We recapped the main updates about the Turin pilot with the aim to clarify the main changes with respect to the original ideas presented in the first half of the project in terms of scenarios definitions and engagement plans, as they can have an impact on the pilots evaluations.
Pilot recap and updates considering COVID-19
Context: The three Case del Quartiere involved in CO3 (Casa del Quartiere di San Salvario, Cecchi Point and PiùSpazioQuattro) have experienced, as any other cultural centre in Italy, several disruptions of service during the Covid emergency in the last fifteen months. Cultural centres have been among the first services to be shut down in March 2020 and among the last to be opened again, with limitations, in the second half of June 2020. They have been shut down again in October 2020 and currently the re-opening is scheduled for the 1st of July 2021. During lockdowns the only service that was operating in the Case del Quartiere was the collection and distribution of food to people in need. Educational activities for children were allowed in some periods, when schools were open. However, gatherings, cultural activities, courses and citizens participation in general could not take place during most of this period and implementation of CO3 services had to be postponed.
Scenario and engagement plans: Turin pilot foresees one main scenario and four use cases. The following table proposes a short recap and an update of them considering the pandemic emergency occurred since February 2020
Turin pilot use cases update
| Short description from D1.2 (before pandemic) | Update (June 2021) |
Augmented content | Creation of augmented spaces where CdQ managers, associations and citizens can create and visualize different types of content (artistic content, information about activities and events, information about CdQ spaces and services, blockchain objects). | This use case requires the physical presence of users, therefore could not start during the lockdown, where the CdQs suspended their activities. Original use case postponed to the reopening of the CdQ (July 2021). |
Prepaid card with the CdQ’s coin | Creation of a virtual blockchain currency for each CdQ, and of prepaid cards, managed via a wallet app (wallet) that allows associations and private users to make transactions for crowdfunding campaigns, group buying, coupon generation for enhancing the services and inviting people to participate more. | An alternative for this use case was hypothesized as a form of crowdfunding. However, this would require a payment system, which is not planned in the CO3 wallet. Moreover, the building of a user base for CO3 would have been difficult during the lockdown. Original use case has been postponed to the reopening of the CdQ (July 2021). |
Management of volunteering activities | Augmented Reality, First Life and the blockchain wallet will be used to advertise, manage and reward volunteering activities. | The CdQ staff made the hypothesis to use this case for helping in recruiting the volunteers for food distribution, but this would have required to have an already existing users community in place, which was not the case at that time due to the Engagement plan schedule. Original use case has been postponed to the reopening of the CdQ (July 2021) – focus on the volunteering activities in execution in the period. |
Use of coins for pre-registration in the planning of the yearly programme | Citizens will participate in some of the decisions regarding the programme of the events and activities taking place in CdQs, through coins for pre-registering, or decision tokens. | This use case requires the physical presence of users, therefore could not start during the lockdown, where the CdQs suspended their activities. Original use case has been postponed to the reopening of the CdQ (July 2021). |
The launch of the pilot has been postponed to July 2021 with the reopening of the CdQs. The main impact of Covid on pilot implementation is therefore a strong delay; further changes and adaptations take into account the limitations to the capacity of the CdQs’ halls and rooms: the original design of the Scenario was strongly focused on physical presence; currently the CO3 apps are being revised in order to facilitate the remote interaction in addition to the interactions in presence.
