EU // Algoaware
THE CHALLENGE

With the rise of AI applications impacting almost all parts of society and decision making, the EU commission wanted to raise awareness and to encourage fruitful debates in the area.

THE INTERVENTION

We created an online + offline campaign through multiple channels facilitating debate, literature, talks, etc.

You can find the twitter account here.

YEAR

2018

ROLE

Service Design, Experience Design, Graphic Design

COLLABORATORS

EU Commission (client), Optimity Advisors (agency)

Process highlights

Research

  • Desk Research & Workshops: Conducted extensive desk‑research, reviewed policy frameworks, and engaged directly with stakeholders, including experts, industry leaders, and citizens, via interviews and workshops.

  • Stakeholder mapping: Mapped out key user roles and mental models, uncovering varying levels of algorithmic awareness and trust across different audiences.


Design

  • Personas & journeys: Synthesizing user insights into clear personas, each representing a different stakeholder group—citizens, regulators, platform operators—to illustrate how they encounter and interact with algorithmic systems

  • Visual branding & communication: Creating compelling visual assets and identity to make complex algorithmic concepts understandable and relatable.

  • Web interface & events: Building an accessible web platform that hosted resources, discussions, and public calls for feedback, while integrating it with offline workshops and talks.

Outcomes

  • Widespread awareness & engagement: Through our multimedia campaign and interactive events, we successfully fostered critical discourse on algorithmic transparency and accountability across Europe.

  • Policy-informed toolkit: Our work informed developments in EU‑level policy frameworks, including transparency requirements for platforms and contextualising the role of human‑in‑control mechanisms.

  • Dynamic community resource: We launched an evolving, open-source bibliography on algorithmic decision-making, which continues to grow and support researchers, policymakers, and the public

Snippets from design strategy and research communication outcomes

Snippets from online campaign visual media and website for Algoaware