Find It, Fix It: New city app for graffiti, potholes, abandoned cars…

Just announced by the city: “Find It, Fix It,” an app for your iPhone or Android phone that can be used to report graffiti, potholes, abandoned vehicles, parking-enforcement issues, and more. The announcement explains that you can use the app to take a picture, add details, pinpoint the location, and send the report to the city. What happens from there?

Submissions are entered into the City’s Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) system, and departments responsible for providing that specific service will manage and track requests. The City of Seattle began using the CRM system in December 2011. There may be some initial delays in response time as City departments adjust to any increase in service requests. …

The City anticipates adding other request types in the future and welcomes feedback on the app and ideas for additional features. Users should choose the Find It, Fix It app’s “other inquiry” category – found under the “New Request” icon – to submit feedback.

Read more about it here – and/or, if you have an Android or iPhone, go to Google Play or the App Store (respectively) and check it out. The city says it’s looking forward to feedback from the first round of users to figure out how to improve it in the long run.

M August 13, 2013 (3:56 pm)

Here’s a direct link to Google Play store as it didn’t seem to find it through regular search:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gov.seattle.searequests

WSB August 13, 2013 (3:58 pm)

Thanks, none of the city’s material had that link, I was hoping their page would have had it so I could have said “if you’re reading this on your phone, go here …”

Jerry August 13, 2013 (4:40 pm)

With the application, does anyone know if one can submit requests/items anonymously?

C August 13, 2013 (4:52 pm)

Great idea, and I can’t wait to try it out. I submitted a request for Windows phone so can.

Samson Twain August 13, 2013 (4:54 pm)

Apple store link is:

http://appstore.com/finditfixit

JanS August 13, 2013 (4:59 pm)

thanks for the direct link. I, too, couldn’t find it in a search

Sue August 13, 2013 (7:03 pm)

Thanks for the link, M – I couldn’t find it in the Google Play store earlier.

Del Martini August 13, 2013 (8:46 pm)

It is about time this went public.

Keden August 13, 2013 (9:16 pm)

What a cool idea. You can report anonymously.

Sue August 13, 2013 (10:55 pm)

yes, you can report anonymously – however, the location tracker has my exact address (where I was sitting while playing with the app) without my setting anything up, and I’m sure it can be linked to my cell # if they want to figure it out. If you want TRUE anonymity, I might not want to trust this.

trickycoolj August 13, 2013 (11:44 pm)

Hopefully we can get some more road repairs out of this! When I lived in Northgate (facing Northgate Way where it comes down the hill from Aurora) enough people repeatedly reported the potholes that they actually repaved a whole lane. Also helped that buses used that lane but the holes were so bad when the buses hit them it woke up my computer from sleep mode! It seems like some roads in West Seattle are way worse, so the more chances we have to bring attention to them maybe we can get whole lanes redone!

Thomas August 14, 2013 (6:42 am)

Sue, on an iPhone, location service is a granted permission to the app. They’re using it on a grant once level (when th app is opened the first time), which is typical (or the only behavior, I’m not certain).
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If you’re interested in it ONLY knowing your location when you want it I, you can toggle the preference in Settings > Privacy > Location Services.

Rob August 14, 2013 (9:00 am)

No Windows Phone app? Disappointing. Isn’t Microsoft headquartered near here? :>

Nick August 15, 2013 (6:17 am)

Windows phone doesn’t have enough market share for developers to care for making an app. The city should make a mobile web page to do this as well to support other devices

Sabra August 15, 2013 (8:30 am)

Thanks much to all for the great feedback, it’s very appreciated. We Deployed Find It, Fix It to 96% of our mobile users. Please use the “other inquiry” category to report items not specifically called out in the app.

http://M.Seattle.Gov is also available to all and is a mobile-friendly web-app with similar services.

Please stay tuned and keep the feedback coming as we further develop services and the app.

Best wishes,
Sabra Schneider
City of Seattle

TJ August 15, 2013 (9:35 am)

Find it, fix, it. What about fund it? A kickstarter campaign to pay for the problems that are reported the most? It’s a good idea. But if the city doesn’t have the money to pay for a fix, then it stops at being just a cool app.