Use case 1 - Augmented content
Turin use case 1 main hypothesis and sub hypothesis
The capabilities afforded by CO3 use of AR Technology can help to create and maintain a service where managers, organizers and citizens actively participate in CdQ activities | Main | AR |
CdQ managers, organisers and citizens alike will be engaged in producing/dropping AR content | All | AR/ Gamification |
Turin use case 1 disruptive hypothesis
Content | Current | Focus |
Citizens will contribute/participate to the CdQ activities through the use of AR in ACA | There’s no spaces in which Managers, Organizers and Citizens can share contents in an immediate and interactive way, just physical message boards | Citizens |
Communication through AR will provide more feedback on spaces and facilities, improving maintenance | They need to go to the manager to report their feedback | Citizens |
Use case 2 - Prepaid card with the CdQ's coin
Turin use case 2 main hypothesis and sub hypothesis
Content | Focus | Technology |
The capabilities afforded by CO3 Token System can help create and maintain a service where citizen participating in CdQ activities pre-pay services to provide working capital in advance | Main | blockchain |
Citizens will be eager to contribute in advance to CdQ activities (Hesitation, Usefulness, Trust in the Commons) | Citizens | blockchain |
Organizations that propose activities are willing to promote the system and provide incentives to the citizens to use the system | Organizations | blockchain |
The system improves daily work and does not create bigger administrative workload | All | blockchain |
The use of prepaid tokens and of an exchange system creates economic links between different activities and organisations | All | blockchain |
The use of this system changes the characteristics of the participants (age, type etc.) | Citizens | blockchain |
Organizers will be eager to redeem token in CdQ (instead of exchanging them) | Organizations | blockchain |
Users will accept to use the CO3 Wallet Application (UTAUT, Usefulness, Ease-of-use / Feel confident) | Technology, Citizens | blockchain |
The service will be feasible to sustain within the Italian legal and accounting framework | Legal | blockchain |
The service will be adopted by the municipality or other similar entities (e.g association / third sector organizations) | P.A. | blockchain |
Turin use case 2 disruptive hypothesis
Content | Current | Focus |
Blockchain will provide CdQ and organisations with working capital in advance | Payments are made mainly in cash, usually at the time of use of the service (max 1 month in advance) | Associations |
Use case 3 - Management of volunteering activities
Turin use case 3 main hypothesis and sub hypothesis
Content | Focus | Technology |
The capabilities afforded by CO3 Token System can help create and maintain a service which improves the management of voluntary activities and engagement of volunteers | Main | AR/ Blockchain / Gamification |
Managers and organizers will be using the service | CdQ management, Organizations | AR/ Blockchain |
Number of volunteers will increase when service is installed | Citizens | AR/ Blockchain / Gamification |
Volunteer will complete the tasks at hand | Citizens | AR/ Blockchain |
Less time spent by managers to manage voluntary work | CdQ management, Organizations | AR/ Blockchain |
Turin use case 3 disruptive hypothesis
Content | Current | Focus |
ACA provides a way to show volunteering activities available and every user/organiser will be able to check activity completed. Improvement of Houses’ Governance. | Manager asks the mailing list/whatsapp group. If it is a group activity a specific session is organized and volunteers invited through the mailing list/whatsapp group. Benefits/acknowledgements are given inconsistently by organizations in paper/xls sheet or in a time management tool. | All |
AR provides incentive to citizen to participate in voluntary activities linked with the surrounding environment | Activities are communicated through mailing list/xls | Citizens |
Blockchain tokens will allow volunteers to easily redeem their discounts | Communication with managers is required to confirm redemption through paper/xls. | Users |
Use case 4 - Use of coins for pre-registration in the planning of the yearly programme
Turin use case 4 main hypothesis and sub hypothesis
Content | Focus | Technology |
The capabilities afforded by CO3 Token System can help produce a yearly program targeted on real users/public interest | Main | AR/ Blockchain |
Users will be interested in expressing their preferences | Citizens | AR/ Blockchain |
The voting system will act as well as a promotional activity (citizens participating in voting will be more willing to participate in the activities) | Organizers | AR/ Blockchain |
Efficiency will increase by reducing activities that fail because do not meet public’s favor | Organizers | AR/ Blockchain |
Turin use case 4 disruptive hypothesis
Content | Current | Focus |
Citizens will be directly involved in the choice of services address to them | The programme of courses is presented by managers and organizers | Citizens |
Evaluation actions
Use case 1 - Augmented content
Three evaluation actions have been defined for the Turin use case 1. Two of them can be evaluated through the analysis of usage data about AR contents. The other one is the result of data collected through the interaction with relevant stakeholders in workshops and questionnaires. All these data can contribute mainly to the evaluation of socio-cultural factors.
