Webinar by LSNTAP and Idealware on uses for mobile phones in legal services

1. Affordable Program Delivery Through
Mobile Phones
October 2012

2. Introductions…

4. Introductions
• Laura Quinn, Executive Director of Idealware
• Kate Bladow, Powered Pursuits
• Liz Keith, Pro Bono Net
• Vince Morris, Arkansas Legal Services Partnership

5. A New, Mobile World

6. 87% of all American Adults Have a Cell Phone
Pew Internet, February 2012

7. They’re Not Just Using them to Make Calls
Pew Internet, May 2011

8. They Are Legal Aid Clients, Too
2012 Survey of 2012 Survey of
Georgia Clients Council MLSA Hotline
92 respondents 22 responses
82% had cell phones 82% had cell phones
Additional services for 63% of those had
those with cell phones smartphones
• Text messaging 93.9%
Email 45.5%
• Internet access 39.4%
Voice mail 66.7%

9. Providing Information

10. How Does Your Website Look on a Phone?
A mobile website is the core of
many mobile strategies.
If you’re going to engage them
on a phone, they need to be able
to find you on their phone.
www.MobilePhoneEmulator.com

11. Creating A Mobile-Friendly Site
Make your current
site mobile-friendly…
Or build one
particularly for mobiles

12. Or Create Your Own Simple App
Tools like AppMakr, Swep
Apps, MobBase will help you
create very simple apps for
$100-$200… but generally,
you’ll need a programmer
Apps need to be downloaded in advance, but then are available even offline.

13. Use QR Codes to Make Paper Interactive
Let someone find out
more about something
they’re interested in
http://www.thebigwild.org/

14. MontanaLawHelp.org & Mobile LawHelp Platform
A mobile website that
provides access to
MontanaLawHelp.org’s self-
help and referral information
It was created on the mobile
LawHelp.org platform.

15. LawHelp Mobile Platform
• 2010 TIG grant to Montana
Legal Services Association
• Project partners: Colorado Legal
Services, Northwest Justice
Project and Pro Bono Net
• Available to all LawHelp states
by end of 2012

16. LawHelp mobile platform
• Developed in HTML5
• LawHelp content can be tagged
for display on the mobile site
• Or mobile-specific versions of
resources can be created
• Supports up to three “channels” of
content
• Channels can return location-
specific results

17. What Did We Learn About Mobile Sites?
• Learn from other mobile projects
• HTML5 avoids many cross-platform issues
• Allow extra time for development
• Develop a mobile-specific content strategy
• Mobile loves plain language!
• Usability testing and iterative feedback is invaluable
• “Email this” features are helpful on mobile

18. Keep it simple
• “I like all of the legal topics • “I think the simple
pop up so it’s easy to see layout/color scheme helps.
what the options are.” It's not too busy.”
• “It was very easy to follow • “Love that there are videos
the subtopics.” you can watch on your
• “Followed links through phone.”
several pages, headings
descriptive enough to lead
to appropriate place.”

19. What’s Next for LawHelp Mobile?
• 2012 TIG grant to Legal • Other user suggestions:
Assistance of Western New – Search engine
York will add: – Icons indicating resource
– Support for Spanish formats
mirror version – Map feature
– LiveHelp integration

20. Other Upcoming Mobile Projects
2013 TIG Projects
• 2013 TIG to Georgia Legal Services Program to
pilot SMS text messaging to provide legal
information & referrals from statewide websites
(with WA, NY and IL)
• 2013 TIG to Legal Aid Services of Northeastern
Minnesota “Pro Bono to Go” TIG

21. CitizenshipWorks.org Mobile App
• Provides access to the
CitizenshipWorks Immigration
Legal Services Directory and
information about the naturalization
process
• Calculators to determine critical
aspects of eligibility
• Customizable checklist of
documents to complete
naturalization application
• Q&A to test user’s familiarity with
civics questions
• Available for Android in November
and iOS in December
• English and Spanish versions

