Deliberative Engagement Ingredients Tool
Design, specify, and evaluate deliberative engagement processes. Select the intended level for each ingredient to create a clear record of ambition.
Understanding the Levels
Core
The non-negotiable minimum. If these aren't met, the process should not be called deliberative engagement.
Desirable
Extra depth where resources allow. Not 'better' than Core, but more intensive. Desirable includes all Core criteria.
Stretch
Context-specific, deeper power sharing, sustaining and embedding. Stretch includes Core and Desirable criteria.
What is this tool for?
This tool helps you design, specify, and evaluate deliberative engagement processes using eight shared ingredients developed by the UK deliberative democracy sector.
It's designed for:
- Practitioners - to articulate design intent and have honest conversations about resourcing
- Commissioners - to specify what you're asking for and set clear expectations
- Evaluators - to assess what happened against what was planned
The four modes
Design Intent
Use this when planning a process. For each of the eight ingredients, select the level you intend to achieve: Core, Desirable, or Stretch. This creates a clear record of your ambition that you can share with commissioners and refer back to later.
Evaluation
Use this after a process has finished. For each ingredient, select the level you actually achieved. Be honest - the value is in understanding where things went well and where there's room to improve.
Compare
This shows your Design Intent alongside your Evaluation, making it easy to see where reality matched intention and where there were gaps. Useful for reflection, reporting, and learning.
Deliberation Web
A visual representation of your process. The solid green shape shows design intent; the dashed purple shape shows what actually happened. Use the sliders to adjust levels and see the web update in real time. You can export this as an image for reports or presentations.
Understanding the levels
The levels are cumulative - each one builds on the one before:
- Core - The non-negotiable minimum. If these aren't met, the process should not be called deliberative engagement.
- Desirable - Extra depth where resources allow. Includes everything in Core, plus additional criteria.
- Stretch - Context-specific, deeper power sharing, sustaining and embedding. Includes Core and Desirable, plus further criteria.
Tips
- Hover over dotted-underlined terms to see plain English definitions
- Use the notes field to record context, constraints, or rationale for your choices
- Export your summary as text to share with others or keep for your records
- Not every process needs to be at Stretch level - Core is the floor, and that's a meaningful achievement
Ready to get started?
Design Summary
Compare: Intention vs Reality
Design Intent
What Happened
Overall Reflections
Adjust Levels
Use the sliders to set design intent and evaluation scores. The web updates in real time.