Case Study: City of Calgary 311 App

In this project, I re-evaluated the digital experience of the City’s 311 system. I’ve found that citizens have expressed their concerns about the lack of transparency from the City and feel like their concerns are falling on deaf ears.

Structure of information flows: who has access to what information, when and how When people in a system can access better, earlier, or more relevant information, the entire behaviour of the system can shift.

I also researched content available online, like reviews and Reddit threads of people’s lived experiences with the app. Below are some of the comments:

Transparency is critical: users need to know what’s happening with their requests.

New features, such as live tracking and private communication channels, can help close feedback gaps.

Reorganizing information improves usability and reduces cognitive load.

Enhancing information flows builds trust and engagement between citizens and the city.

Users preferred a step-by-step submission flow over one long form, as it felt less overwhelming.

Dropdown categories made navigation clearer and easier than infinite scrolling.

Participants wanted a stronger visual hierarchy for readability and clarity.

Clearer messaging on privacy and anonymity was essential for trust.

More exit points were needed to prevent users from feeling trapped in the process

Large Buttons: According to Fitts’ Law, “Touch targets need to be large enough for users to accurately select them." This benefits older individuals who are older and are not as tech savvy, as this gives them a better margin of error.

Common Requests: The current version of the app has the categories all laid out, but this can lead to cognitive overload. To alleviate this, I have taken the 6 most submitted requests and created a common request at the top, which will reduce the need for individuals who need these requests to go through all categories, making the submission process faster and easier.

Goal Gradient Effect: I also implemented a linear system of request submission. We know this to be effective from the user test, but the goal gradient effect suggests that users feel more motivated to complete tasks if they are able to see the progress they are making. This also keeps users in the flow and reassures them when important actions or parts of the submission process are completed, which prevents them from having to double-check, which further reduces cognitive load.

Peak End Rule: The Peak End rule states that the most important experiences for the user are the beginning and the end, and the best way to end the submission process is to reassure them and confirm that their request has been submitted. This reduces the need for second-guessing.

Privacy & Anonymity: To alleviate concerns of anonymity, there is a clear message that lets users know that the contact information of their request will remain anonymous to the public, but the option to share their request (except for their contact info) with the public is also available.

Capacity for multilingual support.

Integration with other City services.

Integration of a 311 Knowledge base.

Reorganization of categories and subcategories to reduce redundancy.