22. Arkansas Access to Justice Foundation iProBono
iProBono allows you to
• View current pro bono case listings.
• Filter current cases by case type or
Arkansas county via keyword
search.
• Request cases through the app via
the "I Want This Case" button.
• Access accepted cases in the "My
Cases" view.
• Read up-to-date stories delivered
by the "Justice News" RSS feed.
• Find free Arkansas legal resources.
iPhone app version of iProBono

23. Gibson Area Hospital and Health Services
Print
advertisement
allows people
They’re more
likely link directly
to to be
looking for mobile
to their quick
app
information
about you than
for in-depth
information

24. Conversations with
Constituents

25. Sending Texts From Email
Not officially supported, so not 100% reliable or for large quantities
Email [phone number@provider]
i.e., 2079282779@verizon.com
A reasonable choice for small numbers of texts

26. Sending Broadcast Texts
If you’ve collected cell phone
numbers, you can text them
messages – very similar to
broadcast email
Rock the Vote

27. Ask People to Subscribe

28. Two-way Conversations
HELP
Can you volunteer
this Sat from 1-4?
Type YES or NO
YES
Great! We’ll see you
@ 13 Pier st. @ 1:00
pm. Thanks!
You can setup automated responses, with lots of branch points if desired

29. Provide Information from a Database
Blue Ocean Institute
You can connect texts to a database, so
people get automatic texts or responses

30. Collecting Information
People can report
emergencies or incidents
via SMS, which are
collected in a database
Ushahidi

31. Lower Cost Options for Sending Texts
Very basic functionality for up
250 text messages for
$10/month. More complex
functionality available.
Up to 1000 texts/month
starting at $69

32. More Full Featured Options
Full featured platforms which support complex campaigns
Easy-to-use interface, with sophisticated
functionality (two way, targeted, giving
more). Supports mobile giving through
MGF. Plans start at about $400/month
Mobile texting capabilities via API, to
allow programmers to synchronize texts
with databases

33. CitizenshipWorks
A nationwide text messaging
campaign, which sends
immigrants information about
US citizenship and helps them
access free to low-cost legal
help in their area

34. TXT4LIFE
The Crisis Connection
provides a suicide
prevention hotline
via text message.
They get 30 times as
many texts as they
did phone calls.

35. Rate Your Ride
The Central Maryland
Transportation
Alliance piloted a
program to let high
school students and
commuters rate the
quality of their bus
service.
The program cost about $135K all together.

36. Rate Your Ride
Passengers could either
answer a survey via mobile
text or via a mobile website.
95% of respondents who
said they were students
answered by text, but only
50% of people going to work.

37. Rate Your Ride
In response, the MTA improved
two bus lines and took over
ownership of the service

38. Supporting Staff in the Field

39. Allow Staff to View Data in the Field

40. Allow Them to Enter Data
Especially if you have staff who
work mostly in the field, it can
save huge amounts of time to
enter data remotely.

41. Collect Data
iPads or other tablets
can be compelling for
surveys or quick data
collection… especially
to clients or survey
respondents who want
to play with them.

42. Use Mobile Devices to Provide Programs
Can you let constituents
use them to learn,
interact, or otherwise
further your mission?

43. Rolling Out Smart Phones to The Organization
Headway Emotional Health
Services provided 50 case
managers with smart phones
to help them view and enter
data from the field.

44. Rolling Out Smart Phones to The Organization
“I can schedule They paid $5000 upfront for the
meetings and phones and $1200/ month for data
appointments just plans (their system supported
from looking at my mobile access already)
phone. If I want to get
something for my They’re not tracking results
client, I can do that all directly, but it’s reduced
from my phone, too.” scheduling conflicts and staff feel
they’re more productive.

45. iPads for Special Education
The Reach School, a pre-school
for kids on the autism spectrum,
bought iPads, durable cases, and
special education apps for each
of their seven classrooms, for a
total investment of about $7000.
Teachers use them to show
videos, provide individual kids
with learning games, and as a
special treat.

46. What’s Most Compelling To You?