In Talking Tech for Good, we talk to people who use technology for positive change every day. Jonathan Stegall, who works as a user experience engineer with Software for Good’s client MinnPost, shares his thoughts on using tech ethically and for social good.

Jonathan Stegall, UX Engineer at MinnPost

How do you use and/or build technology in your work?

I’m a web team of one at a digital-only news nonprofit, so my role is always oriented around the intersections of and tensions between technology, organizational needs and goals, and user needs and goals. Sometimes my job is almost all code (for example when I ran a migration from Drupal to WordPress) and other times it’s more user experience design or visual design.

Recently we’ve been fortunate to work with Software for Good on a user-centered design project, and have been building upon that work as we move into a broader site redesign. I’ve also, with the help of our Audience Development person, created a user research team that we hope will conduct and share user research with the rest of the organization in an ongoing way.

I also do some work with bringing user experience processes and skills to local organizers and activists who primarily work outside technology. In that work, it’s mostly not about what kind of technology those folks are using, but how they can incorporate the good parts of a process that has been honed by its use in technology.

How does your work pursue or support social good?

I’m not a journalist — at my job I’m the tech person, and in my other work I have a foot in the design world and a foot in the organizing world — but I value journalism as its own social good. Sometimes my job feels very close to the good impact journalism can have, such as when I’m able to advocate for marginalized communities at my job because of the other things I do, or when I’m able to incorporate those voices into how we make design or tech or other decisions. At other times my role feels more generic, but even then I try to be aware that doing that work in the context where I do it does help make other things possible.

In my other work, when I do UX things with activists and organizers, I get to choose the work by how well I think it pursues or supports social good. I get to help organizers and activists take a skill set and apply it to the work they do, and help them apply it thoughtfully, hopefully with an awareness from the inside of the issues design can bring with it when it lacks an analysis of power, for example.

How do you define “tech for good”? What makes tech “good”?

In a broad sense, I think tech for good is about using tech skills in the service of a good mission, something that makes the world better. I try to apply the same ethics to tech that I would to anything else, and especially to apply power analysis and what I know of things like intersectionality to understand how tech can impact people for good or bad, and make the better choices.

I don’t think tech itself is neutral, but I also don’t think it is inherently good or bad. Most often, I think it magnifies the good and bad things about humanity, and we can focus it in either direction in a variety of ways.

What interests you about the potential to use technology for change? What people or organizations do you see doing this successfully?

I’m excited by this in a couple of ways.

One is the chance to take the good parts of tech and bring them out into industries like journalism (and I worked in academia before this, and I often felt the same there), and other work like activism and organizing and theology and spirituality, and use them in the service of that work and also share the skills with those people, as I’ve mentioned above. I think there’s a great deal of value in teaching people who don’t work in tech to understand its processes, both so it is more transparent, but also so they can apply it to their own work when it is relevant.

The other way I’m excited is by taking those other fields and bringing what they have to say into technology. When sociologists or journalists or theologians or activists give us language or practices or frameworks to engage the world, I like to bring them into tech work. I’m a white dude, so I mostly learn this from people who aren’t like me, and I do think I’ve got a responsibility to open the doors to those people if they want to come into tech. But I also think I’ve got a responsibility to critique tech — its business models and its ways of impacting and looking at the world — through what those people have to say so it can be shaped by them.

I have followed Software for Good since before I moved to Minnesota, and you seem like a great example of doing tech in positive ways. One of the ways I’ve appreciated working with you is that I don’t have to explain why it’s important to me that we treat our users ethically, but I can assume you will take that into consideration in the things you advocate for us to do. I also think of the Design Justice folks who gather at the Allied Media Conference in Detroit, and many of them run their own organizations. Some of them are worker-owned cooperatives, or agencies that work with organizers, or they in other ways try to engage the work organizers and movements are doing.

What ethical concerns do you have in your work? What ethical principles do you want to see adopted more widely when it comes to tech and/or the work of social good?

I do have a lot of ethical concerns about tech, both as it impacts the world on its own (a great example being the impact Facebook or Amazon has on the world through information or through supply chains), and also as it magnifies existing systems and issues (in the ways intersectionality teaches us that the most marginalized people are oppressed in overlapping ways, tech is not separate from that).

As for ethical principles, I’ve recently been inspired by the Design Justice Network’s principles. I’d really love to see them more widely adopted by designers and other tech folk. Here they are:

1. We use design to sustain, heal, and empower our communities, as well as to seek liberation from exploitative and oppressive systems.

