Loop - Open feedback mechanism

Loop harnesses technology already developed in the private sector, partners with telecom providers and provides a free platform where anyone from anywhere can feedback on the Aid they have received in an open, transparent and real time manner. Service providers can reply directly and use the feedback to implement project course correction and build trusting relationships with affected populations. Trends can be analyzed and compliment other monitoring and evaluation findings. Anyone online, can have access to the data, fostering greater transparency and accountability.

By elevating the voices of citizens through the Loop platform, in an open and transparent manner, they are no longer charitable beneficiaries but able to be active agents of change. Their feedback and experiences can lead, shape and inform improved services and funding decisions globally. During COVID and other epidemics, monitoring their feedback can help to shape public health communications at a local level.

The problem is that the needs and perspectives of the most marginalised, vulnerable and under served people are not effectively incorporated into the design and funding of services aimed at supporting them.  They are treated as charitable beneficiaries rather than active agents of change. This occurs globally across the development and humanitarian sector. It is a problem for:

People because they feel marginalised, not listened to, and are not having their basic needs met in the most effective way for them.

Donors because their funds could be used to deliver greater impact.

Service providers because they need to build trust and engage with communities to be able to access populations, to empower sustainability and local ownership of solutions, and to deliver high quality support.  This is evidenced in multiple reports, eg: People Driven Response by Jeremy Konyndyke (2019).

During COVID or other epidemics, one-way communications to populations must be monitored and adapted based on citizens experiences, fears and evolution of rumours. When they are not, misunderstandings and miss-information can occur, resulting in conflict against officials and reduced access of health care workers.

Hypothetically, monitoring of feedback may also act as an early warning system of outbreaks or conflict.

We propose the development of an accessible, digital platform, enabling a global, independent permanent and interoperable common service for feedback: Loop. The loop platform is:

• for anyone to initiate feedback
• from anywhere they want
• at any time
• on what is important to them
• if they are asked to or not
• on a device they are already using or have access to.

Loop is:

• Free to use for service providers and service users.
• Can be anonymous.
• Easy to use and provides notifications if there is a message.
• Available on any device the individual or community is already using.
• Translated into English, Arabic, French and Spanish and other languages based on funding.
• Sensitive information will be sent to the appropriate referral pathway and not posted on line.

Loop is different to anything currently in the sector: it does not rely on having field staff present, it is independent, and it is a sector/ response wide tool. Loop is complementary to, and can collaborate with, other existing feedback mechanisms. 

Loop can be accessed by multiple channels: email, website, WhatsApp, free messenger services, Facebook, Texting, SMS. One phone can be used by multiple people, voice to text could be developed etc.

The first pilot will be in Zambia and the Philippines. It will be coordinated through existing large local networks of civil society actors so that it can still be implemented during COVID.

We are using User Centred Design approaches so that the local populations can help to shape the platform. We will get feedback from staff from local community organisations and individuals from the community on the prototype and on an ongoing basis to improve iteratively the various interfaces.

For Loop to have the biggest impact on vulnerable, under served and marginalised populations globally it must add value to three key stake holders.  We will be including feedback from all stakeholders during every phase of the build: Affected populations, service providers (NGOs, UN, Red Cross, public authorities etc) and donors (private, philanthropists and institutions).

Loop will help to improve projects and services for the benefit of affected populations. It will help them to raise the experiences, concerns and feedback in an open transparent way to affect positive change. It will also give them greater dignity and voice if they can see they have been heard (like/ up vote and number of views) and affected positive change as a result.

In the Ebola response constant hyper local feedback helped us to monitor if citizens trust and understand the messages and actions of health specialists. 'Rumour tracking' informed: public communications and messaging, the design of Ebola Treatment Centres, community engagement practices and government policy.  For the COVID 19 outbreak, seeking feedback is essential so that we can tailor the local public health communications and responses to address emerging questions, rumours or concerns. If this is done in an independent, open and transparent manner then it can increase trust and inform preparedness, response and funding decisions to more quickly flatten the curve.   

There is currently no other service competing with Loop to raise the voices of marginalised, vulnerable and under-served populations. Also there is no other feedback service that has more than one of the three design criteria: Open data, Decentralised control and Open dialogue. 

