InCity is
your
civic hub
Reimagining Atlanta’s 311 for speed, clarity, and accessibility
See a city problem?
Waiting on city updates?
Wish reporting was simpler?
Your city, your story. Report issues with ease.
A mobile-first reporting platform that modernizes non-emergency city service requests for Atlanta residents.
InCity streamlines how people submit geotagged reports, track progress, and receive real-time city updates.
Let's dive into it…
Overview
What's the gist of InCity?
Plagued with issues, ATL311 was the go-to system that Atlanta citizens relied on to report non-immediate issues within the city. Many reports are often left forgotten, incomplete, or completed incorrectly.
InCity aims to fix those issues — packed with features, complete with city updates, interactive map points, and improved case tracking.
What was the outcome?
In the end, we reduced task completion time by 75%, cut the error rate from 30% to around 5%, and eliminated abandoned submissions altogether.
The project also received recognition from the Assistant City Manager of Kennesaw, who praised its impact if implemented.
Role
Lead UX Designer/Researcher
Team
6 People
Tools
Figma, FigJam, Lottie, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Illustrator
Leveraged Skills
Wireframing, Prototyping, Lit Review, Competitive Auditing, Motion
The Problem
What's the main issue with ATL311?
ATL311’s desktop-first design buries critical reporting tools behind numerous issues leaving residents abandoning submissions in frustration.
Desktop-first Design
ATL311’s desktop-centric interface burdens mobile users with tiny controls and hidden menus.
Buried Workflows
Critical reporting paths are scattered across multiple taps, forcing users through eight steps to submit.
Opaque Status Updates
Without real-time feedback, residents remain in the dark about the progress of their cases.
Research
Uncovering more frustrations.
Gaining insight through real voices.
We started our research by speaking with four Atlanta residents and consulting two city officials to better understand how ATL311 is used today and where it falls short.
Among them was Marty Hughes, Assistant City Manager of Kennesaw, who provided valuable insight into how both residents and administrators experience the service — and how they envision it improving on mobile.
IMAGE
Teams meeting with Assistant City Manager of Kennesaw: Marty Hughes.
Gaining insight through real voices.
We started our research by speaking with four Atlanta residents and consulting two city officials to better understand how ATL311 is used today and where it falls short.
Among them was Marty Hughes, Assistant City Manager of Kennesaw, who provided valuable insight into how both residents and administrators experience the service — and how they envision it improving on mobile.
IMAGE
Teams meeting with Assistant City Manager of Kennesaw: Marty Hughes.
Somehow, Atlanta was falling behind.
Let's fix that.
Through a competitive audit of other city reporting platforms like NYC311 and Austin311, we uncovered both inspiring features and recurring usability gaps.
From clean layouts, real-time maps, and bookmarking tools to confusing navigation, lack of resources, and inaccessible design, these comparisons made it clear where Atlanta’s app was falling short — and where we had the opportunity to do better.
IMAGE
Competitive audit showcase; Apps shown: NYC311, Austin311, CHI311 .
Somehow, Atlanta was falling behind.
Let's fix that.
Through a competitive audit of other city reporting platforms like NYC311 and Austin311, we uncovered both inspiring features and recurring usability gaps.
From clean layouts, real-time maps, and bookmarking tools to confusing navigation, lack of resources, and inaccessible design, these comparisons made it clear where Atlanta’s app was falling short — and where we had the opportunity to do better.
IMAGE
Competitive audit showcase; Apps shown: NYC311, Austin311, CHI311 .
IMAGE
Product domain literature review.
Developing our core.
Our research into accessibility and smart city practices showed that making cities more inclusive is not just about meeting legal standards, but about removing everyday barriers that affect people in different ways.
From policies like the ADA to local efforts in parks and transit, the findings highlighted how thoughtful design and technology can improve mobility, expand participation, and ultimately create communities where everyone benefits.
IMAGE
Product domain literature review.
Developing our core.
Our research into accessibility and smart city practices showed that making cities more inclusive is not just about meeting legal standards, but about removing everyday barriers that affect people in different ways.
From policies like the ADA to local efforts in parks and transit, the findings highlighted how thoughtful design and technology can improve mobility, expand participation, and ultimately create communities where everyone benefits.
W
VIDEO LOOP
FigJam board with sticky notes of collected insights.
Listening to what our neighbors had to say.
Interviewees still rely on local news and TV for city updates, so reliable push alerts for weather, traffic, and events are essential.