2. We center the voices of those who are directly impacted by the outcomes of the design process.

3. We prioritize design’s impact on the community over the intentions of the designer.

4. We view change as emergent from an accountable, accessible, and collaborative process, rather than as a point at the end of a process.

5. We see the role of the designer as a facilitator rather than an expert.

6. We believe that everyone is an expert based on their own lived experience, and that we all have unique and brilliant contributions to bring to a design process.

7. We share design knowledge and tools with our communities.

8. We work towards sustainable, community-led and -controlled outcomes.

9. We work towards non-exploitative solutions that reconnect us to the earth and to each other.

10. Before seeking new design solutions, we look for what is already working at the community level. We honor and uplift traditional, indigenous, and local knowledge and practices.

Can you describe a time when you witnessed the positive social impact of technology, either through something you built or through tech that made your work easier?

At my job, we use a lot of tools by INN (Institute for Nonprofit News) — either the organization itself or by other member organizations — and I think that’s a great thing. Some of the organizations are quite tech capable and others are not, and there’s a decent amount of room for us to share with each other and that helps our work.

I also regularly see people who don’t work anywhere near tech start to understand why something like the user experience design process is valuable outside just designing websites and how they can use it.

What do you wish more people knew about tech, work for social change, or both?

I actually like to help non-tech folk learn how to be skeptical of tech folk. I think most of our culture values tech in an outsized way, and is often not aware of the dangers and pitfalls, so I like to speak to those things from the inside when I can.

There are so very many things I wish people knew about social change work. Maybe especially that justice movements today are often dealing with the same things they did in the past, but people don’t know about the past and so they whitewash it (in more ways than one).

What would be your dream technology aimed at solving a problem in society?

I’m not sure about that. I think generally technology, at least as I generally think of it on the web, doesn’t solve societal problems, but I do think it can magnify the ways people contribute to either solving them or making them worse.

The post Talking Tech for Good: Jonathan Stegall appeared first on Software for Good.

In Talking Tech for Good, we talk to people who use technology for positive change every day.

Lars Mackenzie
Digital Technology Specialist at the University of Minnesota & Freelance Web Developer

Where do you work, and what is your job? 

I currently work at the University of Minnesota supporting the website for a community-oriented faculty research project. My other major job up until recently has been working on finishing my PhD, which I just did in February. My research examined the impacts of data-driven decision-making and software design on trans and gender non-conforming people. I also do freelance web development work.

How do you use and/or build technology in your work?

I think about and use technology a lot in all of the work that I do. In my freelance work, I build websites and applications for clients. In my role at the U, I’m focused on maintaining a website that showcases digital storytelling projects created by Twin Cities middle school students. I get to work with other educational technologists to strategize how to manage digital media assets, create and categorize metadata, and prioritize student privacy while showing off their awesome work.

As a researcher, I use lots of tools for data analysis and data collection, especially for one piece of my project where I scraped and analyzed social media posts.

How does your work pursue or support social good?

I love getting to work on the middle school digital storytelling project’s website for this exact reason. This program teaches young people how to create digital stories about their experiences and pushes them to think about social justice, race, gender, class, disability, citizenship, and other really important issues. It gives them an outlet to process their experiences, share their voices, and build technical skills in putting together multimedia projects. I’ve worked on this project in a variety of roles over the past five years and it’s been a great experience.

In my academic work, I’ve conducted research that investigates the impacts of big data and consumer data economies on marginalized people. I was really interested in examining the effects of all of this data collection on trans and gender non-conforming people whose identities change over time. Because data is perceived as highly valuable, especially for instance, in a person’s credit report, outdated information sticks to a person. I found that in healthcare and the financial sectors in particular, when trans people have outdated or mismatching identity data, they experience significant barriers to obtaining loans, jobs, housing, and healthcare coverage, including discrimination, delays, and denials. The effects of mismatching or inaccurate information are compounded on trans people of color, immigrants, and disabled people. All of the information that’s generated about an individual circulates through third-party data brokers, mailing lists, etc. and it’s very hard to track down the original source to correct it. This is a software design problem in one sense, but it’s also about cultural attitudes — both about transphobia and about the belief in the inherent value of data — that need to be changed.

Moving forward, I intend to apply my research insights to the industry, helping to reshape how technologists, policy makers, and organizations think about data collection and sharing.

How do you define “tech for good”? What makes tech “good”?

Tech for good is technology that helps marginalized or underserved people. Good tech centers around users’ needs and puts social justice at the center. Good tech also has good policies about data management and user privacy, as well as about the future implications of what they’re building. Good tech also invites in non-technical stakeholders to weigh in on some of these big picture ethical concerns — we need more of this type of collaboration, not just doing what is possible but doing what is right.