Loop is the only feedback mechanism that is based primarily on technology and does not have a team in each context leading and engaging with others to gather the feedback.  This minimal physical presence is important to be able to scale a global digital platform

Loop is one of the few approaches which is sector and context wide. For example, some platforms are designed specifically for refugees, internal to an organisation or service (such as a specific hospital).  Loop is not dependent on a project, emergency response or other Inter Agency presence. It is available before during and after any crisis and is available anywhere there is text messaging or internet access.

Finally, Loop aims to work in collaboration with other actors in this space to better coordinate and encourage feedback across the board. For example: feedback related to a specific Hospital or refugees can be forwarded onto the mechanism working with this directly to be integrated into their analysis. In addition, any organisation could promote the use of Loop to gather additional feedback after their face to face interactions and integrate this directly into their data. We could combine data at the macro level with others: BBC action, Internews, Ground Truth Solutions.

All of the technology required for Loop exists already.

Loop is a global platform housed on the AWS. 

There are multiple and a growing number of interfaces including: endless web (not an app); Free messenger services: WhatsApp, Facebook messenger, etc; SMS services: free messaging and bundles.

Translation services: the full website and feedback in English, French, Spanish and Arabic this will be through a machine learning device. We will also add additional translations for other languages but only for those specific geographic areas. This will include a hybrid of Machine learning and linguistic translators and be a partnership with Translators Without Borders (TWB) and the technology they are working on.

We will have a feature which pulls out the trends of feedback, based on the search entered.  This will require some AI.

People will be able to find and see what is in a certain area on a map so mapping technology form existing services will be integrated.

We will use HDX to ensure compatibility with other data sources for meta analysis.

We will provide a service, led by data scientists, to analyse the feedback based on certain questions or criteria, at a fee.

We will integrated various forms of speech technology, Voice to text, Voice recognition of the language the text appears in etc. TWB has already tested some of this technology and Voice is considered the future in this area. We will use USSD technology in low tech enabled context, linked to M-Pesa or other approaches.

Loop will use a wide variety of technological solutions that are already being used and developed by a wide variety of actors. We will bring it together into the one open platform. Some of these include:

Upinion, Kuja Kuja, monkey survey etc use closed digital surveys across many populations. We can see a proliferation of this during COVID.

Translators without Borders is testing and developing multiple translation services and technology on an ongoing basis Gamayune - https://translatorswithoutborders.org/gamayun/ and will partner with Loop. 

University College of London is developing technology for indigenous populations to use called Sapelli http://www.sapelli.org/. They are willing to share their learning.

Africas Voices and KatiKati are developing innovative approaches to triage feedback when it comes in for more personalised and tailored responses. this is in coordination with the University of Cambridge. https://www.africasvoices.org/ideas/newsblog/tag/katikati/.  I am discussing with them about possible partnerships.

Humanitarian Open Street Maps Team has networks of local digitally able mappers around the World. One of their members in the President of the Governing Board of Loop.

The current business incentives and power structures reinforce and maintain harmful and dis-empowering attitudes and behaviours. This includes:

• Funding flows which are: Top down and indirect; Hard for local actors to access due to complex application requirements and processes; Provide insufficient time or flexibility for deep community engagement and ownership.
• Primacy of financial accountability: Legal and financial accountability takes primacy, with people level impact being at a subordinate level; People do not have an ability to feedback on what has or has not worked well; and there is no requirement for authentic community ownership which is known to increase sustainability.
• A hierarchical ecosystem of actors with: Existing local structures and approaches being weakened by International Actors and financing; Community voices not available; Ingrained biases about who holds expert knowledge and 'capacity' or lack thereof.

If people's feedback was more readily available in an open transparent manner, it could impact decision making in relation to funding flows, provide data to support a new accountability paradigm which values people level impact and feed into an inclusive and equitable ecosystem with a deeper understanding and awareness of what is working as well as challenges different people face.

This is based on the assumption that donors funding decisions and service providers want to deliver services that affected populations want and value, and that if available this information would be used at different levels to improve service delivery, program design and funding decisions. 

