iSchool Capstone

We Can’t Serve Who We Can’t See

Project tags:

business & systems analysis

information architecture

information policy & ethics

Project poster

The City of Seattle's Demographic Disaggregation Task Force (DDTF) is a cross-departmental group charged by City Council to change the way the City collects race/ethnicity data. With this more accurate information, City services can be targeted more equitably. Our project is a pilot of demographic disaggregation at the Utilities Discount Program (UDP), which provides discounted electric utility rates for low-income households. Through organizational research, observations of staff, and interviews with key UDP players, we came to understand the current practices around race/ethnicity data. From here, we made recommendations on how to integrate the disaggregated race/ethnicity data practices into UDP's framework.

Project participants:

Claire Palay

MSIM

Sarah Carrier

MSIM

Owen Kajfasz

MSIM