Turin use case 1 evaluation actions
Content | Type | Factor |
Number of people that create AR contents | Usage data [AR.3] | Sociocultural |
Number of AR items created | Usage data [FL.1] | Technological/ Sociocultural |
Number of people participating in events promoted through AR; effectiveness of AR in promoting activities | Usage data [AR.6]; Questionnaire | Economic; Sociocultural |
Use case 2 - Prepaid card with the CdQ's coin
Eleven evaluation actions have been defined for the Turin use case 2. More than half of them (7/11) can be evaluated through the analysis of usage data in a quantitative way. The other four are the results of data collected through the interaction with relevant stakeholders in workshops and questionnaires. Usage data can mainly contribute to the evaluation of economic factors. Some of them also address socio-cultural aspects. Workshops and questionnaires can be used to collect additional qualitative feedback from end-users about the usefulness of the CO3 application, considering socio-cultural, legal and economic factors.
Turin use case 2 evaluation actions
Content | Type | Factor |
Volume of tokens created | Usage data [W.1] | Economic |
Volume of tokens spent, average purchase of tokens, average balance (customer), average balance (issuer), average time to spend (customer), | Usage data [W.2, W.4, W.5, W.6] | Economic |
Citizens willingness to support CdQ/organisation by prepaid system | Focus Group/Workshop; Short Interviews UTAUT based Questionnaires | All |
Impact of the wallet on the work of CdQ managers and organisers | Focus Group / Workshop; Questionnaire | All |
Opinion of an external expert about CO3 wallet (about: legal feasibility, impact on PA, administrative / bureaucratic constraints) | Experts Interview/ Questionnaire | All |
Number of users that use tokens for services offered by different organisations in the same CdQ (percentage of the total) | Usage data [W.7] | Sociocultural, Economic |
Technology acceptance of Wallet | Survey / UTAUT based Questionnaires | All |
Demographics of users | Usage data [D.1] | Sociocultural |
Usage of tokens by organisations (redemption / exchange) | Usage data [W.9] | Economic |
Adoption of the wallet by P.A./organisations outside the CdQ | Usage data [W.7] | Economic |
Number of issuers that accept third party tokens | Usage data [W13] | Economic |
Use case 3 - Management of volunteering activities
Three evaluation actions have been defined for the Turin use case 3. Two of them can be evaluated through the analysis of usage data about the involvement of volunteers. The other one is the result of data collected through the interaction with relevant stakeholders in workshops and questionnaires. These data can contribute mainly to the evaluation of economic and socio-cultural factors.
Turin use case 3 evaluation actions
Content | Type | Factor |
Number of CdQ users that will be involved in the volunteer activities published in the platform | Usage data [W.14] | Sociocultural |
Effectiveness of the app in the management of volunteering activities | Questionnaire/ focus group | Sociocultural, Economic |
N. of volunteers activities | Usage data [FL.3] | Economic |
Use case 4 - Use of coins for pre-registration in the planning of the yearly programme
Four evaluation actions have been defined for the Turin use case 4. Three of them can be evaluated through the analysis of usage data about the involvement of participants to the CdQ activities. The other one is the result of data collected through the interaction with relevant stakeholders in workshops and questionnaires. These data can contribute mainly to the evaluation of economic and socio-cultural factors
Turin use case 4 evaluation actions
Content | Type | Factor |
N. of participants in annual courses, engaged by the platform (percentage on offline data) | Usage data [W.11] | Economic |
Number of people participating in courses that have reached the maximum of voting tokens | Usage data [W.11,W12] | Economic |
Percentage of people participating in the voting process that participate also in the activities | Usage data [W.11,W.12] | Sociocultural |
Effectiveness of the Token System in producing a yearly program targeted on real users/public interest | Focus Group / Workshop; Short Interviews > Questionnaire | Sociocultural |