It also assumes that those who currently benefit from the existing business incentives and power structures would enable and value, or at least not fight, other potential levers of influence and that Loop could be designed in a way that minimises the potential for feedback to be gamed or other harmful behaviours to result.

Loop is possible only because we can now communicate at a massive scale directly with people we are trying to help. There is an opportunity to use this technology to create long term systemic changes, to support people to be active agents of positive change rather than passive recipients and to radically improve our current accountability models. 

In 6 weeks we should be prototyping and testing with 100 people. Including 70 local people from Zambia and the Philippines, CSOs and donors.

In one year we will work across 5 contexts with 10,000 pieces of feedback from 7000 people, primarily people from affected communities and service providers. We will track and evidence the impact that this has.

In five years we want to have a million hits to the site a year across all continents and in 10 years 100 million hits.

Rough calculations suggest the Impact of Loop long term is 490,000 people per annum, through:

• Improved dignity by having a choice
• Improved services through feedback being listened to and researchers finding evidence of what is working or not
• Improved trust and engagement between citizens and organisations
• Improved culture within organisations.

Of that 100 million we estimate 50% will live on under $2 per day and 70% on under $5. The direct measurable benefit per person will only be perceptible, 1% = 700,000 people per year. The probability of success is 70% with the Investing for Good survey rating Loop as an Impact Improver. 70% of 700,000 = 490,000 people per annum.

For the return on investment for the sector, after two years will result in savings on other pilots implemented by donors of at least the full 2 year investment of Loop over the coming four years. As well as a % of ongoing savings on monitoring and evaluation costs for projects.

Our Wildly Ambitious Goals are, a global platform that is driving social change and increasing dignity and understanding worldwide, with 100 million hits a year, that is free to use and 100% self-sustainable.

To get there by 2021 we will have: 

A global platform for anyone, anywhere to self-initiate feedback – 100 million visitors a year:

3000 People have received cash are able to engage with the Loop platform and have provided feedback

3000 people who live in low tech enabled contexts are feeding back           

3000 people who live in high tech enabled contexts are feeding back           

3000 people who receive services through the UN system are feeding back.

3000 people who receive services in a Development context are feeding back.

Free to affected populations and service providers - 100% self-sustainable (not dependent on donations):

Income from donors confirmed for years 3 and 4. - Signed grants.

Core costs of Loop at scale clearly budgeted and calculated with income streams explored. - Paper completed.

An established and tested mechanisms for Safeguarding referral pathways. - Piloted and continues to be used in 2 contexts.

An established and tested mechanisms for Linking to CHS and Due diligence mechanisms - Piloted and used by at least 3 CHS Alliance members and 3 NEAR network members.

Driving change in the sector, led by service users at the scale of #metoo (how to measure?):

Established active representative Board - Active Board

Socialised and supported by grassroots groups - 3 groups include Loop in their campaign.

1. As a result of poor access to technology there is a risk that the most vulnerable will not be able to access the loop platform.
2. As a result of NGO fear of complaints coming in… there is a risk that the NGOs will choose not to engage with the platform, which may result in no action resulting from the feedback.
3. As a result of service users not receiving feedback or seeing change as a result of their engagement with Loop …there is a risk that they will stop using the platform. 
4. As a result of slow progress… there is a risk that other actors will fill the space with new technology but in a less empowering open way… which may result in duplication of costs and cause confusion.
5. As a result of reduced funding in the sector… there is a risk that there is not enough investment to evidence the effectiveness of Loop… which may result in delays and slow progress in the roll out of Loop.
6. As a result of COVID 19… there is a risk that things cannot be implemented as planned due to travel… which may result in delays .
7. As a result of data protection requirements... there is a risk that some organisations and individuals will have barriers to engaging
...which may result in fewer people using the Loop platform to share and engage with feedback.

1. Perfect cannot be the barrier to good.  We need to start and iterate to continuously improve access to all. Iterative user centred design process to make it more accessible. Creation of a toolbox of options to be adapted and tested in each context to increase accessibility.             

2. The design is about incentivising easy and effective two way communication.  Socialise the concept, work with NGOs in the design.  Establish a reliable process to refer Sexual Exploitation and Abuse issues safely. Test various approaches to ratings.