What interests you about the potential to use technology for change? What people or organizations do you see doing this successfully?

Technology has a lot of potential to improve people’s lives, whether that’s connecting them to the right resources or communities they didn’t even know existed or making tedious processes faster so they can focus on other issues. One organization, which I used to be on the Board of Directors of, RAD Remedy, is doing cool work in this regard. They built a referral database for trusted, competent physicians for trans and gender non-conforming people powered by user reviews.

What ethical concerns do you have in your work? What ethical principles do you want to see adopted more widely when it comes to tech and/or the work of social good?

In my work I’m concerned about protecting people’s (students’, users’, research subjects’) privacy first and foremost. I also think that challenging the idea of innovation at any cost is an ethical concern. Technologists and people of all kinds should be asking themselves who is benefitting from optimization and whose concerns are being optimized away? We have amazing tools and the brain power to solve huge problems with technology, but the focus towards change needs to be there.

Can you describe a time when you witnessed the positive social impact of technology, either through something you built or through tech that made your work easier?

The best thing about technology for me is about human connection. We live in an amazing time where you can meet or learn about whole communities of people that you may not have access to in your town or state. I’m in my early 30s now, and I think that I still have this excitement from being a teen going on MySpace and finding queer people for the first time. It made me realize there was so much more out there, and so much to learn. It’s really important and I can’t imagine what it’s like for teens now to be inundated by social media and the ability to connect constantly. It’s good and bad for sure.

What do you wish more people knew about tech, work for social change, or both?

Everything is iterative.

What would be your dream technology aimed at solving a problem in society?

An app like AmazonSmile (which donates 0.5% of an Amazon purchase to a charity of your choice), but it collects all of Amazon’s unpaid taxes?

The post Talking Tech for Good: Lars Mackenzie, University of Minnesota / Freelance Web Developer appeared first on Software for Good.

SciTechsperience matches students majoring in STEM fields with internships in small to mid-sized companies, and provides a wage match to help companies like ours pay interns competitively. Their work contributes to the growth of the STEM workforce in Minnesota, and provides opportunities for people who are underrepresented in tech.

We were happy to support SciTech and their request for continued funding (even if we’re not used to dressing up this much for work). Here are the statements we gave:

Casey Helbling, Founder & CEO

Good morning, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee. My name is Casey Helbling, and I’m the founder and CEO of a company called Software for Good.

We are a for-profit benefit corporation that builds software with a purpose. We work with nonprofits, fellow B corps and social enterprises, and other mission-driven clients to create web and mobile applications designed to solve some kind of social or environmental issue.

For example, we have worked on a food drive management system for one of the country’s largest food banks, and an online tool to help teens with disabilities plan for their future.

One of our biggest challenges as a company is that the organizations we most want to work with, who are truly doing good in the community and the world, often can’t afford the cost of software development. Sometimes we turn down these potential clients simply because they don’t have the budget for custom technology.

Another problem we’ve identified as a tech company is that the tech industry is not nearly as diverse or inclusive as it should be. Traditionally, most technology professionals are middle or upper-middle-class white guys… like me. Some speculate one of the reasons for this problem is what is referred to as the “Leaky Pipeline.” That is, many traditionally underrepresented folks go through training programs, college, and bootcamps, but then on the other side, either don’t get a job, or move to a different, non-STEM-related field. Many argue the pipeline of diverse tech talent is relatively full, and we as employers need to do a better job of creating welcoming spaces at our companies so these graduates can see themselves in a long-term career there.

As the founder of a tech company, and a social enterprise, one of my goals is to work on the Leaky Pipeline problem in tech. That requires creating an organization and environment where women and people of color who are being trained in computer science and software engineering can find a first job where they feel seen, respected, and are contributing to something bigger than themselves.

As a company, we decided to solve both of those problems at once, by working with interns from diverse backgrounds to build software for organizations that do good in the world.

In early 2017, while we were developing our new internship program and looking for ways to support it, we learned about the SciTechsperience program through the Minnesota High Tech Association.

The program was perfect for us because it focuses on strengthening the pipeline and providing hands-on experience for people underrepresented in technology, the exact candidates we wanted to reach.

And SciTechsperience’s wage match would allow us to pay our interns competitively, while working with mission-driven organizations who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford software development.

We have been pleased to use SciTechsperience to support 12 interns over the past two years. Thanks to SciTech’s wage match, those interns have worked on six different projects for clients we would not have otherwise been able to work with.

