Platform Development Hub

A space for the DEAL Community to help design and build a great community platform.

Welcome to the DEAL Community Platform Development Hub!

This is a space to engage with the development of the DEAL Community Platform by exploring important areas of improvement, refining and prioritising upcoming changes, and helping us understand your goals, needs, issues and ideas by filling out a short questionnaire.

You can find answers to common questions and read more about About the Platform Development Hub below.


Feature Proposals

Proposals for new or improved platform features to be explored, expanded, and considered for implementation with community input.
 
💬 >> Add comments, 'like' your favourites, or fill out a questionnaire with your ideas.

Allow members to send direct messages to one another.

Allow members to follow/friend each other and get updates from each other.

A space for community members to ask and answer questions.

One or more RSS feeds for new events, news items, events, tools, and stories.

Add version numbers to help keep track of updates to tools and stories.


Areas of Exploration

Aspects of the platform that we're actively exploring, from which specific feature ideas and proposals may emerge.

💬 >> Add comments and 'like' areas you're keen for us to explore together

Ensuring content and features are discoverable and intuitive.

Ensuring the integrity of the ideas of Doughnut Economics.

Exploring DEAL's core themes and the scope of content on the platform.

How can members connect and collaborate on the platform?

Ensuring equal access and equal opportunity for all users and members.

How do groups & networks appear on, and interact with, the platform?


Current Features

Previously implemented features that are now live on the site. Although these are "done", there may still be room for improvement.

💬 >> Add comments and feedback on how these could be improved.

Public profiles for networks of people putting Doughnut Economics into practice.

User-defined tags to improve categorisation and discoverability.

Enable all parts of the site to be searchable from a single search bar.

A public feed of recent activity and actions on the platform.

An event system overhaul to make 'joining' an event more useful.

A system to notify members when relevant actions occur on the platform.

An interactive map to show where DEAL Community members are located.

Increase the default font size & reduce line lengths to improve legibility.

An expanded menu in the website header to improve navigation.


Upcoming Changes

New or improved features that we're looking to develop, and roughly when we hope to finish them by.

💬 >> Click on an item to read more about it and offer your feedback and suggestions.

About the Platform Development Hub

Welcome to the DEAL Community Platform Development Hub!

This is a space for members of the DEAL Community to engage with the ongoing development of the DEAL Community Platform (aka this website). Here you can suggest new features, discuss ways to improve existing features or ideas, and see what changes are coming up.

This platform was created within the spirit of a healthy living system; that is, to experiment, learn, adapt and evolve. We hope this hub will allow the community to engage more fully in this process and help us build a platform that meets everyone's needs.

(Please note, this hub is focused on the underlying infrastructure and features of the platform itself, rather than content, such as tools and stories. For sharing ideas and questions about creating and uploading new content, please use the DEAL Contact Form and select the 'Tools & Stories' category.)
To help us understand how and why you are using the DEAL Community Platform, what issues you are encountering, and any ideas you might have for improvements, please fill out this short questionnaire.

Within the Hub itself, you can add comments to any specific feature proposal, upcoming change, or previously implemented feature that's listed on this page.

You can also 'like' any proposal that you would like to see implemented. We'll use the number of 'likes' as a general gauge for community enthusiasm, but there's no specific threshold to ensure a feature will be implemented. Please 'like' freely!

Comments and 'likes' will help determine whether or not a change is implemented (and when) alongside many other factors, such as: complexity, potential benefits, the need to expand or revise the proposal, and impacts on other areas of the platform or DEAL's work.
Once a new or improved feature has been explored, discussed, and expanded to the stage that we're confident it can and should be implemented, we'll move it into the list of 'Upcoming Changes' and assign it an approximate release date, rounded to the nearest quarter.

It will be possible to build some features (generally the smaller, less risky ones) on a rolling, week-to-week basis, while others will require a more concerted and intensive phase of development in collaboration with our friends at Groundforce Studio.

We completed one such phase of development in June, 2021, building several of your most requested features. We aim to complete an additional phase like this by mid-2022 alongside regular, on-going development updates and improvements.

Join the DEAL Community!

Get inspired, connect with others and become part of the movement. No matter how big or small your contribution is, you’re welcome to join!