SAN FRANCISCO INNOVATION OFFICE
Elderly Care Provider Assist
A text messaging platform for on-boarding care providers
ROLE
Project Lead
Functional Prototyping
Design Research
Care providers and care recipients needed an easier way to onboard onto the In-Home Supportive Services program - a government program that pays for in-home assistance for low income, disabled elderly residents of San Francisco. A large number of comments were being left on the agency website feedback form about frustration with the on-boarding and program maintenance process.
“I ALREADY COMPLETED THE BACKGROUND CHECK WHAT IS NEXT I HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING FROM ANYBODY AT ALL.”
— Registering Care Provider
"I was looking for the application to apply for IHSS so I can become an in Home Care Provider for my disabled parent.”
— Prospective Care Provider
"I want to know if I need a potential recipient before I can enroll as a provider? Do I need a background check by the state?""
— Prospective Care Provider
Process
Discovery Workshop and Survey
Led a product discovery workshop to understand program pain points, user journeys, desired features, and preliminary product planning. Involved IT, communications, and program staff to collaborate on the concept.
Designed and implemented a survey to collect baseline data and understand the preferred method of communication for our target audience; the results strongly favored text messaging.
Research and Prototyping
Built a front-end prototype of a two-way text messaging assistant that on-boards providers, sends them critical notifications, and helps match them with a care recipient
Conducted 9 one-on-one multi-lingual interviews with care providers and social workers in three languages to identify key needs and test the efficacy of a texting platform to meet needs across language and culture.
Synthesized research findings into a presentation and developed a product pitch deck to share the concept across programs.
