Stakeholder Interview

My team met with the mayor of Brooklyn Center to learn about his mission and goals for the website. Key takeaways were:

• Separate from the official city website

• Tell the story of what happened in Brooklyn Center over the last year

• Research repository for other cities wanting to implement similar public safety reforms

• Interactive data visualizations that allow users to quickly grasp complex information

Competitive Analysis

We broke up this task by assigning a few websites, similar in theme to the one we were aiming to create, to each team member. We specifically looked at:

• Were city demographics included?

• Was a timeline of historical events included?

• Was the public safety policy provided in its entirety?

• Were financial allocations included?

• Was data presented in a visual format?

• Was there a place for community member engagement?

• Were partner organizations listed?

• Were future plans outlined?

User Interviews

Five Brooklyn Center residents were interviewed using the directed storytelling method. We wanted to both gauge their understanding of the new public safety resolution and learn what they might like to see on this website. We discovered that users want:

• Communication Residents want to be made aware of progress occurring with the resolution and for two-way avenues of communication to exist.

• Transparency Residents want the information provided to them to be clear and concise, with less jargon.

• Data Residents want to see data that backs up the need for the public safety reforms taking place in Brooklyn Center.

A/B Testing

Next, we created low-fidelity wireframes based on our research findings. Two iterations of each page were placed in front of 5 users for moderated, 1-on-1 usability tests using think-aloud protocol.

Common Themes Uncovered:

• Users want simpler navigation

• Users want to understand the website’s purpose at a glance

• Users want community members’ voices and stories front and center

Design System and Prototype

My team member Rose created a design system so that all of our screens were consistent. Each member of the team designed a portion of the website. Rose designed the landing page and the About sections, Justin designed the Who is Involved sections, Natalie designed the Get Involved sections, and I designed the Learn sections. The full clickable prototype can be viewed by clicking the button below.