Smart Community

The research began with interviews involving representatives of large, small and micro residential societies.

The conversations revealed recurring problems. Group chats became crowded and difficult to moderate. Residents struggled to find relevant information or identify neighbours with shared interests. Decisions were not always transparent, different generations participated in different ways, and many people lacked opportunities or spaces to meet.

These interviews helped frame the central research question:

Interviews could tell us what residents said they wanted, but not whether they would actually participate.

Instead of immediately developing new functionality inside Planet App, we used Mighty Networks to create a live version of the service. I helped structure the digital environment around groups, topic-based channels, discussions, announcements, polls and events.

This allowed us to test desirability through real behaviour rather than relying only on stated preferences. I analysed weekly usage data to identify which tools and features residents used most and least, then compared these patterns with their feedback. This revealed the difference between what people said they wanted and what they actually found useful in everyday life.

After two months, a clear pattern began to emerge. Residents were actively participating, but most conversations happened in the common chat, while dedicated groups received little attention.

At first, this looked like a preference for one shared space. But the platform itself may have influenced that behaviour: the chat was always visible and easy to enter, while groups were hidden behind additional navigation.

As participation increased, the common chat also became harder to follow. Unrelated topics overlapped, conversations moved quickly and useful information was easily lost. The experiment revealed not a clear solution, but an important open question: did residents genuinely prefer one shared conversation, or were they simply following the easiest path?

To move beyond our interpretation of the usage data, we tested both prototypes face-to-face with 10 residents in each of the three markets.

As I could not facilitate every session myself, I trained local facility managers and provided a detailed guide covering the tasks, questions and observations to capture. This kept the testing approach consistent while allowing each session to take place in the participants’ own language and familiar environment.

Residents were asked to find a contact, search for an item for sale and create an event. We observed where they hesitated, whether the labels and “+” icon were clear, and which channel structure made content easier to find and create.

On Mighty Networks, the low use of groups initially suggested that residents preferred one shared conversation. The usability test told a different story. Once multiple channels were made visible and easy to access, participants found the experience clearer, easier to navigate and better organised.