Digital payments for utilities and fines worked half the time, workflows such as Medicaid applications and permit payments continued to demand in-person visits.
Finally, privacy concerns—particularly among older users—underscored the need for secure, transparent processes. These insights directly shaped our core features: an inclusive UI, streamlined report flows, customizable alerts, and robust security measures.
W
VIDEO LOOP
FigJam board with sticky notes of collected insights.
Listening to what our neighbors had to say.
Interviewees still rely on local news and TV for city updates, so reliable push alerts for weather, traffic, and events are essential.
Digital payments for utilities and fines worked half the time, workflows such as Medicaid applications and permit payments continued to demand in-person visits.
Finally, privacy concerns—particularly among older users—underscored the need for secure, transparent processes. These insights directly shaped our core features: an inclusive UI, streamlined report flows, customizable alerts, and robust security measures.
Alex
Blake
Alex, The Everyday Resident
Alex lives in Kennesaw, GA, and relies heavily on his smartphone for traffic alerts, event planning, and day-to-day tasks.
He values instant confirmation when reporting an issue, prefers a high-contrast interface that’s easy on the eyes, and appreciates engaging micro-interactions that make the process feel smooth and trustworthy.
Tiny controls, giant headache.
Alex struggles with buttons and menus that are too small or hidden, making it frustrating to file a report.
Hard to use while on the go.
Reporting on-the-go is difficult without a clean, mobile-friendly interface, especially during commutes.
Not a clue if anything’s happening.
After submitting, Alex often gets no clear feedback, leaving him unsure if the city even saw his request.
INTERACTIVE COMPONENT
Persona layout for Alex and Blake, Interactive navigation on top
Meet Alex and Blake.
You’ve probably met them before.
From neighbors juggling busy lives to staff managing endless requests, these personas capture the frustrations and joys that shaped our design.
Alex’s need for clarity and accessibility pushed us to simplify reporting flows and add instant confirmations, while Blake’s overloaded workload inspired features like real-time routing, prioritization through upvotes, and transparent tracking.
Together, their stories became the blueprint for InCity’s focus on speed, clarity, and accessibility.
Alex
Blake
Alex, The Everyday Resident
Alex lives in Kennesaw, GA, and relies heavily on his smartphone for traffic alerts, event planning, and day-to-day tasks.
He values instant confirmation when reporting an issue, prefers a high-contrast interface that’s easy on the eyes, and appreciates engaging micro-interactions that make the process feel smooth and trustworthy.
Tiny controls, giant headache.
Alex struggles with buttons and menus that are too small or hidden, making it frustrating to file a report.
Hard to use while on the go.
Reporting on-the-go is difficult without a clean, mobile-friendly interface, especially during commutes.
Not a clue if anything’s happening.
After submitting, Alex often gets no clear feedback, leaving him unsure if the city even saw his request.
INTERACTIVE COMPONENT
Persona layout for Alex and Blake, Interactive navigation on top
Meet Alex and Blake.
You’ve probably met them before.
From neighbors juggling busy lives to staff managing endless requests, these personas capture the frustrations and joys that shaped our design.
Alex’s need for clarity and accessibility pushed us to simplify reporting flows and add instant confirmations, while Blake’s overloaded workload inspired features like real-time routing, prioritization through upvotes, and transparent tracking.
Together, their stories became the blueprint for InCity’s focus on speed, clarity, and accessibility.
Wireframes
Every good design starts a bit messy.
Lo-Fi Screen
From research to creating possibilities.
Even a rough sketch can spark ideas about what works, what doesn’t, and how someone actually gets started.
Full Lo-Fi Set
When the puzzle comes together.
Stepping back to see the full wireframe flow turned scattered boxes into a clear journey from report to resolution.
Transition to Mid-Fi
From napkin sketch to something real.
Moving into medium fidelity brought sharper layouts, cleaner flows, and just enough polish to test accessibility and clarity.
Final
Moving to something more polished.
Variables
Changeable theme.
The interface shifts with you — bright for clarity outdoors, dark for comfort at night. A single toggle makes the transition seamless.
Design System
Components and interactions.
Soft corners, crisp feedback, and playful touches like bouncing pins. Every tap feels predictable and alive.
Iconography
Clean typography and Icons.
Clean type paired with purposeful icons. They scale together so nothing ever feels out of rhythm.
Landing
Onboarding verification.
Getting started is quick: enter your number, confirm with a text code, and you’re in. Familiar, fast, and grounded in trust.
Case study under construction…
Last Updated: 9/6/2025