Epa! School of Open Participation

Context

Better cities require more people to understand how change happens

In 2022 I explored how UX could address common city problems, focusing on the role citizen participation plays in building a better future. With an estimated 68% of the world’s population expected to live in urban areas by 2050, decisions made in cities increasingly shape collective wellbeing.

The challenge is not only bringing citizens and public entities together. Participation comes with a dense framework of technical knowledge that is difficult to translate into language people can understand and use.

How might we educate citizens who do not know the ways they can participate in their city?

Research

Mapping a broad system, then learning from people inside it

Citizen participation was initially too broad to explore effectively. A collaborative participation map helped organize the topic, identify the actors involved, and expose promising areas of opportunity. From there, I designed a research process around the dynamics, barriers, and motivations that shape participation.

I conducted contextual interviews with approximately 20 university students in Bilbao and five experts. I also joined two real participation settings: an open security forum in Otxarkoaga and a process organized by the Basque Youth Council (EGK).

Findings

Participation is not a single behavior—and motivation alone is not enough

Comparing young people’s perspectives with expert knowledge helped separate needs from assumptions. It clarified how little many citizens know about the available channels, which barriers keep them from engaging, and why different levels of interest demand different entry points.

Two personas made those needs and barriers more concrete. Short question cards shared with young people added another lightweight layer of evidence and helped refine the target audience before ideation.

Road to solution

A school for participation, available in your pocket

The design goal was to facilitate education about citizen participation while making initiatives and channels easier to discover. Epa! became both an app and digital platform structured around two complementary axes.

First, short learning pills explain participation step by step. Second, a curated directory of courses, workshops, and participatory activities adapts to each user’s interests and availability—helping them deepen their knowledge and connect with people who care about similar issues.

Epa! School of Open Participation teaches and disseminates the dynamics of citizen participation through learning and real opportunities to take part.

Reflections & next steps

Participation must be inclusive, deliberative, and designed as a living system

The next stage should include a participatory process to co-design the curriculum and validate how Epa! can better connect citizens with associations, councils, and city institutions.