2.1: Innovation Lab
Establish an Innovation Lab to Enhance Program and Support Area Performance Other Information:
The establishment of an Innovation Lab can benefit HUD through the incubation of novel and unique ideas that improve its interactions
with customers, increase mission efficiency and efficacy, and reduce duplication of effort. The innovation lab could explore
the possibility of utilizing geo-located texting services to inform its most vulnerable customers about critical services
in emergency situations. For example, if a municipality with numerous HUD-assisted housing units was expected to experience
flooding, the Department could, with the right technology, send out a timely warning to its customers and tell them where
they could best receive assistance. Many of HUD's customers might lack easy access to the Internet, but many have cell phones
with texting capabilities and this is a fruitful area for additional research. Another possible project is the development
of an iPhone, Android, Windows 7, or other mobile operating system application that allows HUD's stakeholders, partners, and
customers to access relevant information about the locations of the Department's field offices, local housing providers, or
other relevant information. Such an application would not only be useful in an office setting, but also in mobile situations,
enabling housing providers and other personnel to go out in the field, engage with their customers, and provide on-the-spot
resolution of questions. Innovation lab personnel will engage with the target market for such an application to determine
what information would be most useful to them in both an office and mobile environment. Setting up such a lab will require
significant consultation with stakeholders, the development of an appropriate governance structure, modification of relevant
policies, and the procurement of a dedicated source of funding. However, recognition of the lab's importance in producing
and disseminating new methods that complement HUD's efforts in transparency, engagement, and collaboration should allow these
obstacles to be overcome.
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