We would like to invite you to a DILAC Open Studio discussion on the following challenge: How to balance the need for structured user guidance with people's interest to express themselves freely and without any constraints?

A little background: The VIP Digital Deliberation works on the design of an attractive online platform that supports and structures reflective online deliberation. The goal is to coordinate the reasoning of people with different opinions, experiences, and interests so that, through reflection on their own thinking, they can become aware of the limitations of their particular point of view.

In this context, the challenge outlined above is serious. It would be great to get your thoughts on this. We will provide a short example from a classroom project on the Tri-State Water War between Florida, Alabama, and Georgia that shows how a reflective deliberation process could lead to real improvement of thinking, if not even to a consensus. We will also briefly talk about the reasons why we think that structured user guidance is needed. But beyond that, the floor is all yours.

VIP Digital Deliberation: http://agora.gatech.edu/node/50

Michael Hoffmann, SPP, m.hoffmann@gatech.edu, AGORA Project

Chris Le Dantec, LMC, ledantec@gatech.edu, Participatory Publics Lab