PSi: The Audio-based App For Collective Decision Making
Tags: webdev, development, collectiveintelligence, decisionmaking
Published: 2023-05-22 14:20:44

## Let’s Begin With An Interesting Story
In 1906, Francis Galton, a cousin of Charles Darwin, visited a village fair with an ox and a challenge: guess the animal's weight correctly and win a prize. The farmers and villagers offered wildly varying guesses, but none were even close to the true weight.

Galton calculated the average, and to his delight, it was spot-on. The mean of all estimates was the exact weight of the animal.

The experiment proved the power of the crowd's collective decision, as it was more accurate than any individual's knowledge. Galton left the fair with a renewed sense of awe for the potential of collaborative intelligence, and his groundbreaking discovery would be celebrated for years to come.

## What is PSi?

PSi (People Supported Intelligence) is a web application that uses natural language processing to collect and analyze conversation qualitative data at scale.

Like Galton, who demonstrated the power of collective intelligence in his "Wisdom of the Crowds" experiment, PSi is a primary research tool to leverage the insights of many people, generate actionable insights, and arrive at a stakeholder consensus in minutes.

![PSi app allows thousands of people to talk about and decide what are the impactful ideas](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/rcrniu46jjbk1ozwaou5.png)

The app was built to create a decentralized, robust, and intuitive conversation platform for primary research that supports decision making. 

The app aims to make primary research data collection and analysis stress-free.
## What inspired the creation of the PSi app?

Have you ever struggled to make a decision within a group? 

Co-Founders [Georgie Denis](https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgina-denis/?ref=raftlabs) and [Niccolo Pescetelli](https://www.linkedin.com/in/niccolo-pescetelli/?ref=raftlabs) certainly have. As a Project Manager, Georgie has facilitated group decision making for diverse stakeholders in the health sector, ranging from patients and carers to legal teams and engineers. 

Meanwhile, Niccolo, with a Ph.D. from Oxford and experience at MIT, has researched group decision making and collective intelligence. 

Combining their expertise, they planned to build an app for decision making that empowers people to make better decisions based on the wisdom of their stakeholders.

But they couldn't have done it alone - a team from RaftLabs joined forces with them to bring their vision to life. 

When they approached RaftLabs, the co-founders of the [PSi app](https://thepsiapp.com/?ref=raftlabs) shared their vision of creating a platform that businesses could use to conduct primary research and support participatory group decision making among their stakeholders and the general public. 

As co-founder of PSi, Georgie Denis stated, "One day I hope PSi can support businesses to engage their stakeholders and the general public in the same kind of participatory decision making." 

The RaftLabs team worked closely with the co-founders to make an app for decision making harnessing collective intelligence. Our aim was to create an app that empowers individuals and groups to make a collective decision.

## Why is the PSi App Important for Remote decision making in Current Times?

The PSi app secured funding from the MediaFutures EU,  IDEO CoLab, and others to develop decision making features along with an audio application. This achievement is a testament to the importance and relevance of the PSi app in today's world, where collective decision making has become a crucial aspect of many industries and organizations.

![Interactive dashboard of PSi app](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/de7kdlyedwplgz0192qo.png)

Let's explore how this app is addressing the needs of our current times:

- The PSi app allows decision-makers to gather and analyze qualitative and quantitative data from large groups of people in real-time without the need for in-person meetings or focus groups.
- The app enables organizations to engage with their communities and stakeholders more effectively, allowing for greater inclusivity and diversity of perspectives.
- The app provides a faster and more efficient way to gather insights and arrive at a stakeholder consensus, saving time and resources.
- By leveraging machine learning and natural language processing, the PSi app can collect and analyze large amounts of qualitative data at scale, making it easier for organizations to make informed decisions.
- The PSi app is intuitive and user-friendly, allowing anyone to leave their views on critical decision making, engage in live anonymous conversations, and vote for impactful ideas with a few clicks.
- Overall, the PSi is a powerful app for decision making in a world where remote work and virtual interactions have become the norm. It allows organizations to make better decisions faster and with greater stakeholder engagement.

## Unlock the Power of AI for Collective Decision Making Without Any Technical Expertise
In the following section, we will explain the working steps of the PSi app.

**Step 1: Plan the Perfect Discussion**

![Planning a discussion through the PSi app](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/ta4focccjt5oszf9qaeg.png)
1. You can collaborate with the PSi platform’s team to design a discussion that meets your needs and goals.
2. It helps you to define the right question and identify the relevant stakeholders with our qualitative research best practices.

**Step 2: Hold the Discussion**

![Holding a discussion through the PSi app](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/ikqf1bgos8u1xokeptmu.png)
1. The app empowers your community to participate in the discussion with ease.
2. It provides guidance to ensure everyone is comfortable using the PSi platform.
3. It allows you to unlock the power of collective intelligence and maximize stakeholder input.

