1. The Politics of Civic Tech Platforms!
FrontlineSMS!
Sean McDonald!

3. Civic tech started as an idea. !
!
That became a community.!
!
Then became a buzzword.!
!
Now, it is a market.!

4. What defines civic tech isn’t
just about value.!
!
!
!
It’s about values.!

5. In a connected world,!
community values begin!
with!
!
relationships in context.!

6. Relationships begin by
meeting people
where they are!

10. So, Mobile?!
7.2 billion active mobile subscribers!
3.6 billion unique users!
!
SMS is the only platform that reaches them all!
Interna(onal
Telecommunica(ons
Union,
2010

12. The world’s most accessible
data channels !
!
!
!
are still offline.!

14. Defining civic tech will require
us to design systems for more
than one platform!
!
and ask a few hard questions. !

15. What is Minimum Viable
Usability? !
!
!
!
For who?!

16. Governments can’t design for one user.
Tech systems do. This is a BIG difference.

17. How solutions scale!

19. 0! 20k!downloads!
The Scale of Simple Usability !

20. Data ≠ Usability!
!
Usability ≠ Engagement!
!
Engagement ≠ Impact!

21. Data is not an output, it defines the
entire process.!
!
Digital access defines representation.!
Indicators define priorities.!
Routing defines power.!
Algorithms define decision-making.!
Visualizations define understanding.!
Reporting defines accountability.!
!
Every decision about data is a !
decision about power.!
!

22. Open !
Is!
!
!
!
Not !
Enough!

23. Is civic tech good business?!
!
A complement to business?!
!
Good branding for the same
old business?!

24. The Non-Profit Business

26. Can venture capital help
governments and
communities build !
equitable relationships or
will it lead to !
trickle down democracy?

27. Often, we don’t need more
platforms or products, we need
better connections. !

28. Ci(zens
Ci(es
&
Coun(es
State
How Connected Systems (could) Communicate
Na(onal

29. civic tech isn’t about
individual platforms or
people, it’s about the
structure of the
information relationships
between them

30. Relationships are Networked
Communications Infrastructure!

31. Most governments (and people)
simply aren’t designed to listen
at scale. !
!
Listening requires shared
understanding. And shared
context.

32. Frontline Connects Platforms and Systems

33. #The Value of Connected Civic Text!

34. Message-powered healthcare! Zimbabwe Ministry of Health!
St. Gabriel’s Hospital, Malawi!
Pa(ents
book
appointments
with
remote
hospitals
and
clinics.
Community
health
workers
monitory
and
report
symptoms,
enabling
officials
to
recognize
outbreaks
earlier.
St.
Gabriel’s
handles
twice
as
many
pa(ents
at
half
the
cost.
Disease
repor(ng
in
Zimbabwe
improves
by
400%,
covering
75%
of
the
country.

35. Interactive radio! Search for Common Ground, Ghana!
SFCG
used
Frontline
to
enable
community
radio
sta(ons
to
take
ques(ons
from
listeners
via
SMS.
Listeners
can
text
in
their
ques(ons
and
get
them
answered
live
on
the
air.
Enabling
sta(ons
to
halve
the
cost
of
listener
engagement.

36. Message-powered banking! Honey Care, Kenya!
Community
based
savings
organiza(ons
(SACCOs)
use
Frontline
to
enable
members
to
remotely
deposit
into
their
accounts.
Deposit
processing
(me
was
reduced
by
85%,
and
average
account
balance
improved
by
50%.

37. Message-powered education! VSO Int’l., Papua New Guinea!
VSO
Interna(onal
used
SMS
to
deliver
stories
to
schools
in
remote
areas
where
books
were
scarce.
Stories
and
lesson
plans
were
delivered
daily,
and
based
on
a
structured
phone(cs
curriculum.
Students
in
the
program
were
twice
as
likely
to
meet
literacy
standards
for
their
age.

38. NETWORKED LAND TITLING! Mercy Corps, Bolivia!
Mercy
Corps
incorporated
Frontline
into
a
digital
land
(tling
process
for
rural
farmers.
Land
(tles
were
delivered
40%
faster
and
cheaper
under
the
program.
Land
boundary
loca(ons,
agreement
statuses,
and
(tling
agency
reports
were
transmied
over
SMS.

39. The most powerful civic
technology we have is
finding!
!
!
!
better ways to work together. !

40. DESIGN
Not for some People. !
Not by some People.!
With All the People.!

42. Civic Text
@FrontlineSMS!
sean@frontlinesms.com!
!