3. Loop must work closely with service providers and coordination systems (HTC, CHS) to ensure feedback is as actionable as possible. Design allows ways to incentivise feedback even if no direct response is received (likes).    

4. Pilot a variety of aspects of Loop in different contexts at the same time. Blog, present and talk widely about Loop to raising awareness.

5. Broad and wide applications for funding. Link funding opportunities to project bids. Engage various donors in feedback of the prototype. Engage with the Private Sector to mobilise volunteers to reduce costs of the build of the infrastructure.

6. Adjust all meetings to teleconferences. Show benefits of technological tools in contexts such as these to help raise need and buy in for the platform. HCD done through local established networks.

7. Contract developers who have experience working in accordance with GDPR regulations, ISO, follow digital principles, have been tested in complex context and have an Opt in vs Opt out approach.

An independent charity registered in the Hague, Netherlands.

1 full time: Loop Director

1 part time: Loop lead designer

3 Volunteers. Piecemeal on website, communications and monitoring and evaluation.

Governing Board, Currently 4: 

Geoffrey Kateregga – The Loop President - Humanitarian Open Street Network. https://ug.linkedin.com/in/kateregga-geoffrey-27290b57

Salama Bakhalah Yemenni woman who has worked for the United Nations.  https://www.linkedin.com/in/salamabakhalaa/

Sue Carswell – An Independent Research and Evaluation Specialist. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sue-carswell-4a139937/

Tey El-Rujla – A Syrian born refugee based in the Netherlands. An early adopter of Bitcoin and has pioneered the use of blockchain to break financial and identity barriers. https://www.linkedin.com/in/theinvisibleman/

We are well positioned due to our Governing Board members above, our staff and network of other professionals to quickly bring on board and our Advisory Board supporting the initiative (see below). 

Alex Carle – Loop Director. A New Zealand woman currently based in London.  Alex is a seasoned Humanitarian and Development worker who has been working in the sector for over twenty years. She has lived in 15 countries, across all continents and has worked for a variety of Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), with local, national, regional and international responsibilities.  All of this has taught her that good intentions are not enough to do no harm and so, born out of operational frustrations and an optimism that change can happen, she established Loop. https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-carle-61453a3b/

Ciaran Duffy –  Loop Lead designer. Ciarán is an independent UX and Service Designer, working with Sonder Design Collective. He specialises in prototyping new digital services in the humanitarian and global health sectors. In 2019, he led the Relief Watch project which focussed on reimagining accountability for people affected by crises in Iraq. Past clients include UNHCR, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Siemens Healthineers, and Rambus. Ciarán is comfortable planning and facilitating strategic workshops, creating high-fidelity prototypes, and conducting qualitative research with vulnerable populations. In 2016, he co-founded Refugee Text, a chatbot for refugees that delivered free and personalised asylum regulation information to refugees travelling to Europe. You can see more of Ciarán's work on his portfolio here. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ciaranduffy2/

Loop is supported by an Advisory Board of people who represent key stakeholders in the sector and want to actively support Loop coming to fruition.

Christina Bennett – START Network Chief Executive Officer.  The START Network has over 40 members and 7000 partner organisations, employing a quarter of a million people across 200 countries. https://www.linkedin.com/in/christina-bennett-1529711b/

Degan Ali – CEO at ADESO. Degan launched the Network for Empowered Aid Response (NEAR), a vibrant Global South network of CSOs that has since increased to over 200 members. 

Alexandra Sicotte-Levesque is the Manager for Community Engagement and Accountability at the International Federation of the Red Cross/Red Crescent where she leads a global team https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-sicotte-levesque-676285/

Stewart Davies – Stewart Davies is the global community engagement and accountability advisor for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) 

Elise Ford - Humanity United.  As a Director within Humanity United’s Peacebuilding team, supporting sector-wide efforts to shift power to local actors. https://www.linkedin.com/in/elise-ford-59a75157/

Tanya Wood – Executive Director at the CHS Alliance, made up of over 150 organisations, it unites its global membership in applying the Core Humanitarian Standard. https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanya-wood-22272914/

Sorcha O’Callaghan – Director of the Humanitarian Policy Group working on humanitarian issues, through a combination of high-quality analysis, dialogue and debate. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sorcha-o-callaghan-2720904/ https://www.odi.org/our-work/programmes/humanitarian-policy-group

In Zambia we are partnering with the Zambian Governance Foundation and 140 local civil society organisations.

