Activity: Impact Measurement Framework

Objective

Define meaningful success metrics for social impact apps that measure actual community benefit beyond downloads.

The Measurement Challenge

Traditional tech metrics (DAU, retention) don't capture social impact. How do you know if your app helps communities?

Direct Outcomes Design (10 minutes)

Create metrics for immediate app-driven results:

Food Security App Example Progression:

• Bad: "1000 food listings posted"
• Good: "800 families received meals via app connections"
• Better: "Average food access time reduced from 3 days to 6 hours"

Your Task: Choose a social impact app category and design 3 metrics following this progression.

Community Empowerment Metrics (8 minutes)

Measure how apps build community capacity rather than dependency:

Empowerment Indicators:

• Users teaching other users app features
• Community members leading support groups without app mediation
• Local organizations adopting app practices independently
• New offline relationships formed through app connections

Design Challenge: Create metrics showing whether your app makes communities more self-reliant over time.

Equity Assessment (7 minutes)

Ensure impact reaches historically marginalized communities:

Inclusion Check:

• Geographic: Does impact reach rural/underserved areas?
• Economic: Do benefits reach lowest-income users?
• Cultural: Are outcomes positive across different communities?
• Accessibility: Equal benefits for users with disabilities?

Framework Implementation

Design your measurement plan:

1. 3 Direct Outcome Metrics: Immediate results from app usage
2. 2 Community Empowerment Metrics: Long-term capacity building
3. One Equity Assessment Method: Ensuring inclusive impact

Success Criteria

Your framework should answer:

• Are we solving our intended problem?
• Are communities becoming more empowered?
• Who is being left behind?
• How can we improve based on feedback?

📤 Submit Your Work

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