**Step 3: Powerful Analytics, Faster Decisions** 

![PSi app provides powerful analytics
](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/qiee2rp8m3k0sw0wgnwo.png)

1. It enables you to analyze the conversation data and helps you to fetch key insights.
2. You can gain a deeper understanding of your community and make informed, efficient decisions.
3. Last but not least, you can benefit from the speed and accuracy of AI-driven analytics.

## Key Advantages of PSi App
**Get in-depth insights:** PSi provides deeper insights into stakeholders' thoughts, feelings, and needs, unlike shallow results from time-consuming surveys & polls.

**Make informed decisions:** With PSi, you can remove guesswork, stressful logistics, and overwhelming data interpretation, making informed decisions based on the collective intelligence of your stakeholders.

**Increase stakeholder buy-in:** PSi increases stakeholder buy-in and reduces decision risk by involving stakeholders in the decision making process and increasing their commitment to the outcome.

**Promotes participatory decision making:** PSi makes it easy for local governments and communities to incorporate public consultations, participatory decision making, and decentralized governance into their daily practice.

**Speed up decision making:** Map out stakeholders' views in less than an hour using PSi, saving time and making decisions more quickly and accurately.

**Foster collaboration:** PSi allows for group decision making and deliberation, fostering collaboration among stakeholders and promoting a sense of ownership over the decision making process.

**Increase transparency:** PSi increases transparency by allowing all stakeholders to contribute their ideas and opinions on a particular decision or issue. It allows for a more inclusive decision making process where all voices are heard and considered.

**Efficient group facilitation:** With automatic group facilitation, PSi helps to streamline the process of idea generation and solution finding. It can help save time and resources by promoting equal participation and thorough consideration in decision making processes.

**Ensures consistency:** PSi's scalability ensures that the app will produce the same results regardless of the size of the community or group. This consistency can provide greater confidence in decision making and strengthen trust between stakeholders.

Thus, by harnessing the power of collective intelligence, we were able to build an app that enables decision-makers to tap into the knowledge and creativity of their communities to make informed decisions quickly and efficiently.

Explore the power of collective intelligence in business decision making with the ebook "[Leveraging Collective Intelligence For Strategic Decision Making](https://thepsiapp.com/ebooks?ref=raftlabs)". This valuable resource provides insights into what is meant by collective intelligence, the principle of collective intelligence, its significance, and the benefits it can offer in today's digital age. Discover the most effective ways to conduct collective intelligence research and make informed decisions that can give your business a competitive edge. 

## Learn How PSi Empowers Diverse Fields

### Corporate:
Brainstorming: Engage employees to brainstorm ideas and gather insights across global teams.

Team building: Facilitate team building activities and discussions.

Training: Provide interactive training sessions and gather feedback.

### Public Sector:
Public consultations: Have conversations with a larger group of people over any issues and gain solutions.

Decision making: Gather feedback from citizens to aid in collective decision making processes.

Decentralized governance: Encourage decentralized governance by allowing citizens to have a voice in local decision making.

### Academic:
Debate clubs: Provide a platform for debate clubs to hold discussions and gather feedback from participants.

Student engagement: Engage students in discussions on a variety of topics.

Research: Collect data and insights from research participants.

### Brands and Clubs:
Consumer insights: Get insights from consumers by setting up discussions for collective decision making and inviting fans to join the discussions.

Fan engagement: Encourage fan engagement by providing a platform for discussions and feedback.

Market research: Collect data and insights from discussions to aid in business decision making using collective intelligence.

### Non-profits and NGOs:
Engage stakeholders: Non-profit organizations and NGOs can use PSi to engage with their stakeholders, including volunteers, donors, and beneficiaries.

Collect feedback: They can gather feedback, brainstorm ideas, and make informed decisions that align with their mission and values using PSi.

Enhance commitment & transparency: Involving stakeholders in the group decision making process can increase their commitment to the organization's goals and improve transparency.

## Recognition For The App For Decision Making
The PSi app was recognized for its potential to assist civic organizations, such as local councils, in tapping into the knowledge of individuals who best understand the needs of their community. 

If you're looking to create innovative and impactful apps, such as an app for decision making leveraging collective intelligence, [consider partnering with RaftLabs](https://www.raftlabs.co/contact?ref=psidevblog), a versatile software development company. 

With our technical expertise and commitment to building intuitive and responsive platforms, we can bring your app vision to life. Whether it's decision making tools, productivity apps, or any other custom application, RaftLabs is here to help you succeed. Don't hesitate to reach out and begin your journey toward developing the next big thing in the world of technology.