Over the past 30 years, we’ve learned that the most loved spaces are designed when communities are part of the conversation.
Whether it’s designing new places, improving access to housing and services, or guiding strategy for local governments and industry, real insight comes from asking people about their values, ideas and experiences.
When we write a strategy, understanding what matters to the communities that will use a place is critical. Sometimes we do this by connecting with people face to face. Other times, when we need to gather insights from lots of people, we use surveys.
The responses we receive from surveys allow us to build out comprehensive plans that truly serve the communities they’re designed for. But getting to the planning phase means processing a whole lot of data, which takes, well, a whole lot of time.
This is how the idea for SocialQue™ came about.
What is SocialQue™?
SocialQue™ is Creating Communities’ proprietary community insight platform that uses artificial intelligence to analyse high volumes of open-ended survey data. It then categorises it into what really matters – sentiment, themes, priorities and social trends.
The early concept came about when Creating Communities CEO Donna Shepherd AM realised the volume and quality of data being gathered could be turned into valuable opportunities.
“We had so much good data, and we needed to unlock the opportunities inherent in it,” she said.
“This led us to reinvent models, build our own proprietary AI and leverage it to deliver better outcomes for communities.”
Donna got in touch with a friend in the US who knew a thing or two about developing AI platforms. Things moved quickly from there.
“We worked with technical experts and our own in-house team to bring the platform to life,” said Donna.
“We developed our categorisation framework, which became the Social Nine and 27 subcategories. That structure helps us take open-ended responses and organise them in a meaningful way, so nothing gets lost.”
Senior Research Consultant Jo Patroni also completed a review of global measures to ensure the framework reflected best practice.
As a result, the team can now deliver stronger insights, giving clients the clear information they need to make better decisions and invest where communities need it most.
But the end goal wasn’t just high quality, clean data. It was about elevating people’s stories, so decision-makers could hear them and take action.
“It’s such a privilege to hear from people about their experiences,” said Donna. “Some of it is good. Some of it is heartbreaking. We have a responsibility to get those stories told – the good, and the tough – in the hope we can make a meaningful difference.”
Turning community data into real-world outcomes
SocialQue™ is now used by Creating Communities to analyse data across a range of place-based projects, from aged care communities and FIFO villages to new housing developments and schools.
Director of Social Value and Impact, Jessica Barker was a key player in SocialQue™’s development. She says the platform transformed the way Creating Communities works.
“It’s freed us up to be on the ground building trust, having real conversations, and collaborating with stakeholders to get better outcomes,” she said.
“We’re not stuck behind screens anymore.”
SocialQue™ allows the team to listen at scale to the aspirations and challenges facing communities – then devise meaningful strategies that empower people to make real and lasting change.
“Our clients want insight that’s fast, but also human,” Jessica said.
“SocialQue™ helps us interpret sentiment at scale, without flattening what people are really saying.”
Getting to the heart of communities
Senior Research Consultant Candice Rainsford says SocialQue™ has become a powerful tool for understanding what matters to people in communities.
“It helps us dig deeper into what’s happening on the ground,” she said.
“Whether it’s a new development or an aged care setting, SocialQue™ helps us understand lived experience in those physical environments.”
When it comes to understanding data, one of SocialQue™’s biggest strengths is taking in the nuanced experiences of different groups of people.
“We can segment responses by age, gender, or region, and explore how different people are experiencing things like connection, loneliness or access to services,” Candice said.
“It gives us, and our clients, greater confidence, because we’re working from real, nuanced insight.”
But the most powerful benefit of SocialQue™ is also the most practical one. “We’re able to support more communities now,” said Candice.
“Because we’re not tied up manually processing surveys, we can be out there – running sessions, building relationships, and working alongside people.”
Training AI to understand humans
Building SocialQue™ required a whole lot of patience and fine tuning.
“There were things you’d think were straightforward,” said Jessica.
“But language is layered. People use sarcasm. They contradict themselves. They’re human. So, we had to teach the system to think a bit more like us.”
Jessica likened the process to training a dog. “You give it a command, and if it doesn’t respond, you go back, correct it, and try again until it gets it,” she said,
“That was us – retraining the AI over and over until it could reliably interpret what people were trying to say.”
What’s next for SocialQue™ and AI-powered engagement
SocialQue™ may still be in its infancy, but its potential is significant. The team is seeing major benefits from the insights it generates, which are already being used to inform strategy, encourage investment and track community wellbeing over time.
“As we gather more data year after year, we’ll start to see trends,” said Donna.
“It will help governments, developers, and service providers make better decisions – grounded in what people actually need.”
For Donna, it’s all about getting to the heart of people, which means understanding what they need to live rich and fulfilling lives.
“If we can get relationships right, we can change the world,” she said.
“That’s the idea behind SocialQue™.”
