A California city is turning to residents to shape choices for the stores and restaurants that will flavor its downtown. Along the way, they generated impressive engagement — and excitement. In July, the City of Hanford, California, shared an easy-to-use online engagement tool with residents so they could help choose and rank different restaurants and stores.
Prioritize is an online simulation tool by Balancing Act from Polco that allows residents to allocate a one-time or fixed budget among different projects and rank their choices by priority. Hanford’s two Prioritize simulations were for “Food and Services” and “Clothing and Accessories.”
Each of Hanford’s simulations gave residents different potential dining and shopping options. The city asked users to select and rank the top five choices. Options included different national brands such as Qdoba, Olive Garden, Macy’s, Nordstrom Rack, and more.
The tools are just part of Hanford's efforts to redesign its downtown and use community feedback to attract commerce to the area.
Prioritize is often used for government projects and spending items in fixed budgets. But Hanford’s use of the tool offers a new perspective for how Prioritize can be used in the future, and demonstrates its versatility in different types of public engagement.
The two simulations ran for nearly one month. During that time, the City received nearly 5,000 combined submissions from both tools. “Food and Services” received a 60% submission rate, meaning 60% of those who viewed the simulation submitted a response. “Clothing and Clothing Accessories” received a whopping 71% submission rate – one of the highest percentages in the history of the tool.
City Community Relations Manager Brian Johnson says the high engagement can be attributed to a combination of things. The simple (and fun) subject matter likely attracted people to participate. Plus, the City launched a dedicated new website page and social media promotion, notably Facebook.
“I honestly do not believe we would have received as many responses if we had used something like Survey Monkey,” said Johnson, noting Balancing Act’s “clean layout” is “just very appealing and inviting.”
People who live outside of Hanford were also encouraged to participate, as the city also hopes to capture the business of residents nearby.
The tools are just part of Hanford's efforts to redesign its downtown and use community feedback to attract commerce to the area.
Prioritize is often used for government projects and spending items in fixed budgets. But Hanford’s use of the tool offers a new perspective for how Prioritize can be used in the future, and demonstrates its versatility in different types of public engagement.
“I am always delighted when our local government partners come up with their own creative uses of our tools,” said Balancing Act CEO Chris Adams. “Hanford’s use of the tool for retail is awesome, and it is heartening to see the off-the-charts response they have gotten from residents.”
Learn more about Prioritize by scheduling a demo.
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