Problem
Noise is one of the most common complaints to 311. Residents report it and rarely hear back. You get a ticket number, and you never learn if anyone came or if it ended.
← All work
2026In progress
Case study 01 · AIGA × Figma Civic by Design
Heard: every noise complaint gets an ending.
About 610,000 noise complaints reach 311 every year. You report it, 311 says "Received," and then silence. Heard plugs into 311 and adds what comes after: the live journey, a plain outcome, and one question. Is it quiet now?
Live prototype: use it below
About 610,000 noise complaints reach 311 in New York every year. You report it, 311 says "received," and then, silence. A ticket number, and you never learn if anyone came, or if it ended. Heard plugs into 311 and adds what comes after. You report the noise in about ten seconds, anonymously by default. Then you watch it move, like a delivery: received, routed to the right agency, officer on the way. You get one notification when they arrive, and a plain answer in your own language. Then one question: is it quiet now? Behind the screen, the dispatcher sees repeat reports and a likely source from public noise data, always as a lead, never as proof. The officer gets a text, with no new app, and one reply code closes the loop. There's a working prototype of both sides on this page, so you can file a complaint and answer it yourself. The project is still in progress, made for the Civic by Design challenge from AIGA and Figma. Nour's role: branding and communication, service, UX and UI design, and creative direction and film, from the logo to the poster campaign.
The 48-second version
See it move.
Try it · not a video, not a Figma link
File a complaint. Then answer it yourself.
This is a working HTML build of both sides of Heard. The phone and the console share one report, so what you do on one shows up on the other. All the data is example data, and nothing leaves your browser.
- On the phonePick what you hear and send it.
- In the console#4821 lands in the queue. Assign it.
- As the officerWhen it says On site, tap a reply code.
- Back on the phoneRead the outcome. Is it quiet now?
On a phone, the city's side plays itself. The dispatcher console is a desktop tool, so open it on a bigger screen to run the whole loop yourself.
At a glance
At a glance
What I made
- A resident app, from report to outcome
- A dispatcher console and an officer's text ticket
- The logo, brand system, posters and film
- A live HTML prototype of both sides
The stance
- Plug into 311. Don't replace it
- Keep each agency's software and codes
- A likely source is a lead, never proof
01 · The idea
311 files it. Heard finishes it.
311 takes the report
Received.
Heard adds the ending
Heard.
- Reported
- Routed
- On the way
- Heard
Heard doesn't ask New York to rebuild anything. 311 stays the system of record, and the complaint, the request number and the agencies don't change. Heard is a closure layer on top: it gives the report a context, a route and a handoff, and it brings the outcome back to the person who asked.
02 · The app
From report to outcome, in four moments.
01 · Report
Report it in ten seconds.
Pick the kind of noise and how loud it is. Add a photo, video or audio clip if you want. Reports are anonymous by default.
01 · Sent
A confirmation that says what's next.
"Sent." comes with the next steps: received, routing to the right agency, officer dispatched. The main action is tracking it live.
02 · Live tracker
Watch it move, like a delivery.
Received, routed to NYPD or DEP, officer on the way. Nobody has to guess who to call or call 311 to ask. Noise ranks below emergencies, so waits vary, and the app says so.
03 · Arrival
Know the moment they arrive.
One notification, when an officer or inspector reaches the address. Plain wording, no codes, in your own language. You stop watching the window and the phone does the waiting.
04 · Outcome
A plain answer. One question.
What happened, what it means and how it went, with timestamps. Then "Is it quiet now?" One tap closes the loop, or tells the city it's still loud.
04 · Not the only one
"You're not the only one hearing this."
Repeat reports on one block are flagged for agency review, so one tired complaint turns into evidence.
03 · Works with 311
Two apps, one complaint.
You can still file the way you do today. A one-tap hand-off from the 311 confirmation screen carries the same request number into Heard. The first two screens below are the real 311 app. The third is my proposed addition, a concept for the pilot.
04 · Behind the screen
Dispatch sees it. The officer gets a text.
A resident only hears back if answering is easy for the people on shift. The dispatcher sees repeat reports, a likely source from public DEP noise data, and the suggested agency. The officer gets a text ticket on the phone they already carry, with no new app, and one reply code closes the loop and tells the resident.
One code back.
- 1Warning issuedOfficers spoke with the host and asked them to turn it down.
- 2Summons issuedA summons went to the responsible party.
- 3No noise foundOfficers arrived but did not hear a violation. Report again if it restarts.
- 4Couldn't reach the locationYour report stays on file for pattern review.
