OurPlace

Building tech skills empowers incarcerated women’s independence and a sense of normalcy upon re-entry :
OurPlace, digital connection tool for mother and child

INTRODUCTION

Building technology skills is crucial for inmates to access essential digital services like State ID, Housing, Food, and Medicaid. However, system-impacted women often lack adequate proficiency in technology and face additional challenges due to trauma and brain illnesses. "OurPlace" is a digital connection platform that addresses this gap by offering tech training opportunities and facilitating emotional support between loved ones for successful re-entry.

Client

My Role

Project context

UX Design
User Research
Usability Testing
Design Validation

Team project : 3 members
Industry Sponsored
14 weeks
2023.01 - 2023. 05

Chicago 77 (C77)
Rebel Health Cooperation (RHC)
Katie Dunne, Executive Director @ C77

PROBLEM / CHALLENGE

Women are the fastest-growing segment of the incarcerated
populations across the nation, with 80% of women in jail being mothers.

To successfully reintegrate into society, individuals need support to adjust to their new environment and practice to regain their sense of independence.

Many participants indicated that they need exposure and learning opportunities on digital platforms to build trust and confidence using technology.

“ To apply for a job, communicate with parole officer, report in and communicate with a therapist, search safely online, these are stuff most have learned progressively we have to learn overnight. Skills are needed to navigate the internet and use my information safely to purchase things online."
- System Impacted Woman -

“ [For women with children] most important things like communicating with child's teacher, making sure they have supplies - everything is online - putting money in their lunch account, buying uniforms. Even if they are getting a subsidy they still need to go online and check a box or fill out a permission form."
- Subject Matter Expert on Illinois Justice System -

External Problems

Limited access to digital services

As many essential resources have moved to digital platforms which makes them inaccessible to those who do not know how to use technology.

Logistical challenges

Overcrowding and low staff levels lead to strained resources and less effective rehabilitation programs

Barrier to legal representation

Remote location affects the capacity to receive regular healthcare and other essential services.

Internal Problems

Prevalence of trauma and abuse

The rate of physical or sexual abuse experienced by women in the criminal justice system ranges from 44% to 80%.

Lack of technology literacy and distrust

Limited tech skills make it difficult for women to access digital resources like jobs and healthcare during their re-entry process.

Challenges as primary caregivers

Women are often the primary caregivers for their children, creating a host of emotional and logistical challenges when they are incarcerated.

SOLUTION

Our team designed the 'OurPlace' that provides system-impacted women with a supportive and empowering environment. Enhancing an element of warmth and familiarity to the platform and creating a safe and welcoming space for all users and their loved ones can lead to building mutual growth and regaining independence through technology learning.

TARGET USER GROUP

System-impacted women (Mother) :

Children (Age 11-15 years old) :

Legal guardian (Immediate Family) :

Learning and practicing basic technology skills and receiving mutual. support as much like 'outside' experiences as possible.

Gaining emotional and relationship stability via consistent communication despite the physical separation.

Maintaining a sense of family unity and lessening the emotional burden from co-parenting

Welcome to OurPlace

Digital Connection with Loved Ones upon Re-entry

1. Home Fridge Inspired Customization Board / Schedule Managing

Restoring Sense of Normalcy and Self-determination

Tech Learning Journey - Discovery / Explore

Mother Side

Tablet

JTBD (Jobs To Be Done)

● With the refrigerator-inspired interface elements evoking of warmth and familiarity in the platform, user might feel more comfort, welcoming space.

● By allowing users to independently plan schedules and set goals, they have opportunities to enhance
their self-determination abilities.

● Users can maintain a meaningful involvement in their children's lives by checking and noting their schedules.

2. Bonding Activities - Virtual Visitation / Lettering / Drawing

Building Basic Digital Literacy and Emotional Wellbeing

Tech Learning Journey - Learn / Practice

Mother & Child Interaction

Tablet / Web

JTBD (Jobs To Be Done)

● Users can build and practice basic digital literacy skills through bonding activities in low-risk, supportive space.

● Regular connection activities can help alleviate users' emotional isolation, which can worsen trauma and brain illness.

3. Maintaining a sense of family unity

Security Involvement on Child and Setting Warm, Stable Family Relationship

Tech Learning Journey - Share / Aware

Legal Guardian Side ( Father )

Tablet / Phone

JTBD (Jobs To Be Done)

● As legal guardian, engaging with children's activities to foster healthy and consistent bonds between mother and child.

● Streamlined, supportive experience for sharing daily lives simplifies bridging the emotional and physical gap, enhancing family unity.

Link to Clickable Prototype

CONTEXTUALIZE OPPORTUNITY SPACE

PROJECT KICKOFF WITH KATIE @ CHICAGO77

At first, understanding the complexities of the shared documents and justice system with detailed pain points were overwhelming because most of the problems are intertwined in a broader context.

We seek to understand
complex, open-ended problems,
using empathy to Identify key moments for intervention.

RESEARCH STRATEGY

Affinity map

SME Interviews (6)

Co-Creation Workshop

This project begins with an understanding the specific issues, challenges, and needs of system impacted women.

We conducted SME (Subject Matter Expert) interviews to explore justice system overlaps with behavioral health and initial trust-building.

For 'right-fit' solutions or ideas, the user involved workshop was helpful to identify immediate needs, possible interventions, and effective strategies.

IN-DEPTH PERSONAS

JOURNEY MAP of EXISTING EXPERIENCE

OPPORTUNITY AREAS

There is an opportunity to practice essential technology skills through low-risk interactive digital connections with loved ones and ease the transition back confidently into the community.

