In partnership with the City of Chicago, our class was tasked with developing interactive solutions to improve the reentry process for citizens returning from prison. PadLock is a user-centered system which guides reentering individuals to find housing that’s right for them, access services in their neighborhood, and join a community. Through secondary research, experience modeling, wireframe development, and Figma prototyping, our team developed a multimodal and collaborative app within the context of our persona's use case.

The Space Between : PadLock seeks to understand the gap within the housing search for returning citizens, using our users existing behaviors, concerns, and desires to build a platform that represents them. Unlike existing housing search apps, PadLock allows for users to find a place to stay for one night through aggregating local shelters, hostels, and hotels. By limiting the search scope to the user's proximity, PadLock aims to reduce the cognitive load associated with innumerable yet unattainable housing options. It paves a way for change by attempting to resolve one of the top challenges returning citizens face on their journey to independence.

Designer(s) : Roxanne Hoffman, Parker Joyner, William Chen

Instructor : Jennifer Levin, JoEllen Kames

Course : Interaction Design Workshop

Project Partner : City of Chicago