When you leave the Genoveva Chavez Community Center, a kiosk with four emojis attracts your attention. Choices range from a smiley face to a frown, waiting for a selection based on a visitor’s experience in the popular neighborhood center.
The community center kiosk was little busy on a quiet Tuesday, but front desk staff say many visitors stop on their way out to share their thoughts.
Though more associated with sports stadiums or airport toilets, the “happy or not” kiosks have popped up all over Santa Fe: the Southside Library, the Main Library, the Tourist Office, the Airport, and City Hall for quick feedback from visitors obtain.
Feedback from the community center kiosk was good. The main library team has also received positive reviews.
“After our long building closings and the stress that COVID put on the staff, it’s always nice to hear positive feedback,” Maria Sanchez-Tucker, director of the library department, told SFR.
Due to the pandemic, libraries across Santa Fe have been closed and their business has been limited to roadside check-out and virtual programming. Now, says Sanchez-Tucker, with the doors open, residents have expressed their gratitude for the program the city has been able to offer since then.
Residents across the city were more likely to provide positive feedback than negative ratings, which show up in the automated reports made available to directors, officials say.
The kiosks are an effort by the Community Engagement Office to better understand the public’s experience in high-traffic areas, says Kristine Bustos-Mihelcic. She hopes “to help incorporate data into day-to-day decisions that will make it more accessible to voters in general and to members of governing bodies”.
When the city buildings reopened in July, the kiosks started collecting data. Bustos-Mihelcic says planning for the project started before COVID, but with no visitors indoors for almost a year and a half, it made no sense to start until this summer.
The kiosks are easy to use: after you’ve selected an emoji that reflects your experience – happy or not – visitors have the option to share more feedback based on a number of factors. Those who wish to leave a written comment can do so – although users can provide as much or as little feedback as they want.
“We live in a culture that is very fast, right?” Asks Bustos-Mihelcic, noticing the call from the kiosks for immediate satisfaction. “That is what we particularly liked about this layout and format: It is very familiar, very user-friendly.”
The feedback form appears in English and Spanish.
Sanchez-Tucker agrees that the data-driven project will help her and her fellow directors better serve Santa Feans’ needs.
If less positive reviews find their way to Sanchez-Tucker, this information will help educate their work.
“When the feedback is negative – it’s rarely negative – but sometimes people add specific examples,” she says. “We can go about it if it’s specific enough and then we can follow up on these issues.”
With four months of data volume, the project is “still in its infancy,” says Bustos-Mihelcic. She told SFR that the city hopes to expand the use of the kiosks by bringing the devices to events for instant feedback, adding, “We’ll see how we can integrate these with additional services in the future . “
Bustos-Mihelcic hopes everyone will use the kiosks to help the city improve its services. For all of these library visitors and community center users out there, go and give your feedback.
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