What Is PolisFlow?
Polis, created and stewarded by the Computational Democracy Project, is a groundbreaking open-source platform for collective intelligence. It allows groups to contribute statements, vote agree/pass/disagree on others’ contributions, and visualise where consensus and differences lie.
At CrownShy, we’ve developed PolisFlow—a way of structuring elements around Polis to make them more accessible for participants and more insightful for organisers.
Why PolisFlow?
Polis is already a powerful open-source platform for collective intelligence, revealing hidden areas of agreement on divisive and complex issues.
PolisFlow adds two key elements:
Context before deliberation
Participants can first explore a knowledge base, short videos, background materials, or live expert contributions, that bring everyone onto the same page. This ensures the deliberation begins from a place of shared understanding and exposure to multiple perspectives.
Richer data after deliberation
A short survey step, using open-source tools like HeyForm, gathers demographics and baseline attitudes before participants move into Polis. Linking this data with the Polis conversation allows organisers to see not only where agreement and disagreement exist, but also how opinions differ across specific categories and how they evolve over time.
In short, PolisFlow strengthens both ends of the engagement:
- Preparing participants to contribute more meaningfully, and
- Giving organisers insights that are deeper, more nuanced, and more actionable.
How It Works
Step 1: Knowledge Base (optional)
Participants access curated materials, from short videos and audio content to briefing notes, to get oriented before deliberation.
Step 2: Survey
Participants answer simple demographic or attitudinal questions (e.g. sector, role, baseline views). This step uses the open-source survey tool HeyForm to ensure a seamless experience.
Step 3: Polis Conversation
Participants then transition into Polis to vote and contribute their own statements. Because the survey data is linked with Polis, the outputs are much richer than standard snapshots of opinion.
Step 4: Analysis
PolisFlow then enables the analysis of combined responses from the survey, the Polis conversation, and any external data that is linked to the user. This provides a deeper understanding of how different subgroups have responded to the Polis conversation and how attributes identified in the survey phase interact with opinion groups.
What PolisFlow adds
Connects survey and deliberation data → See how perspectives differ across sectors or demographics.
Inclusive → Ensures that even participants without prior expertise can participate meaningfully.
Interoperable → Shows what’s possible when open-source tools are combined in new ways.
Hybrid by design → Works for in-person events, online-only consultations, or both at once.
Proven in Practice
PolisFlow is a tried and tested product.
At the Paris AI Action Summit in February 2025, PolisFlow powered a hybrid deliberation on AI at work. Participants began with short survey questions on their sector and views on AI regulation, then moved into a live Polis debate informed by panel discussions. Read the blog post about this engagement.
CrownShy has also delivered PolisFlow engagements for the Scottish AI Alliance and The University of California, Berkeley’s Possibility Lab.