One of those clients was a small organization called TC Food Justice. They pick up food from grocery stores and co-ops and deliver it to food banks and other places that feed hungry people, and they are an all-volunteer staff.

TC Food Justice needed a way to manage their schedule of pick-ups and drop-offs and their pool of volunteers. Two of our interns, Obinna and Ilhan, built a web application that helps them efficiently schedule volunteers and manage their operations on a shoestring budget.

Interns with Software for Good are able to gain hands-on experience with a variety of current software programming languages and tools. They often learn new programming skills on the job, working with types of software that they haven’t seen in the classroom.

The interns we work with through SciTechsperience also practice collaborating with other tech professionals, communicating with clients, and presenting their work in front of a group. That kind of experience, showing what it’s like to work in a real agency job, is priceless for young people pursuing careers in tech.

We have seen firsthand how this program contributes to ongoing opportunities and upward mobility. Our interns have gone on to jobs and other internships with local tech companies as well as large local employers like Target and Amazon. One intern, Annie Tran, even joined our team full-time!

I encourage you to fulfill the SciTechsperience program’s request for funding, so that the program can continue to prepare young people for STEM careers and serve a wider array of people who are underrepresented in STEM.

Thank you.

Annie Tran, Software Developer

Good morning Mr. Chair, members of the committee, for the record, my name is Annie Tran. I am currently working full-time as a junior web developer at Software for Good, but started out as an intern as a part of the SciTechsperience program.

I found Software for Good and SciTechsperience when I was coming to the end of my computer science degree at the University of Minnesota in the spring of 2017.

While applying to the Software for Good internship, there was a note encouraging us to enroll in the SciTech program — which I had briefly heard about through a college friend, but I hadn’t gotten around to checking it out.

However once I was enrolled, I discovered a ton of opportunities to work with smaller businesses that I don’t think I would’ve been able to find using the typical resources at the U like the job board or career fairs, which I had been using without much luck.

Though I found Software for Good on my own, I think if I had looked into SciTech earlier, I probably would’ve found an internship sooner than the last couple of months before graduation.

But luckily, everything worked out and I did find an internship… and I think I learned more useful skills in that one summer of hands-on experience than I had during college. Not only did I get to improve my technical skills by learning new programming languages and learning how to model data, I also learned softer skills like how to communicate with clients and how to effectively pair program with my coworkers.

Something that I thought was really valuable about my internship experience was that we were working as a team of 4 interns on one project where I could use my education and skills for social good.

The project was called Goodfolio and was essentially a donation platform that allowed people to donate to a handful of causes that they’ve selected and allowed them to see metrics on the impact that they had made with their donations.

On the project, I focused more on the front end and making sure the visual aspects of the app were in line with what the client had envisioned mostly because that’s what I was particularly interested in, but I also had opportunities to learn about the back end as well.

It was really nice to have the freedom to explore our interests while also getting a well-rounded understanding of how to build a web application. And all of that with the comfort of being able to turn to the small team of senior developers and ask for help if we needed it.

All that said, I don’t think I would be the web developer that I am today without the internship experience that I had with Software for Good, and I probably would have felt very discouraged in finding a tech job in Minneapolis without the SciTech program as a resource. I was born and raised in Minnesota, and most of my family and friends are in the area, so it was really wonderful to be able to find an internship here that eventually turned into my first full-time job.

I encourage you to meet the SciTechsperience program’s request for funding, so that the program can continue to prepare students and recent graduates like me for careers in STEM fields.

Thank you for your time.

The post Why We Value SciTechsperience appeared first on Software for Good.

In Talking Tech for Good, we talk to people who use technology for positive change every day.

Antoinette Smith
Full Stack Engineer, Glitch & Co-Founder, Techquity

Where do you work, and what is your job? 

I work at Glitch as a full stack engineer. I am also the co-founder of Techquity.

How do you use and/or build technology in your work?

At Glitch, I work with a team on building out the platform that allows anyone to build web-based tools or websites. For Techquity, I leverage quite a number of software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications: MailChimp for managing our mailing list, Eventbrite for posting events and handling registration, Squarespace for quickly building out our new website, and Google Drive for sharing documents with my team.

How does your work pursue or support social good?

I am really fortunate that both my day job and my organization allow me to focus on something I’m really passionate about: Making technology and the benefits of being in tech accessible to those who are currently underrepresented in tech.

Part of Glitch’s goal is to bring back the type of exploration and tinkering that occurred when the social web consisted of blogs and earlier social media platforms like MySpace, Black Planet, etc. Early introductions to tech shouldn’t require being exposed to the latest hardware.

