StepUp (powered by The Change Lab)

StepUP walks the civically curious from isolation to community involvement to civic engagement. The platform contains self-paced resources and research to connect, take action and change lives.

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About the Project: StepUP

Inspiration

Founder David A. Brown discovered the massive disparity among those who need government assistance and what they know about impacting the community and decisionmakers. He soon discovered that nearly 70% of Americans say they want to engage civically but don’t know where to start. Most platforms assume prior knowledge or confidence, leaving the civically curious without an entry point.
StepUp was born to forge that pathway. :sparkles:

What it does

StepUp guides users through three levels:

  1. On the Couch – attractive, engaging content that sparks curiosity.
  2. In the Community – gamified checklists and opportunities to connect.
  3. Active in Civic – resources and tools for direct action.

An onboarding quiz matches users with six topical pathways, aligning engagement with what they care about most.

How we built it

We built StepUp with a mix of technical development, research, and design:

  • Platform Development: Our prototype was coded with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, using APIs (including Google API) to pull in local data and surface relevant resources. JSON integrations allow us to connect users with real-time information in an accessible format.
  • AI & Content Generation: We leveraged tools like Claude and ChatGPT to build the current Change Lab platform, data schema and design.
  • Design & UX: Visuals and layouts were created in Figma, Base44 and Canva, focusing on clarity, accessibility, and consistency. We anchored the design on the existing Change Lab website.
  • Community Research: We grounded the build in extensive local research, drawing on reports from More in Common, Understanding Houston, and voter participation data. These insights shaped both the content and the progression model.

Challenges We Ran Into

  • Clearly defining and sequencing the development plan.
  • Attempting to integrate more than a dozen data sources, which created insurmountable obstacles and required us to pivot toward a strong prototype instead of forcing a half-functional platform.
  • Losing two AI developers, which shifted responsibilities across the team.

Accomplishments That We're Proud Of

  • Building the project collaboratively and with trust, ensuring all voices were heard.
  • Embracing the unknown and still producing a sound solution in spite of setbacks.
  • Choosing to focus on a great prototype rather than a half-working full build.

What We Learned

  • A collaborative approach to design builds strong relationships quickly.
  • Some teammates were introduced to new pathways for building tech, broadening their skills.
  • Developers learned to work in different environments, including GitHub and Base44, expanding technical versatility.

What's Next for StepUp

  • Hosting our first fundraiser on Sept. 15 with a goal of $250,000 to fully build and gamify a beta version.
  • Doubling down on efforts to cut out biases in content, design, and data integration.
  • Integrating AI into the project to power personalized pathways, resource recommendations, and scalable content.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1_-RDRLSMz6--vKpHVvvDtxayu6IaXuHRnCftYiyXpWc/edit?slide=id.g92393792e1_0_40#slide=id.g92393792e1_0_40

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