Friendship Transit

VFA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 1978 to help Vietnamese refugees and immigrants adjust to life in the US after the Vietnam War. The organization offered ESL (English as a Second Language) courses, employment, and citizenship services.

Problem Definition

After some research and consideration, we have identified an opportunity that has the potential to strengthen the Vietnamese Friendship Association’s transportation system. Defining a problem within their organization proved to be a difficult task considering that they have a strong infrastructure with few problems or issues. Drawing upon our earlier research artifacts, it wasn’t until the interviews that we were presented with this opportunity. Our cultural probes didn’t contain much information that would have suggested or implied the idea for a transportation app. The most we got out of our cultural probes was more or less about those individuals and their personalities. Following the cultural probes were the interviews which is where we believe the idea of a possible transportation app was conceived. When we asked questions regarding the transportation of their students in the after school program, most of the answers we received were brief and vague. Thus, when we received the questionnaire responses, we asked more about their system of transportation, which we concluded as lacking in structure. For the most part, this organization seems to support the ideas of self-sufficiency as stated by this staff member:

“If they need help, we try to partner them with another student who lives nearby to take them home. If none exist, we personally take them home on the bus so they get used to riding.”

As of now, they do not have any system in helping their students/clients get home from the after school program other than evaluating and providing it upon demand, at the time when it is needed. With the implementation of Friendship Transit, the staff will be able to manage this system more efficiently and build satisfaction on all ends of the spectrum from students, parents, and staff. This application will engage staff and parent to actively monitor when, where and how their child gets home. The values that we believe the staff and parents share is safety and care of the students.

“It would help a lot to have interns or work study students that were capable of taking students home. It would free a lot of time and remove the hassle of trying to take multiple students home on the same day and having to postpone students because of the schedule conflicts.”

Motivation & Goals

For the Staff: To frame this opportunity, our application will allow management to easily and logically assign staff to the students they hold the responsibility of getting home. Each student will be registered into the database through the staff-access point. This application will have access to it and log the students in for that day. Once each student is logged in the system, the staff members can arrange who will be taking certain groups of students home by car or bus. The students who do not require assistance in getting home will not be logged into this database. This application will work around the hassle and frustrations that can arise when handling the transportation of these students and reducing the potential risk mishaps and accidents.

For the Parents/Guardians: The parents/guardians of these children will have access to this application though they will need to provide documentation upon registering into this system. This application will allow parents/guardians to actively monitor the whereabouts of their child upon their release from the after school program. They will be able to check when the student left the school and the estimated time they will arrive at the pick-up location or home. This will provide a sense of relief for the parent and that their children are in good hands.