  Grassroots civic tech, or software for social change, is an emerging practice
where people create and then use software to create positive change in their
community. In this interpretive case study, we apply Engestr\"om's expanded
activity theory as a theoretical lens to analyze motivations, how they relate
to for example group goals or development tool supported processes, and what
contradictions emerge. Participants agreed on big picture motivations, such as
learning new skills or improving the community. The main contradictions
occurred inside activity systems on details of implementation or between system
motives, instead of big picture motivations. Two most significant
contradictions involved planning, and converging on design and technical
approaches. These findings demonstrate the value of examining civic tech
development processes as evolving activity systems.