In the Philippines we are partnering with the Disaster Risk Reduction Network of over 1400 local actors working on COVID with the Government.

The underlying design principle is that Loop is as accessible as possible and therefore free to users of the platform.  It will be free to service providers and act as a neutral organisation to ensure that all feedback is independent. It is a tool that people can use, for free to help them with the work they are already doing like twitter or AirBnB.

Loop must add value to three key stakeholders (as articulated in the story): Citizens, service providers and donors. If they all gain value from the tool/ platform then it will be on a growth trajectory reinforcing and incentives and value of using the platform.

Loops presence will not be dependent on Emergency response funds or funding proposals. Therefore, Loop does not aim to compete in emergency response funding rounds or project grants once it has reached a certain scale.  It will not be competing with organisations for funding on monitoring and evaluation and feedback mechanisms at a context or response level.  

The service needs to be there as a permanent tool for people to know about, trust and learn how to effectively use. For this reason the business model must be separate, reliable and permanent.  It is built on reaching scale where we will then be able to unlock revenue streams as outlined below.

Loop’s long term sustainable business model will include the below mixed income streams: 

• Revenue from advertising on the site (managed through a subsidiary organisation that reinvests all income to Loop)
• Fee for detailed analytics of the data
• Fee from for profit organisations using widgets from the site to reference feedback (Just Giving).
• Fee for donors (collectively for the initiative, by country)
• Donations by supporters including crowd funding for specific aspects.
• In kind donations or volunteering.
• Open contributions of support from organisations using the tool for free (Wikipedia approach)
• Ideally, we will develop a strong brand and large following, which makes it a useful asset for wealthy private sector companies to want to be associated with.

In direct reference to the Barriers identified earlier, Solve could help with:

1. Advise and support to help Loop negotiate setting up and rolling out zero rated telecoms agreement to increase our access to vulnerable populations globally. 

2. & 3. Support in connecting Loop to other private sector digital based organisations already using feedback and multiple interfaces, who have learnt and invested in effective infrastructure. Organisations who may be interested in pro-bono support of technical staff.

3 & 4. Identify a person/ organisation who could help Loop to develop a clear video in a few languages to explain the platform and how it is used widely. Additional support on other communications strategies for Loop would also be very welcome.

5. Identify a person/ organisation that could do an analysis of how much it could cost long term to run Loop and to assess the various income revenue streams potential, advising ways to structure the platform and organisation accordingly.

7. Like 2 & 3 but links to organisations which are experts in data protection and experienced in managing safe guarding processes that emanate online. I am part of the humanitarian network looking at this but believe we could learn a lot from other sectors.

We are looking for Advisory Board members to add value to our current group: telecoms, tech sector.

Finally, I am looking for a co-founder, who has experience scaling global tech unicorns, working with a global distributed team and is passionate and committed about creating systemic change.

I would benefit from all of the above areas to some degree as we are a very young charity. Any support i can get will reduce funds I need to raise elsewhere and increase professionalism and chances of success. 

I outlined the marketing, media above (point 3 & 4 above).

The business and funding model (point 5 above)

Solution technology refers to all of the other categorise in how can we cross pollinate learning and skills that already exist in different areas. How can I learn from others who have succeeded before me in setting up global digital platforms.

I am always interested to meet and work with those leading on addressing the Digital Divide. Developing technology for 2 and 3G networks, considering gender and accessibility, rather than 5G etc.

I am interested to have a discussion with well networked people about possible organisations which may have complementary skill sets. I am extremely familiar with and well networked in the Humanitarian sector but not at all in the area of tech and telecoms. 

Also, I am interested in discussing strategy. What value could the Loop platform bring to brand or new clients, for which existing or emerging companies? and then to have discussions with them. Who might be interested in social investment or partnership etc?