The IDEAL Platform was Tested in Dijon

Finding affordable, quality student housing is a universal challenge across Europe making it the perfect real-world issue to test out new civic technology.

On June 10th, the IDEAL project brought this topic to the table during a specialized 90-minute workshop in Dijon, France. Facilitated by Fabienne Trotte from Relais Culture Europe (a member of the IDEAL consortium), the session put the IDEAL digital platform and mobile application directly into the hands of the people it is designed to serve..

The workshop was a key event within the Bridging the Gaps intensive week. This collaborative initiative was organized by Université Bourgogne Europe in partnership with the University of Valencia, and supported by the FORTHEM Alliance.

The setting provided an ideal environment to test how digital tools can foster cross-border, cross-generational civic dialogue.

To ensure high-quality feedback, the session brought together an intimate, diverse group of about ten participants, including teachers, researchers, and students.

Over the course of an hour and a half, the group used the IDEAL platform to tackle the pressing issue of student housing. Crucially, this test was conducted in a fully multilingual setting, with users navigating and interacting in French, English, and Spanish.

The primary objective was to test the IDEAL tools with real-life usage scenarios. Participants didn't just look at the platform; they actively stress-tested it, evaluating it on three core pillars:

• Accessibility: Can users of all technical backgrounds easily enter the platform and participate?

• Clarity: Is the multilingual interface intuitive, or does translation cause confusion?

• Functionality: Do the core features of both the web platform and the mobile app work seamlessly during an active debate?

  
  

As the platform continues its development phase, the hands-on testing in Dijon will play a vital role in refining the tools, ensuring that when the IDEAL platform fully launches, it is built by the community, for the community.