Media Contacts:
Danielle Drumgoole (OUC) — (202) 868-3271; [email protected]
Laura-Celine Patrick (OCTO) — (202) 913-3525; [email protected]
WASHINGTON, DC — The DC Office of Unified Communications (OUC) and the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) are bringing the future of the District’s 311 service request app directly to residents. This July and August, OUC and OCTO will host four community design sessions — one in each quadrant of the city — where residents and Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) leaders will help identify priorities and suggest improvements to one of DC Government’s most widely used digital tools.
Improving 311 starts with understanding how residents experience the mobile app. OUC and OCTO are hosting these sessions to hear directly from the people who rely on the app most — and to make sure that their firsthand experience helps shape the next version from the ground up.
Session Schedule
- Tuesday, July 14, 2026 | 6–8 PM | Department of Buildings | 1100 4th Street SW, Marion Barry Conference Room, 2nd Floor
- Saturday, July 18, 2026 | 11 AM–1 PM | Barry Farm Recreation Center | 1230 Sumner Road SE, Washington, DC 20020
- Wednesday, July 22, 2026 | 6–8 PM | Department of Employment Services | 4058 Minnesota Ave NE, Washington, DC 20019
- Saturday, August 1, 2026 | 11 AM–1 PM | Columbia Heights Community Center | 1480 Girard Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
All sessions are free and open to DC residents and ANC leaders, and light refreshments will be provided. Sessions are scheduled in the evenings and weekends to accommodate a range of schedules and ensure residents across the District can participate. Language interpretation and ASL translation services are available at each event, please request services via email at [email protected].
DC residents are encouraged to sign up for sessions at s.dc.gov/311-app-sessions.
Creating a Better 311 App User Experience
DC 311 provides a one-stop service experience for residents and visitors searching for DC government services, numbers, and information, and connects residents with services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. As a conduit to city services, 311 operations processed more than 895,000 service requests last year. The 311 mobile application provides residents with a self-service platform, enabling them to directly engage with servicing agencies.
As OUC and OCTO plan the next iteration of the application, the District is investing in a design process grounded in firsthand resident experience. Community members bring knowledge about how the app performs in real conditions — across different neighborhoods, devices, languages, and service types — that complements what internal teams and technology partners can observe. These sessions are designed to surface that knowledge and put it to work.
What to Expect
Each two-hour session will be structured, interactive, and accessible to residents of all technical backgrounds. After opening remarks from District leadership, attendees will walk through the four main steps of submitting a service request and share where the experience works well and where it falls short. Responses will be synthesized in real time using an AI-powered tool to identify the top issues residents experience most.
Participants will then work in small groups to sketch their own vision for an improved 311 app, drawing directly on what the room identified. Each group will share their designs with the full session. Every idea collected will inform the next version of the application.
Opening remarks will be delivered by DC Government leaders including Assistant City Administrator Chris Rodriguez, OUC Director Heather McGaffin, Chief Technology Officer Stephen N. Miller, and ANC representatives.
OUC Social Media:
Facebook: facebook.com/oucdc
X: @oucdc
X: @311DCGov
Instagram: @oucdc
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-office-of-unified-communications
YouTube: OUC DC
OCTO Social Media:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/octodc
Facebook: facebook.com/octodc
Bluesky: @octo.dc.gov
Instagram: @octodc
YouTube: @octodc
Threads: @octodc
X: @octodc