Seattle’s Find It, Fix It app overhauled for better usability
Jan 17, 2023, 3:54 PM
The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) reported its pothole rangers had a successful year in 2022. (Photo by Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images)
(Photo by Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images)
Seattle’s Find It, Fix It app went through substantial updates and improvements ahead of the new year to further improve reporting an issue, tracking reports, and viewing service requests.
Primarily used to identify pothole locations throughout the city, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) reported its pothole rangers had a successful year in 2021, filling in more than 14,000 potholes through Nov. 2021 — 85% of which were filled within three business days of being reported.
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The agency is currently working on an official count of the total number of potholes filled in 2022, according to KIRO 7. The app was initially launched in 2013.
But the app does more than let residents identify potholes on city streets. Seattleites can use the app to let officials know of abandoned vehicles, clogged storm drains, dead animals, graffiti, illegal dumping/needles, overgrown vegetation, parking enforcement, parks and recreation maintenance, public litter and recycling cans, scooter or bike share issues, street sign and traffic signal maintenance, streetlight outages, and unauthorized encampments.
The improvements the app underwent revolve around improved usability. Customers now have additional options for viewing their submitted requests, more detailed filters to search the interactive map with, and the ability to bookmark individual requests and view them on a separate list/map.
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Customers can even view their past submissions in the app — previously limited to the 100 most recently updated requests — and provide up to three photos with a request, ensuring more information on a particular issue gets reported to the appropriate department.
Better information sharing and more resources are also a part of the app’s overhaul.
You can download the free app on your smartphone’s app store.
