Allies Against Slavery
Combating Human Trafficking with Data-Driven Insights
Transforming Federal Case Data into Actionable Insights
Allies Against Slavery and Narrative partnered to harness the power of federal case data in the fight against human trafficking. Leveraging the comprehensive capabilities of the Lighthouse platform, we aimed to create an accessible information hub for diverse stakeholders, including law enforcement, survivors, analysts, and policymakers.
Through extensive design research and collaboration, we developed a public-facing application that integrates seamlessly with the Allies Against Slavery website, enhancing awareness and utilization of critical data.
Challenge
Present federal case data in a way that’s accessible to a variety of stakeholders
Design and implement a user-friendly, public-facing application that effectively frames federal case data on human trafficking in a meaningful way for a diverse audience with various data wants and needs.
Business Value
Reinforce Allies Against Slavery’s leadership in combating human trafficking through innovative data-driven strategies
- Enhanced Awareness: Elevates the visibility of Allies Against Slavery's initiatives and success stories.
- Broader Reach: Expands the impact of Lighthouse's data by making it accessible to a wider audience, including the general public and government agencies.
- Brand Positioning: Strengthens the organization's position as a leader in the fight against human trafficking by showcasing its innovative use of data.
User Value
Drive community involvement in combating human trafficking
- Stakeholder Empowerment: Provides law enforcement, policymakers, and analysts with valuable insights and tools to inform their work.
- Support for Survivors: Helps identify victims and trends, offering essential support to those directly affected by human trafficking.
- Public Engagement: Engages the general public with informative and actionable data, fostering greater community involvement in anti-trafficking efforts.
The data and charts are illustrative and may not reflect accurate information.
Exploring Diverse Research Methods to Drive Lighthouse Improvements
Guided Conversation
We held guided conversations with stakeholders, including law enforcement, survivors, analysts, and policymakers, to understand their daily challenges and interactions with human trafficking data.
Day-in-the-life artifact walkthrough
We observed stakeholders in their daily routines, identifying pain points and inefficiencies in their processes to better understand how Lighthouse could serve their needs.
Case Study Journey
We discussed recent human trafficking cases with law enforcement to understand how federal case data is used in real-world scenarios, highlighting areas for Lighthouse to enhance support.
Feature Priority determination
Participants reviewed upcoming Lighthouse features, providing feedback on their value and relevance to prioritize the most impactful developments.
Carmen served as an Assistant US Attorney for over a decade.
“And it was awesome because, in one year, law enforcement statistics showed we went from nine sellers and one buyer out of ten, to six sex buyers to every four sex sellers being arrested. Law enforcement went crazy for it. They did tons of operations.”
David has over 35 years of experience in law enforcement.
“I tell people all the time, we're not going to advocate our way out of this issue, nor are we going to arrest our way out of this issue. We have to be able to work together. And I think being able to get out and build those relationships, and also being able to share parts of my story and parts of my background with folks in a way that I'm passionate about and see outcomes from that, that excites me.”
Rachel is a survivor who has a decade of experience in human trafficking advocacy.
“Any story that I were to tell somebody, I promise you it's been trumped by something worse that they've heard. And so, I learned that if you can talk to them about how a piece of legislation can help everybody across Texas, rather than you listening to my one story, that's more impactful. And that's why data, to me, I learned was so important with working with change in laws.”
Participant names have been changed for their privacy.
The data and charts are illustrative and may not reflect accurate information.
Finding the common thread of data needs in our research
While designing the Lighthouse data extension, we identified the most important data needs for Allies’ three target audiences: the general public, stakeholders, and professionals. This approach lead to a design that presents and interprets federal trafficking data in a way that’s accessible to a broad audience and is also visually appealing and easy to digest. This ensures the final product is both functional and beautiful.
The data and charts are illustrative and may not reflect accurate information.
The data and charts are illustrative and may not reflect accurate information.
Establishing the foundation.
Together with Allies Against Slavery, we successfully enhanced their Lighthouse web app with a new public extension. This initiative established a user-friendly hub for federal trafficking data, seamlessly integrated into Allies' website. Our focus on designing a platform accessible to everyone—from the public to stakeholders and anti-trafficking professionals—resulted in a robust solution.
Through meticulous research and a cohesive design approach, we supported Allies' mission to combat human trafficking by leveraging data and fostering crucial partnerships.