By offering low-risk, interactive experiences that help incarcerated mothers practice essential technology skills, we can provide a safe, judgment-free environment that boosts both digital literacy and self-esteem. This dual focus not only prepares these women for re-entry into an increasingly digital society but also strengthens their family bonds by involving loved ones in the learning process. The adaptability of these interactive platforms offers opportunities for ongoing skill development, job training, and personal growth. Ultimately, this approach aims to ease the transition back into the community by restoring a sense of autonomy.

PROBLEM REFRAMING

How Might we... foster regular digital connections
between incarcerated mothers and child to enhance mothers’ digital tech skills, thereby empowering them to rebuild family ties and self-navigate essential resources after release?

DESIGN PRINCIPLES

Integrate user familiar, real world metaphors

Refrigerator-inspired interface to lower the learning curve.

Keep simplicity in the light-weight interaction
‍
Provide an intuitive layout and design for users to create a sense of comfort.

Consider human-like responsiveness
‍
Conversational design make the user experience more seamless.

Direct relevance of skills to real world activities
‍
Enhance user confidence levels to enable smoother transition back.

VALUE PROPOSITION

HYPOTHESES FOR SOLUTIONS

IDEATION AND EVALUATION

Brainstorming & Storyboard for 3 main use cases

Sketches : 16+ and 3 main ideas / Create user stories and JTBDs in 3 cases.

USER EXPERIENCE MODEL

To Successfully Reintegrate to Community

🔎 My MAIN FOCUSED DESIGN OBJECTIVES

User Flow

Wireframes

User Testing (3)

Iterated on flows / IA for key screens

Iterated on wireflow & layout

Validated our concepts & prototype

Objective 1 - Minimize onboarding stress to navigate home board

[ Effective Onboarding] – Provide intuitive onboarding process that lowers the learning curve.
[ Engagement ] – Create refrigerator-inspired familiar interface that is intuitive and easy to navigate.

ITERATIONS

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

Version 1 : Home Fridge Inspired Board

👎 Rethink the necessity of the same exterior layout of the refrigerator.

👎 For first-time users with low digital literacy, navigating key features can feel lost.

Version 2 : Board with Guidance

👍 Add a guidance layer to introduce key features to make users feel more comfortable.

👎 Introducing too many information all at once can be overwhelming.

Final Deliverable 1

Main Improvements:

Fostering greater engagement and creating a welcoming space.

(1) Quickly guide users with tooltip to become familiar with the interface, giving comfort.
(2) Organizing the information into digestible pieces which help users quickly discover functionalities.

Objective 2 - Simple and easy in schedule planning

[ Understanding User context ] - Consider daily realities of incarcerated women's pre-structured lives before release
[ Easy Setup] - Allow users to quickly create new schedule entries with minimal clicks /taps

ITERATIONS

DESIGN CONSIDERATION

Version 1 : Schedule creation by activities

👎 Scheduling every daily activity can diminish users' motivation due to repetitiveness of life.

👎 Less intuitive for users without the schedule creation direction.

Version 2 : Schedule creation by task blocks

👍 Categorizing key activities simplifies the schedule process a lot.

👎 Need more straightforward calendar design to support users' self-autonomy and control.

Final Deliverable 2

Main Improvements:

(1) Focusing on simplified scheduling process by categorizing schedule into color blocks
(2) Enhance visual hierarchy - presenting information in a structured manner, that reduce the cognitive load on users

Objective 3 - Maximization of emotional connection moments

[ Shared Experiences ] - Engaging in shared activities foster mutual understanding, trust, and togetherness.
[ Sizzle Moments ] - Encouraging a rich expression allows mother and child's interaction immersive and delightful.

ITERATIONS

DESIGN CONSIDERATION

Version 1 : Connection by interactive tool selection

👎 Given the users' limited digital standards, adding another information layer isn't accessible.

👎 Focusing on tool selection can distract users from knowing where to direct their attention.

Version 2 : Connection by lightweight gamification prompt

👍 Using interactive prompts with surprising animations encourages engagement and adds excitement to virtual calls.

👎 Positioning the 'rewarding accomplishment prompt' lower reduces visibility and significance.

Final Deliverable 3

Main Improvements:

Enhance user engagement by providing delightful surprises creating a positive emotional connection

(1) Create a long-press 'LoveTap' button to illustrate heart fill-ups, fostering a feeling of togetherness with loved ones.
(2) Through gamified elements, users can express their feelings and facilitate smoother communication.

KEY TAKEAWAY

A conversational design is important in enhancing accessibility and inclusivity.

For individuals who might not be familiar with digital interfaces due to limited exposure, conversational UX can provide a more intuitive and natural way to interact with digital platforms, helping to bridge the digital divide.
Users can experience a connection akin to speaking with someone who genuinely comprehends their unique circumstances, receiving empathetic and understanding support tailored to their needs
For users who face mental health challenges, conversational UX is a great approach to serve users as a consistently available, non-judgmental outlet for expression and support.

Empathy is a cornerstone in UX design, particularly when the focus is especially on marginalized group.

Empathy allows designer to immerse themselves into the users' lives, leading design solutions that are genuinely useful and resonate with the user group.
Being empathetic helps consider a wide array of user perspectives, including those from different backgrounds, abilities, and experiences, ensuring that the product is accessible and desirable by a diverse user base.
Recognizing and validating users' emotions and experiences through empathy establishes a trust foundation, fostering deeper engagement and heightening user satisfaction.