They reflect a successful step forward, shaving some risk off of our business assumptions.
Next Steps
Key questions remain, particularly around customer and user acquisition costs, and our ability to viably achieve representative samples at scale.
Financial constraints have placed the project on hold at the moment. However, the pilot strengthened my conviction that this model is not just a good idea — but a direction that we will see inevitably emerge in the future. Because it is not a created idea — it has emerged from a deep consideration of the practical realities of modern civic life:
You need data from citizens to build a better democracy. You need an input method to collect that data. Everyone carries that input method in their pocket: their phone. The fastest, most accessible way to collect it is via text message. You then have to make sense of all that data, so you synthesize it with AI. You then present the resulting insights to democratically-elected decision-makers to guide their actions in service of the public's needs.
Some variation of this system, I believe, will become widespread in the future. It may be too early for its time. But I am confident we will see something that resembles DemocracyOS eventually emerge as part of a new, better democracy.
Next Steps
Key questions remain, particularly around customer and user acquisition costs, and our ability to viably achieve representative samples at scale.
Financial constraints have placed the project on hold at the moment. However, the pilot strengthened my conviction that this model is not just a good idea — but a direction that we will see inevitably emerge in the future. Because it is not a created idea — it has emerged from a deep consideration of the practical realities of modern civic life:
You need data from citizens to build a better democracy. You need an input method to collect that data. Everyone carries that input method in their pocket: their phone. The fastest, most accessible way to collect it is via text message. You then have to make sense of all that data, so you synthesize it with AI. You then present the resulting insights to democratically-elected decision-makers to guide their actions in service of the public's needs.
Some variation of this system, I believe, will become widespread in the future. It may be too early for its time. But I am confident we will see something that resembles DemocracyOS eventually emerge as part of a new, better democracy.
Next Steps
Key questions remain, particularly around customer and user acquisition costs, and our ability to viably achieve representative samples at scale.
Financial constraints have placed the project on hold at the moment. However, the pilot strengthened my conviction that this model is not just a good idea — but a direction that we will see inevitably emerge in the future. Because it is not a created idea — it has emerged from a deep consideration of the practical realities of modern civic life:
You need data from citizens to build a better democracy. You need an input method to collect that data. Everyone carries that input method in their pocket: their phone. The fastest, most accessible way to collect it is via text message. You then have to make sense of all that data, so you synthesize it with AI. You then present the resulting insights to democratically-elected decision-makers to guide their actions in service of the public's needs.
Some variation of this system, I believe, will become widespread in the future. It may be too early for its time. But I am confident we will see something that resembles DemocracyOS eventually emerge as part of a new, better democracy.