Civic Engagement during Social Distancing
Overview: The research goal is to understand how Ann Arbor citizens learn about construction projects in their neighborhoods and improve the existing approach of sharing that information with citizens.
Role: UX Researcher | Team of 3
Skills: Secondary Research, Surveys, Interviews, Analysis - frameworks including empathy and journey maps
Timeline: May 2020
Problem
This time of social distancing and limited trips outside our homes make it difficult to engage in our community. Working on a team, our goal was to understand how Ann Arbor citizens learn about construction projects in their neighborhood and improve the existing approach of sharing that information with citizens. We also describe methods of engagement that would be meaningful for citizens.
Research Question: How can the City best engage people on neighborhood construction projects without in-person meetings? What are the possibilities beyond virtual public meetings? What other methods of engagement would be meaningful for citizens?
Approach
Our team first started with research to first understand how Ann Arbor residents learn about neighborhood construction projects and second, obtain information on how the City of Ann Arbor local government currently engaged with citizens.
To achieve this, we conducted interviews as a way to gather insights and additional feedback from face-to-face interaction. Participants were recruited through survey responses and personal networks. We followed an interview script with follow-up questions designed for elaboration. Also, the remote interviews were recorded with visuals and audio as we proctored, scribed, and coded responses.
Interview Details
20 total interviews were conducted to help address research goals.
The duration of interviews was 30 minutes or less.
Interview Questions: We asked participants about their experiences with neighborhood construction projects, how they stay up to date with news, how their involvement has changed during COVID-19, as well as how they would like to be informed about construction projects in their neighborhood.
Insights
1) Residents have a strong desire for personalization of information.
We found that residents have different preferences regarding means of communication and frequency updates. Residents also have different preferences regarding the type of updates. They only want to hear about information that affects them personally.
The top-left chart displays many Ann Arbor residents want to get updated through emails while others prefer text messages or social media. This shows the variety of methods by which residents want to receive updates. The bottom left chart shows some residents only want to get informed on construction projects when there are critical updates, while others prefer to get general updates on a weekly basis. The empathy map on the right consists of data from the survey and displays the emotions and feelings Ann Arbor residents have towards neighborhood construction projects.
Supporting evidence for personalization of information
2) Residents' most important desire is to be notified about construction if it will directly affect them.
76% of survey respondents prefer to receive updates about neighborhood construction through text message or email, demonstrating the best ways to keep them informed and engaged.
At the same time, our interview data indicates a lack of citizen knowledge on how residents can contact the city with concerns regarding neighborhood construction.
Supporting evidence for residents' important desires
The chart below highlights construction concerns based on frequency reported and importance to users. Each purple box is a response from the survey when asked which topic was most important for users to be notified about.
Supporting evidence demonstrating neighborhood construction concerns based on frequency reported and importance to user.
3) Residents don't want to be pestered with emails. Instead, they want the ability to inform themselves if desired.
The persona below explains the user experience when attempting to express their neighborhood construction concerns to the City of Ann Arbor. If there was an easier and more seamless way for citizens to communicate with the city, they would engage with matters other than those that directly impact them. It's also important to note that citizens desire a more localized space that informs residents about specific updates.
Next Steps
Recommendations for how the City can establish one unified place for neighborhood construction details and present information to optimize the navigation to critical updates about a specific project.
1. Create Opportunities to Complete Simple Tasks
Focus online engagement on opportunities to complete simple tasks. The city already accommodates paying bills and parking tickets. Consider expanding online interactions to include some permits as it avoids the challenges of visiting City Hall and addresses the demand for interaction.
2. Develop a Single Engaged Platform
There should be a single engagement platform for updates and press releases from City Hall. The content should be replicated on social media and other channels. This would address residents' challenges with finding information on their website.
3. Share Information on an Individual Level
The City should look for opportunities to share information on an individual level. For example, instead of sharing a city-wide map of trash collection, share an interactive map where construction updates can be shared for a specific address. Our research suggests that personalizing information is an opportunity to reach more citizens.
4. Leverage Off-line Interactions
With neighborhood construction projects, people report getting the best information from their landlord, and often sharing information with neighbors. Simple notices in public or commercial areas can inform people and be a gateway to signing up for regular updates.
Key Takeaways and Lessons Learned
Throughout this project, I learned how to apply UX research and analytical methods to find insights from that data, and communicate findings and recommendations to partners in local government. I also recognized the challenges that impacted the process and result of the research including requirements of internet access and inability to visit neighborhoods with construction and discussion with visitors of City Hall for data collection.
