San Francisco has one of the most expensive US estate market. For people living in the city and looking for a place to settle, it’s possible to get the opportunity to find an affordable place to live – now with an online, automated, timely responsive, worry-free application.
Design for Good
Creating emotional connections for real people on subjects that really matter.
- CITY & COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO
- 2015-2019
- Senior Product Designer
- @ Exygy
For years, my main focus as a designer is to study complex topics and transform them into effective solutions; becoming a facilitator, engaging with an audience deprived of the sense of belonging, finding and defining the obstacles, to build effective and purposeful solutions.
From the moment of perception of an issue sue discovery to a possible the solution’s conception, Human-Centered Design is the key to use to solve concrete problems, develop valuable products and create significant socio-economic growth.
Social challenges that surround our society are complex. Issues with poverty, hunger, homelessness, and diverse types of discrimination are part of the routine. How is it possible to be a problem solver and make culture grow, while facing this kind of critical issues?
Together, we create meaningful, supportive, accessible change to communities in need. It’s a designer’s role and responsibility within the community to facilitate social change happen.
By creating thoughtful, well-designed, user-oriented product, working with and for the community, prioritizing user groups who are deprived, and learning about their restrictions and experiences, envisioning an inspiring, wholesome environment to live and belong in the future, as showcased in the following project:
Since 1960s, San Francisco families, mostly ones with a low income, are able rent or own a house with the government affordable housing program – it offers population the chance to apply to a process, that included an in person application, documentation, lifestyle and proof of income to meet the program eligibility standards. Until mid-2010. It was made using paper forms, and paper forms, only, submitted individually, for every new house a family would be interested.
In 2016, the city introduced Dahlia to the population of San Francisco.
In partnership with Exygy, this project, which I’m proud of be part of, the online application optimizes this process in a seamless way, by sharing relevant information, keeping the user’s profiles and documentations, in order to make the process worry and paper free for the ones looking for a new place to settle, giving the community more peace of mind while waiting for the lottery results.
By creating an online process that previously did not existed, the stressful journey of finding an affordable home became easier:
Housing listings now tell a visual story in a shorter standard format, lottery preferences and eligibility criteria are clearly spelled out before applying, focusing on relevant information to identify valuable opportunities at a glance.
Using simplified language to explain housing preferences and convince applicants to take the extra time.
Applicants can save their progress and continue again when they’re ready. Once the application is submitted, they receive their lottery number digitally, and they are able to check the status of their application at any time.
As soon as an applicant completes their application, they receive their lottery number digitally. When lottery results are posted, the applicant returns the website to check their number, and sees where they placed in the lottery.
Reduced application time from several days to fill out an application, now it takes 15 minutes.
80k+
Applications Submitted
85%
Digital Adoption Increase
90%
Application Rate Increase
other projects
Mariana
Senior Product Designer with 15+ years of experience, working with Research, Strategy, Branding, User Experience & Visual Interfaces.
