The document summarizes findings from a site visit research report conducted by the Bridge research team to inform the development of a services platform. The team interviewed staff and clients at four social services agencies. Key findings included a lack of reliable data sharing between agencies, clients' preference for face-to-face communication over technology, and varying levels of clients' digital literacy. Next steps involve using the findings to define problems and brainstorm solutions to improve access to social services in San Francisco.

1. Site Visit Research Report
Summary of Findings, Summer 2014
Bridge research team
Judith Mayer (organizer)
Barry Roeder (organizer)
Priscilla Mok (designer)
Rebecca Rolfe (designer)
Jill Woelfer (researcher)
Overview
Bridge is a San Francisco-­based initiative with the goal to help people in the city get out of
poverty by empowering clients and providers, facilitating immediate service delivery, and
improving the social service ecosystem through resource and utilization mapping, open data
collection, and reporting. The group was a 2012 finalist in the Creative Currency competition, and
is a recipient of funding from the Gray Area Foundation.
The Bridge Services Platform is a proposal to connect data to providers and clients. It is
meant to aid providers in their efforts to make available resources transparent to clients and to
support clients in their need-­finding to reduce the general request load on providers. A small
number of Google employees are contributing a portion of their work time to the Bridge Services
Platform project via GooglersGive, a community outreach branch of the company. These
employees are contributing to the creation and building of the platform, with ownership and future
maintenance belonging to Bridge itself. A kiosk was an early proposal for the project. Placed in
secure provider locations, the kiosk would have a simple, icon-­based interface connecting
clients to key services like food, health, shelter, and jobs.
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2. Design Thinking Model
Team discussions led to the decision to pursue the Design Thinking Model in building the
proposed technology platform. When any creators of a product are not the target audience, they
must not make assumptions or the final product risks not answering the direct needs of its
audience. In the Design Thinking Model, user research supersedes all project action. Research,
both primary and secondary, helps the designing team better understand user needs and
define the problem so as to make a better final product than would have been possible
otherwise. Pursuing this model would help determine whether the kiosk was a suitable first step.
Process
Four agencies were approached for primary research. Most visits involved an hour of
interviewing one to two agency representatives followed by two to five fifteen-­minute user studies
with clients.
Participating agencies
Citywide-­Supported Employment Services (Citywide)
Visited on 07/18/14
Interviewed 2 service providers and 2 clients
Episcopal Community Services (ECS)
Visited on 06/27/14
Interviewed 3 service providers and 5 clients
Glide
Visited on 07/17/14
Interviewed 3 service providers and 3 clients
Project Homeless Connect (PHC)
Visited on 07/09/14
Interviewed 2 service providers and held a focus panel with 6 clients
During each visit, Bridge members would take notes based on interviews, user studies, and
general observations of the space. After all site visits were complete, the team met to
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3. collaboratively code the notes. Coding marks excerpts that reflect some sort of recurring trend.
These categories were proposed after a cursory view of the notes. A total of 117 excerpts were
coded as a group, then confirmed by an appointed impartial “master” coder on the team.
Coding categories
I. Process today: reflected the current processes at the service agencies
II. Face to face contact: participants’ needs were met through face-­to-­face contact or word
of mouth
III. Opportunity: that pointed out a change that could be made to current processes
IV. Pain point: that included problems or barriers
V. Technical literacy: indicated how familiar participants were with information systems and
technologies (e.g., mobile phones, a laptop computers.)
User stories
To grasp the process, one researcher sketched out a rough flow for each agency visited. They
are not 100% accurate in all cases, but are provided here as further documentation of the varied
steps clients may take to seek help.
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8. Key takeaways
While experiences at each agency was varied, a number of themes emerged.
Data dump
“The problem isn’t the design of the interface, it’s the reliability of the data,” said one of our
agencies providers, succinctly describing the biggest hurdle to a successful platform. This lack
of data transparency, while already well-­acknowledged by the agencies, appeared regularly
during our visits.
● Communication about events and services is done principally through analog means.
Flyers in all agencies were current, but paper-­based. When a service was unexpectedly
cancelled for the day, that would be communicated to clients most often via a sign on the
door of the facility.
● Resource books are printed annually, but data must be confirmed via telephone call or
Internet search.
● Use of the Homeless Wiki was low to none. Providers looking for information are not
interested in the amorphous PR language most agencies use to describe their services
online. Getting specific information was difficult.
Face to face contact
As much as we may believe technology is a gateway to greater access to information, it became
clear that clients often preferred in-­person discussion when seeking out resources.
● None of the 16 clients interviewed heard about the organizations they attend regularly for
support via the Internet. (Mostly through word-­of mouth.)
● If in need of a jacket, many clients would “ask someone” or “find some people who look
homeless and ask them” over conducting a search on the Internet.
● “It’s always good to know somebody,” said one client. A network of reliable contacts is
important to navigating the resource system.
● One agency fields about ten calls a day, but 30 people drop by in person.
Technical literacy
Those making less than a certain income are federally eligible to receive a cell phone. Currently
this is a feature phone, with basic SMS and calling features, but it doesn’t seem unreasonable to
hope that soon a smartphone would become required through this program. Still, the variety of
digital experience ranged from fully literate to no prior computer use.
● Google search auto-­correct doesn’t always correctly resolve misspelled searches,
frustrating low-­literacy users who cannot locate what they are looking for.
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9. ● Dumbing-­down material for adult learners is disrespectful, but it is equally unhelpful to
label information in abstract terms. People are more likely to look for “teeth” instead of
“dental health,” one provider said.
Pain points
Although not all solvable by the Bridge platform, a variety of pain points demonstrate possible
launching points for product work.
Next steps
The Bridge team is taking these notes and using them to define current problems. From these
problems, the designers are brainstorming possible solutions. These ideas will be discussed
among the team and improved upon. Once a direction is decided, Bridge would love to follow-­up
with interested agencies to get feedback on work and progress. In the early stages of building a
product, walking clients and providers through a primitive prototype can be one of the best ways
to get further insight. The product may go through a few iterations before it is ready for soft
launch.
Thank you very much to the providers and clients who have hosted us. Your thoughts and input
have been an invaluable contribution to the work thus far.
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10. Contacts
Barry Roeder, Founder, Executive Director: Co-­Founder, HandUp (mobile donation platform);;
Fellow, SF Office of Innovation;; Adjunct Professor, USF School of Management;; 20+ year
product experience
Judith Mayer, Project Manager: Founder, Tender Roots;; Former SF Dir., National Alliance of
Mental Illness / Behavioral Health Court, 20 years project experience (Apple, HP, Oracle, Wells
Fargo)
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