Techquity is a local organization focused on creating an inclusive tech economy by focusing on supporting African Americans in tech, from first introductions to technology to navigating and excelling in their careers. We have a high-level calendar of events for this year, with a plan for one event per month, where each event touches on our areas of focus: K-12; entry/mid-level and executive career support; and entrepreneurship.

How do you define “tech for good”? What makes tech “good”?

Tech for good is technology that takes all people into account. Good tech considers vectors for abuse and acts to mitigate them. Good tech minimizes harm and makes users of that tech aware of the risks.

What interests you about the potential to use technology for change? What people or organizations do you see doing this successfully?

The CEO of Glitch, Anil Dash, has a podcast and one of the recent episodes really showcased some of the best of tech for good: Episode 9 included interviews with the founders of The Human Utility and Appolition. It really reminded me of how people really can make positive impacts on systems that feel so static and inscrutable: The Human Utility helps people pay their water bills in Detroit and Baltimore; Appolition allows subscribers to donate to community bail funds.

Can you describe a time when you witnessed the positive social impact of technology, either through something you built or through tech that made your work easier?

In October I was able to match people of color that couldn’t afford to attend a local tech conference with people that wanted to fund their entry to that conference using only Twitter.

What do you wish more people knew about tech, work for social change, or both?

Tech is for everyone! You don’t have to be a genius to get into the tech industry. And you don’t have to be in the tech industry to use tech in your work or life.

What would be your dream technology aimed at solving a problem in society?

My dream technology would be able to provide just-in-time contextual information for news stories. This would ideally help with information overload (i.e., trying to determine what news is important for you right now) and with knowing how to use that information in your day-to-day life.

The post Talking Tech for Good: Antoinette Smith, Glitch and Techquity appeared first on Software for Good.

In Talking Tech for Good, we talk to people who use technology for positive change every day.

Ivy Kaminsky
Founder and CEO, Find Your Power

How do you use and/or build technology in your work?

Our whole reason for being is because we believe that information access plus digital literacy is one great way towards gender equity. We are currently doing needs-based assessments with local African immigrant women to learn what type of resources they need, how they currently access resources, and what barriers they face to accessing those resources; i.e. skills, hardware, and/or internet service. We will take what we learn and build a resource library/tech tool.

How does your work pursue or support social good?

Our work directly supports the UN Sustainable Development Goal #5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Specifically by enhancing the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the employment and training of women.

How do you define “tech for good”? What makes tech “good”?

Using technology to improve the outcomes of people’s lives, especially those that typically lack access.

What interests you about the potential to use technology for change? What people or organizations do you see doing this successfully?

I believe the potential to use technology for change is only as limited as where people can get internet access, which won’t be limited for long with advances in technology.

What ethical concerns do you have in your work? What ethical principles do you want to see adopted more widely when it comes to tech and/or the work of social good?

In the tech world, as well as the work of social good, we want to see the principles of equity and unconditional accessibility reflected in both. Internet privacy and net neutrality are valuable in ensuring protection and equity, and the accessibility to allow individuals to expand themselves through technology.

Can you describe a time when you witnessed the positive social impact of technology, either through something you built or through tech that made your work easier?

One of our favorite and cost-effective tools that we use is something called Qgiv, which is a fundraising platform that starts with a free online version, and allows us to accept donations, and sell event tickets or merchandise without fees.

What do you wish more people knew about tech, work for social change, or both?

Much of the developing world lacks the access to technology and the internet that we often take for granted, and this lack of access disproportionately affects women and girls.

What would be your dream technology aimed at solving a problem in society?

We’re building it, so stay tuned.

The post Talking Tech for Good: Ivy Kaminsky, Find Your Power appeared first on Software for Good.

The day was full of insights about using tech for good and being thoughtful about the consequences of what we build. The session that stood out for Liz and me, however, was a panel discussion and then demonstration led by an organization called WeCo Accessibility Services. The panel featured experts from WeCo who themselves live with disabilities and barriers to access. They spoke about the challenges of navigating websites and apps with visual, cognitive, and mobility impairments. Then, we got to see some of the assistive technology they use in action.

One quote from a panelist that stuck with us: “I have to be very careful about how I spend my energy, and it’s probably not going to be on a website I can’t navigate.”

The discussion prompted us to think about how we can be more accessible throughout the full life cycle of a software project. Here are our takeaways:

When talking to potential clients:

• Build accessibility testing and compliance into all proposals
• Discuss with potential clients whether further testing and special considerations are needed

During strategy and user research:

• Interview users from a wide spectrum of abilities
• Think critically and ask people about how they will use the website or app, including the device they’re most likely to use
• Meet people where they are for interviews, testing, etc.
• Hire for inclusion — helps build more trusting relationships that lead to stronger solutions

When designing:

• Color contrast for readable copy
• Clearly visible search box
• Use familiar tropes from other websites or apps
• Avoid large images and excessive flashing or movement
• Copy above form fields for screen readers, and so it doesn’t disappear when a user clicks the text box
• Smaller file sizes for people who are on slower internet connections

When writing content:

• Use clear, consistent terms
• Avoid jargon and abbreviations
• Don’t be too wordy or cutesy — just say “Search,” “Shopping Cart,” etc.
• Make calls to action simple but specific, so people know what they’re clicking on — people may be using a screen reader to skip to just the links on a page

During software development:

• Tagging and content hierarchy for screen reader navigation
• Write thorough, helpful alt-text to describe important images
• But be thoughtful about when alt-text is needed — can be simpler for abstract designs
• Useful, robust site search
• Consistent functionality, e.g., links opening in a new tab/window

When testing:

• Test with users from a wide spectrum of abilities
• Test the experience with a screen reader and keyboard navigation, and other assistive technology

Before and during the launch:

• Communicate all changes clearly
• Explain reasoning for changes
• Offer ways to give feedback, for example, by giving people the opportunity to test the updated site or app

As another speaker from WeCo said, “We want to believe we can push a button and make things accessible… but one disability can manifest itself in so many different ways, and there’s personal preference.”

Accessibility is an ongoing process — and one we’ll continue working on and learning about as a team — but it’s always essential.

The post Accessibility Lessons from World Usability Day appeared first on Software for Good.

That may sound lofty, even melodramatic. Can user experience design really be evil?

The website Dark Patterns illustrates that, yes, UX can be dishonest and malicious. As highlighted by site creator Harry Brignull, dark patterns are features that trick users into doing something they might not want to do, but that benefits the business behind the tech.

When a service makes it difficult to unsubscribe from their mailing list, or gets you to click on something that looks like a button but is really an ad, that’s a dark pattern. See many, many examples in the website’s Hall of Shame.

A common thread in Dark Patterns is that users are misled or automatically opted in to features they haven’t clearly agreed to. Consensual Software is an open source project that advocates for explicit consent and privacy as the default.

Consensual software, the website explains, “respects users’ privacy and does not trick or coerce users into giving away permissions or data.” It’s built on the idea that tech should respect boundaries and be honest and ethical.

Danielle Leong is one of the creators of Consensual Software and the engineering manager for GitHub’s Community & Safety team. She recently tweeted,

My team asks, “How can this feature be used to hurt someone?” It’s incredibly important that we don’t just build features for the sake of disruption — we must build responsibly and making sure to think through abuse vectors and how real humans are impacted by tech.

Proactively avoiding harm is an important part of building software for good, not evil. You may create something with good intentions, but not realize how features could be used in negative and abusive ways.

For example, a social network that automatically includes users’ location in posts could put someone in danger from an ex-partner or stalker. And facial recognition technology could be used by law enforcement in ways that invade privacy and reinforce discrimination.

“Identifying Abuse Vectors” is a tutorial created by Terian Koscik to help technologists understand how software features can be used maliciously. The tutorial invites readers to identify ways their product could be exploited for evil, and walks them through strategies to prevent abuse.

Wondering how you can be more intentional about designing for good, not evil? Find an event near you via the World Usability Day website! If you’re in the Twin Cities, you can attend free World Usability Day events at the University of Minnesota and Target.

The post Software for Good, Not Evil appeared first on Software for Good.

In the Talking Tech for Good series, we talk to people who use technology for positive change every day.

Luciano Patiño
Information Technology and Data Manager, Propel Nonprofits

How do you use and/or build technology in your work?

I’m responsible for designing and building Propel Nonprofits‘ database and other IT infrastructure, along with some external partners.

How does your work pursue or support social good?

There are many opportunities to support social good as an IT professional. For example, as the person responsible for most of our data, I often help design forms or surveys. How questions are phrased (i.e., using open text boxes for race and gender) can bring people in or make them feel excluded. At Propel, we’re also thinking about how to reach people who don’t have access to smartphones or high speed internet, and letting that influence how we design our website.

How do you define “tech for good”? What makes tech “good”?

I try to use technology in ways that advance equity and justice. My expertise is mostly on the data side, and so I’m always curious about how we can collect and publish data that highlights disparities or shows us how we can better serve black communities, LGBT folks, women, and people with disabilities. Beyond that, I think that IT professionals are uniquely positioned to influence people all over an organization. We use technology more and more throughout our business models, and so we (the geeks) are invited into meetings and projects with all stakeholders, and that affects everything we do.

What interests you about the potential to use technology for positive change? What people or organizations do you see doing this successfully?

Nonprofits have not really leveraged analytics the way for-profit businesses have. There are some great new products, like Einstein for Salesforce, and groups, such as the “Analyze This!” meetup, that can help teach us how to leverage these tools. I’m really excited to learn more and do more with analytics.

What ethical concerns do you have in your work? What ethical principles do you want to see adopted more widely when it comes to tech and/or the work of social good?

I believe the world is becoming automated too quickly. We’re reaping the benefits of robotics, the Internet of Things, self-driving cars, etc, without taking the time to think through how our laws and values have to change accordingly. What does it mean when a self-driving car kills someone? When does the human touch matter in making a product? I hope Steinways are never built by machines, for example. These are some of the things I think about.

Can you describe a time when you witnessed the positive social impact of technology, either through something you built or through tech that made your work easier?

All the time I witness how simplifying processes frees people up. At Propel, we have lots of details, lots of minutiae, that we have to track for legal or reporting purposes. The easier I can make that maintenance, the more time my co-workers have to sip coffee with our clients, or come up with creative financial solutions for an organization in crisis. In the end, social justice work is about relationships. The more I can disconnect people from the tedium of data entry, the more time they have to build deep, meaningful relationships.

What do you wish more people knew about tech, work for social change, or both?

I wish people would see technology, finance, and operations as central to social change. Where we office out of matters. How we bill people matters. The length of a survey or an application matters. We have lots of power to draw people closer or make reaching us hard.

What would be your dream technology aimed at solving a problem in society?

I used to work for the local real estate association, at the multiple listing service. I wish we had a search engine, where foundations could search for programs, and nonprofits could search for funding. As the price for entry, some (OR ALL!!) of the funding would have to be unrestricted, and nonprofits would have to provide some data about communities served and outcomes. It would greatly reduce the administrative burden from nonprofits, and would help foundations expand beyond the group of organizations they already know. Sounds like a win-win to me!

The post Talking Tech for Good: Luciano Patiño, Propel Nonprofits appeared first on Software for Good.

In trying to advance these goals, I spoke at the Minnesota Community Action Professionals Conference in July, and I facilitated a conversation on advocating for change within organizations at the Young Nonprofit Professional Network’s Cafe Conversations in September. (For some background on my talk at MinnCAP and what I hoped to learn there, here’s my blog post from July.)

At each of these gatherings, I tried to offer my own knowledge and experience in the software industry, but I was primarily interested in learning from others about the problems that they face working within nonprofits. I went into these meetings wondering what are the biggest obstacles in their work, which of these issues can be addressed by technology, and what are the most common obstacles that prevent technology from advancing their mission.

At MinnCAP, conference participants work in the same or very similar roles in different organizations or localities, so their experiences were all quite similar. This allowed the discussion to quickly move past general brainstorming and into deeper analysis of obstacles and opportunities.

At YNPN’s Cafe Conversations, participants came from many different nonprofit organizations in the Twin Cities, which brought about more contrasting experiences, so the different perspectives complemented one another. In each group, participants were deeply engaged in learning from one another.

While I learned a ton at each of these gatherings, there were a few key points that stuck with me:

Across the board, the most common obstacle people reported as preventing nonprofits from incorporating technology was other people that resist change. There are other common problems, like securing funding for a new endeavor, or figuring out what new path is worth taking, but the most consistent obstacle was posed by other people. That resistance usually comes from some position of authority, like from a board of directors, an executive director, or the regulations and policies that those types of roles set. However, it can also come from coworkers or clients who don’t want to bother changing.

Fortunately, participants were able to offer practical suggestions on how to persuade others, such as identifying data or metrics of success that can help overcome resistance. Participants also talked about leveraging funding opportunities, as losing funding or transitions in funding cycles can help spur change.

Some participants had seen leadership changes at their organizations that brought heightened interest in innovation, like hiring a new director, but these trends were usually reliant on individual personalities. While a great leader can reinvigorate morale and hope for positive change, that hope can prove unsustainable when flexibility or innovation isn’t incorporated into the daily operations or policies of the organization. Promising new ideas can stall whenever roles change or when competing interests arise.

During the Cafe Conversation, there was also a brief discussion on how to avoid feeling burnt out or defeated in the face of resistance. Everyone was quite positive and encouraging about achieving positive change, despite the very real risks involved. Their positive feelings weren’t reliant on vague hopes for the future, but rather practical insights drawn from experience.

Many individuals had such a sophisticated understanding of how change occurs that they simply didn’t dwell on obstacles; they learned from them and quickly found a place to apply the learning. Rather than succumb to the frustration, they spent their time analyzing and strategizing around what steps they could take next. They seemed to find more determination to achieve their goals the more they analyzed the situation and consulted about a new path forward.

Overall, a lot of very practical and insightful information was shared at these gatherings. I look forward to joining more events like this in the future!

The post Advocating for Change: Nonprofits Share Their Challenges appeared first on Software for Good.

This year’s hackathon projects will focus on the core pillars Mayor Melvin Carter has introduced for the city of Saint Paul: Economic Justice and Inclusion, Lifelong Learning, and Community First Public Safety.

As Saint Paul’s Initiatives Director for Community First Public Safety, Jason Sole works to advance that pillar, and to support meaningful solutions that come from the community. He’s also a criminal justice professor, and will speak on the panel of leaders to open Code Switch. Before the event, he answered a few questions about the ideas and connections he hopes to see.

What excites you about an event like Code Switch where people come together to come up with solutions to community issues?

For me, when I’m in the classroom, I always help students build upon ideas to get to a really concrete solution, something that’s actually doable. I think that’s the benefit of having folks come together from different realms of society, or different realms of life. I think you get a chance to really allow diversity to thrive. Some of the most successful companies, the diversity is what makes the difference, whether diversity in sexual orientation, religion, expertise, whatever. It brings people together and allows people to vibe off the energy and thought patterns.

This year at Code Switch, the plan is to have projects around the three pillars that Mayor Carter has set forward, including Community First Public Safety. Are there ideas you’re hoping to see come out of this year’s hackathon, or that would be especially exciting to see in that area?

I always have ideas, I always have different solutions, it’s just based on whether people want to move on them. One of the things I want to do is create a solid system for folks who are currently in our workhouses throughout the state of Minnesota, because there’s a lot of ambiguity around who can vote and who can’t vote. The workhouses mainly have people with misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors, which means they never lost their right to vote, but ironically they’re not getting registered in time, they’re not getting the absentee ballots. Some people may get them, but it’s not a formal system. We don’t have technology to make sure that they actually vote, and they still have their right. So that’s something I would like to see.

My role in being Community First Public Safety Director of Initiatives is really helping the community be empowered enough to understand that they have the solutions, instead of depending on government or depending on 911. I’ve never had the luxury of calling 911, and people need to know other phone calls that they can make, rather than always calling 911. If we could get a base of folks who can respond to loud noise complaints, or calls the police get where somebody doesn’t have a dog on a leash — if we can identify folks within a database using some kind of technology, we can actually save money on calling law enforcement.

So I’ve got a ton of ideas. I can throw out ideas all day and have a solution to get us to the finish line, but as far as technology, that’s where I’m weak, so if folks at Code Switch can work through some of those ideas, it’d be great. But Community First is really when the community comes up with solutions, rather than always needing to call somebody to come up with solutions. We don’t always need to call the police to fix our stuff.

Are there certain roles or types of people you’d like to come to Code Switch and be involved?

I’m a little biased, because I teach criminal justice, so that’s where my lens is. But any kind of folks who care about equity. If you care about equity — I’m not talking about equality — if you care about equity, then I think you should be a part of it. I think you should show up and let your voice be heard.

I think Code Switch will be a place where people say the system isn’t working, and now we’re willing to share time and space in actually creating a system that works for everybody, not just the people with money.

For me, most importantly, I want to see students, I want to see people of color, I want to see entrepreneurs, I want to see people from various backgrounds, because that’s where the synergy is created. Not with folks who just have similar thoughts and similar ideas, but folks who are saying, “This is my specialty, I’ll work on this, but I care about environmental justice. Oh, you’re from the church, or you’re from the mosque, I care about what you’re doing over there.” Just coming together and vibing off of people who are doing different things that all lead to the greater good. I would like to see folks who have their eye on creating something that doesn’t currently exist.

Hear more about the power of co-creating community solutions from another Code Switch speaker: Tawanna Black of the Center for Economic Inclusion.

The post Show Up and Let Your Voice Be Heard: Code Switch 2018 appeared first on Software for Good.