Hey, STOP! I thought this app is supposed to be neutral! Operation Libero is not neutral!
Correct. As described on the main page, the aim is to include as many perspectives as possible during the development process. This is just the beginning.
This Weekend I was in Lausanne for a hackathon by ‘Le Temps’. During two days we worked on game concepts for political participation. The event was organized by Paul Ronga, Florian Fischbacher and Laure Dousset. I was in a team with Stéphane Decrey from Operation Libero.
The event started with a gamification workshop by the talented Plush & Nuggets co-founder and CEO, Laure Dousset. Participants of the Hackathon got to know each other and engaged in a brainstorming on current issues with the election process. Before the different teams were formed, I was able to present CH+. This added to the discussion, and offered interested participants the opportunity of following the preceded thought process, to challenge, use and improve the concept. Workshop participants were free to use the idea however they liked.
The next day, Stéphane showed me the concept which he and two other participants had been working on Saturday evening. We set up in one of Le Temps meeting rooms and improved our ideas. In no time, the white board was filled with all kinds of notes and sketches.
Operation Libero is neither left nor right, but they always openly communicate which opinions they support within the current political discourse. In general, they work towards a future-oriented Switzerland. Since our app aims to establish a new way of communicating politics to voters, our approaches complement each other in this regard. As opposed to Operation Libero, CH+ will not take sides during elections or referendums.
Stéphane is responsible for Operation Libero’s communication in the Romandie and specifically their campaign for the upcoming parliament elections. It was an honour to work with him.
On Sunday evening, all groups presented their results. There were three concepts:
Hackathon Concepts
Happy Voting Hour
Focus: Casting your vote
Idea: The act of submitting a vote is viewed as a social happening instead of a solitary act. Social interaction is motivated through real life events and an application.
Your Future Switzerland
Focus: Voter awareness and motivation
Idea: Users discover their future Switzerland by answering a set of questions and receiving an image collage which illustrates their results.
CH+
Focus: Identification of suitable parliamentarians
Idea: You’ll see…
The opportunity to interact with so many skilled, like-minded people, was extremely valuable. The event was well organized and overall a fantastic experience.
