City of Los Angeles
Leading the design and content of a racial equity hub site to share historical context for racial inequities in the City, deep data dives, and connection to resources for residents.
Published racial equity hub mobile and website prototype with content development guidelines. The site is in development with the City of Los Angeles Civil & Human Rights Department.
Challenge
The City of Los Angeles is the "second biggest municipality in the country, with a population of more than 4 million. It operates massive police and fire departments, libraries, public works, parks, sanitation disposal, street services, and housing and planning departments." The City needed support developing a racial equity hub website that will highlight the work of the newly launched Civil & Human Rights Department. Similarly, they wanted direction on organizing information that provides historical context for racial inequities in the City, deep data dives, and connection to resources for residents. Content covers five thematic areas:
-
Housing and Built Environment
-
Economic Opportunity and Community Wealth
-
Education Access and Attainment
-
Justice, Policing, and Civic Engagement
-
Health and Wellbeing
Approach
As the project lead, I managed a researcher, UX designer, and content strategist team, keeping the team focused on advocating for users and following the plan and roadmap that achieve user-centered goals. I built inclusive, respectful partnerships with diverse groups of agency departments, community-based organizations, and beneficiaries. I also conducted user research, specifically card sorting, and moderated usability assessments to learn how residents identify, learn, and engage with content in the hub prototypes. In particular, I collaborated with the UX designer to define the site's information architecture. I wrote content development guidelines to communicate with an intersectional and anti-racist voice through transparent and accountable historical context with visually compelling design, which includes: context, community stories, how working in these areas advances racial equity, race-based data analysis of the issues, and connection to resources, programs, and services.
Results
Key learning from my work is that data frames and drives the conversation of the racial equity hub to support community members to 1) identify, 2) learn, and 3) engage with local community partners. Data builds a credible reference point to dismantle structural racism. Within eight weeks, my team and I delivered prototypes and new information architecture that went into production with the City of Los Angeles.
"I enjoyed working with Elham and USDR on a racial equity project for the City of Los Angeles. Elham was wonderful to work with and excelled as the project lead. She gave us the structure that we needed, and connected us with an impressive team of technologists. Her leadership helped us get the project off the ground and through the prototyping stage. I highly recommend working with her for her grasp of public policy issues, technology expertise, and ability to drive projects forward."
