BOSTON + 311
Prototyping new forms of community engagement in Chinatown
︎Chapter 2︎︎︎
Qualitative research and civic strategy with the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics
Chapter 1
In this semester-long project, we worked with the Asian Community Development Corporation to prototype interventions to better the lives of Chinatown’s residents.
But first, we had to learn something about those residents.
1
INSTAGRAM SCAVENGER HUNT2
FLYERS AND POSTCARDS3
COLLABORATIVE MAPPING4
URBAN DESIGN BOARD GAMElocation based prompt and response
These conversations yielded three intentions:
1
Help community associations understand their constituencies with both online and in-person conversation.2
Formalize valuable, unstructured community conversations without sacrificing complexity.3
Maintain data transparency and ownership for citizens.So we proposed Boston + 311:
Utilizing the existing digital infrastructure of BOS:311 which already has:
- claim filing
- map-based UI
- a dedicated user base
Novel feature that allows community advocates to cite multiple claims into one actionable issue.
An auto-generated visual citation structure for data transparency and prioritization of issues.
“A platform for collaborative brainstorming about
quality-of-life issues in Boston.”
wireframe sketches:
Made in collaboration with Sooho Choi and Aaron Heskes
Chapter 2
As a summer fellow with the Boston Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics, I was asked to continue my work with the BOS:311 system. This time, the rules had changed - less blue sky speculation and more real world constraints.
As always, I started with...
Research
in-depth interviews internally with the following departments:
Analysis and Brainstorming
what could I do in 6 weeks that would meaningfully contribute to a vast system that spanned decades and departments?
Synthesis & Strategy
Synthesis & Strategy
I visualized the 311 system based on most-recent data:
I prototyped and made the case for specific feature implementations in the short term:
I prototyped and made the case for specific feature implementations in the short term:
1. Accessibility
human-translated multilingual support
human-translated multilingual support
2. Efficiency
multiple photos for easier case response
multiple photos for easier case response
3. Transparency
humanized updates
and alerts
humanized updates
and alerts
and created recommendations for better interdepartmental collaboration: