Coming Soon: PHLask

an ecosystem for finding and sharing resources in Philadelphia.

PHLask is a project that has been underway since 2018. Billy Hannafee, upon coming across an interesting stat, sought to understand why 42% of Philadelphians did not drink water from the tap; moreover, when asked why– a top response was “convenience”. Serving as the project lead since then under the umbrella of Code For Philly (a subsidiary of Code For America), Billy brought on technologists who could help serve the mission of providing a database of free water throughout Philadelphia.

Since then, the project grew to more than just water. At current, the database helps people find water, toilets, food (in the form of community fridges), and food (that can be foraged).

I started working with the team in August 2022. Since starting, I have served as design lead on a QR sticker design in order to boost the product awareness. Bringing the project from concept through design to print and distribution strategy. I have also helped design instagram slides to help with marketing, build the library in Figma, and translate content to Material UI. The site can be viewed at phlask.me

One thing that the team identified a need for is a way to encourage buy-in from volunteers going forward. A way to do this is to understand the value that working for the project offers. So, a team of people within the project will conduct interviews with current and former collaborators. The team is cross-functional, invites collaboration, and allows for all voices to be heard.