Designing an open feedback platform to bring greater accountability in the humanitarian sector
Impact
Loop is a feedback and reporting platform for humanitarian organizations designed, developed, and launched by Sonder Collective in partnership with Talk to Loop.
Loop provides a space for communities receiving humanitarian services to share their thoughts, perspectives, and needs leveraging key features like:
SMS and voice connectivity that makes Loop accessible without internet access.
Translation functionality that allows people to share, read, and respond to feedback in a language they are most comfortable using.
A secure feedback mechanism that provides a way for sensitive complaints and comments to be submitted safely.
Credit: Sonder Collective.
Challenge
Humanitarian organisations can overlook community voices, focussed on crisis response while unintentionally reinforcing power imbalances and providing unneeded, unrequested and sometimes even harmful services.
Despite commitments to accountability, the humanitarian sector has lacked a scalable and accessible way to amplify community voices and ensure services are more localised, responsive and ultimately beneficial.
My community in particular has very few places to report cases, because we are heavily discriminated against, even by people who are supposedly there to offer help. We share our experiences with each other here at the Centre and in our closed groups. This sometimes doesn’t immediately attach us to someone that can help. It also sometimes doesn’t lead to people responsible for abuse or trauma being held accountable.
Community member, Trans & Intersex Support Centre, Zambia
Testing an SMS prototype of Loop's feedback mechanism with agricultural workers and their families in rural Zambia. Credit: Sonder Collective.
Interviewing aid recipients and users of TalkToLoop.org to gain insights into their experiences of providing feedback to NGOs in Lusaka, Zambia. Credit: Sonder Collective.
Approach
Sonder joined forces with Talk to Loop to design, develop and launch a global platform for humanitarian feedback and accountability after spending over two years framing, researching, and understanding problems associated with humanitarian accountability through a number of related projects.
Despite commitments to accountability, the humanitarian sector has lacked a scalable and accessible way to amplify community voices and ensure services are more localized, responsive, and ultimately beneficial.
To begin, Sonder assembled a global team of expert collaborators in service design, product design, and software development to develop core platform features using an agile development process made up of two-week design sprints and one-week usability testing cycles. Sonder worked closely with target user groups, including Loop’s Governing Board, made up of professionals who have lived experience in communities experiencing humanitarian crises, ensuring their needs and perspectives shaped the platform design. Key requirements included ensuring accessibility in low- or no-connectivity settings and the safe sharing of sensitive or traumatic issues.
Credit: Alecs Ongcal / Faaris Adam / Ismail Abdihakim / Loop / Fairpicture.
Partners
