Pilot templates
Run this experiment.
Packaged civic-experiment designs anchored to the strongest replicated findings in the registry. Each template includes a protocol you can adopt, a pre-computed sample-size table for typical city scales, a randomization scheme, a data-collection plan, and IRB notes. Adopt one and we'll help you adapt it to your context — at no cost for qualifying public-sector pilots.
Public Safety
Court-date SMS reminder pilot
Reduce failure-to-appear rates in municipal court by sending text-message reminders the day before each scheduled hearing.
Timeline: 12–16 weeks from kickoff to readout (after first hearing cycle).
Cost: $0.01–$0.05 per message (carrier costs); negligible at municipal scale.
Tax & Revenue
Tax-compliance reminder letter A/B
Test whether a redesigned tax-due reminder letter — using social-norm or simplification framing — increases on-time payment vs. the agency's standard letter.
Timeline: 16–24 weeks (depending on tax cycle).
Cost: Marginal cost of the letter itself; redesigned templates are essentially free at agency scale.
Public Health
Vaccination uptake SMS + appointment scheduling
Increase routine or booster vaccination uptake by sending eligible recipients an SMS that includes a pre-scheduled appointment they can confirm or change with a single tap.
Timeline: 8–12 weeks.
Cost: $0.01–$0.05 per SMS; appointment-scheduling software cost is fixed.
Benefits Enrollment
Benefits-application simplification A/B
Increase enrollment in an existing public benefit (SNAP, WIC, EITC outreach, utility-assistance) by simplifying the application — reducing fields, pre-populating known data, and shortening the path to a completed submission.
Timeline: 16–24 weeks.
Cost: One-time engineering cost for the simplified form; per-applicant cost is negative (fewer staff hours to process).
Energy & Environment
Home energy report rollout
Reduce household electricity use by sending a monthly social-comparison energy report to a random subset of utility customers.
Timeline: 12 months (to measure persistence past initial novelty).
Cost: $3–$8 per household per year for report production, mailing, and analytics.
Voter Engagement
Voter registration SMS / mail outreach
Increase voter registration in the eligible-but-unregistered population through a low-cost outreach campaign — SMS, mail, or both — in the weeks before a registration deadline.
Timeline: 8–10 weeks before the next election.
Cost: $0.05–$0.50 (SMS or single mailer).