FixMyBlock: issue reporting in tower blocks (Alpha Report)

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Zarino Zappia

Part of: FixMyBlock

During FixMyBlock’s Discovery Phase we identified a number of key areas in which mySociety and Tower Blocks UK might be able to improve how safe and happy tower block residents feel in their homes.

This Alpha Report describes the research and testing we undertook, to expore these four key areas in more detail – Education, legal pathways, reporting and case management, and community and campaigning.

We used an iterative process of building and testing prototypes with tenants and safety specialists, using a number of research methods, including workshops and one-on-one usability testing, as well as interviews and online feedback surveys.

As a result of this Alpha phase, we go on to recommend the development of an online “Action Guide” for tower block tenants, acting as a hub for legal education, step-by-step safety guides, curated links to official resources, and case studies to demonstrate best practice around common problems.

Contents

1. Executive summary
2. Background
3. Alpha phase approach
   1. Goals for the alpha phase
   2. Methods for conducting the alpha
   3. Alpha timeline
4. Legal advice
   1. Automated legal guidance
   2. Pre-action protocols vs letters of complaint
   3. Extra guidance
5. Prototypes
   1. "FixMyStreet-style" map of reports
   2. Letter builder (v1)
   3. Case logger (v1)
   4. Combined letter builder and case logger (v2)
   5. Tower block action guide
6. Research into growth and sustainability
7. Alpha findings
   1. Education
   2. Legal pathways
   3. Reporting and case management
   4. Community and campaigning
   5. Tower block data
8. Summary & next steps
9. Next steps
   1. Interactive step-by-step guides
   2. Evidence of success
   3. Gathering data for the bigger picture
   4. Maintaining the site
   5. Growing usage of the site
10. Appendix: User research methods

Related Items:

• 

  FixMyBlock: issue reporting in tower blocks (Discovery Findings)

  • Zarino Zappia

  June 2019

• 

  Council climate action plans: Discovery and prototyping report

  • Louise Crow
  • Zarino Zappia

  March 2021

Cite this

Zappia, Z. (2019). FixMyBlock: issue reporting in tower blocks (Alpha Report). [online] mySociety Research. Available at: https://research.mysociety.org/publications/fixmyblock-issue-reporting-tower-blocks-alpha [Accessed 18 Sep 2021].