- 5Referred to another agencyWe passed it to DEP. You'll hear back here.
Same codes as dispatch software. Design target: under 10 seconds of officer effort. Agency integration is proposed, not built.
05 · Service design
Heard plugs into 311. It doesn't replace it.
Ways to report
311 phone callAlready works today
311 app and webAlready works today
Heard appNew front door, same ticket
SMS textNo app needed
311 · system of record
311 service requestOne ticket for every complaint, however it was reported. Same ticket number. No new line to call.Ticket #4821
Heard · closure layer
1 · ContextOpen data and repeat-address count suggest a likely source.2 · RouteOne tap sends it to NYPD or DEP with the evidence.3 · HandoffThe officer gets a text ticket and replies with one code.
Agencies
NYPD precinctKeeps its dispatch software.
DEP inspectorsSame codes.
The missing step: the outcome comes back. The agency replies with one code, it's written to the same 311 ticket, and the resident is asked: is it quiet now?
06 · Language access
Heard speaks New York.
The outcome reaches the resident in their own language. English, Spanish, Chinese and Arabic at launch, and Arabic reads right to left.
Heard. Officers arrived at 9:42 PM. Is it quiet now?
Yes, it's quiet
07 · The brand
An exclamation mark made of sound.
- 1RaysNoise, travelling out from its source. Seven rays, rising to the center and falling away.
- 2Exclamation markThe tall center ray and the dot read as "!". A complaint that deserves an answer.
- 3The dotThe resident, where the noise lands. When the loop closes, what is left is quiet.
One mark, many colors, many angles. The animation shows the logic: loud is an exclamation, quiet is a period. Keep one dot of clear space on every side, 32 px or 12 mm at minimum, and don't recolor, rotate or add effects.
Five colors. Each has a job.
Ink
#1A1A1AThe calm. Backgrounds and text on light.Cream
#F7F5F0Paper and light. Text on dark, the logo's rays.Amber
#D98324The sound. Anything that must be heard.Grey
#9A9EA5The quiet. Secondary text and resolved states.311 Yellow
#FFD100The city. Only where Heard plugs into 311.Loud headlines. Quiet details.
Anton · headlines and posters
You reported it. Then nothing.
Archivo · wordmark and titles
HEARD.
Inter · body and the app
Received · Routed to the right agency.
08 · The campaign
A ticket number isn't an answer.
Four posters, one line each, and a QR code on every one. Scan it on the platform and you land on this page, with the prototype ready to use.
In the city
Placement mockups, made with AI image tools (Magnific). These posters haven't been installed in the city.
09 · Feasibility
A 12-week pilot in one precinct.
- Weeks 1–4
Start without integration
Heard app and SMS intake near the 24th Precinct. It reads open 311 data and hands off by SMS. No city system changes needed.
- Weeks 5–8
Close the loop
Officers reply with one code. Residents see the outcome and answer: is it quiet now?
- Weeks 9–12
Add patterns
Dispatchers get the likely-source lead and repeat-address flags. Review results with the city.
How we'll know it worked
Outcome rate
Complaints that end with a visible outcome.
Time to outcome
Median time from report to outcome.
Did it stop?
"Is it quiet now?" answered yes.
Repeat addresses
Repeat complaints should fall.
Resident trust
Would you report again?
Officer effort
Design target: under 10 seconds.
These are the measures I'd use. The pilot hasn't run, so there are no results yet.
10 · Fairness and risk
Built to protect the people who use it.
Anonymous by default
Your name is never shared with the neighbor or the public.
A lead, not a verdict
The likely source helps the officer. It is never shown as proof.
Same standard everywhere
Outcomes tracked by neighborhood to spot uneven service.
Language access
English, Spanish, Chinese and Arabic at launch.
No app required
SMS works on any phone. Large type, clear labels.
Honest about limits
Noise ranks below emergencies, so waits vary. The app says so.
Risks, and what we do
- Complaints used against a neighbor
- The pattern view counts distinct reporters per address. "No noise found" is shown plainly.
- Officers don't reply
- One code, the same codes as dispatch software, sent by SMS from the phone they already carry.
- Privacy
- Reports are anonymous to the public. Evidence is shared only with the assigned agency.
Every noise complaint gets an ending.
A concept made for the Civic by Design challenge. Agency integration is proposed, not built. Names, addresses, venues, people and numbers in the screens and the prototype are example data. The 610,000 figure comes from the challenge brief. The 311 app screens are screenshots of the real NYC311 app. 311, NYC311, NYPD and DEP belong to the City of New York, which isn't affiliated with this project and hasn't endorsed it.