CIVUP

CivUP is a digital platform designed to connect citizens with elected officials and community leaders, fostering meaningful civic engagement. The app enables users to stay informed about critical issues, access AI-generated summaries of bills and policies, and directly communicate with policymakers. Its features also include tools for community discussions and amplifying user voices to drive action on matters of public concern.

HEADQUARTERS:
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
ROLE:
PRODUCT MANAGER & HEAD OF PARTNERSHIPS
YEAR:
 2019 & 2023
WEBSITE:
CIVUP

OVERVIEW

I held dual roles that focused on driving civic engagement and enhancing user experiences. As the Head of Partnerships, I built meaningful collaborations with key stakeholders to amplify the platform’s impact. As a Product Manager II, I led the development of innovative product features, aligning them with user needs to foster engagement and satisfaction.

Key Responsibilities & Accomplishments

Strategic Partnerships

Established over 10+ partnerships with universities, governments, and community groups, increasing user engagement by 25% and expanding resource accessibility.

Product Innovation

Designed and launched a user-focused civic engagement app, growing the user base to 10,000+ within the first month and achieving a 10% quarterly satisfaction increase.

Community Empowerment

Designed and launched a user-focused civic engagement app, growing the user base to 10,000+ within the first month and achieving a 10% quarterly satisfaction increase.

CASE STUDIES

Case Study 1: Empowering Civic Engagement - Transforming CivUP with AI-Driven Design and Usability Enhancements.

COMPANY’S PROFILE

CivUP is a cutting-edge civic engagement platform designed to empower citizens by making public policy information more accessible, understandable, and actionable. By leveraging advanced technology and data-driven insights, CivUP simplifies complex governmental processes, ensuring individuals can easily stay informed and participate in civic matters. By bridging the gap between citizens and policymakers, the platform fosters meaningful dialogue, encourages informed decision-making, and enables greater public participation in shaping their communities.

COMPANY’S CHALLENGE

CivUP needed a dynamic, user-friendly platform to effectively fulfill its mission of fostering civic engagement and public participation. However, early feedback revealed significant usability challenges—users found it difficult to navigate through dense, complex policy information, which limited their ability to stay informed and take action on pressing issues. The absence of an intuitive interface, clear data visualization, and real-time updates further discouraged engagement, making it harder for users to track legislative changes, understand their impact, and participate in meaningful discussions. To overcome these obstacles, CivUP required a moreseamless, interactive experience to simplify engagement while informing users ofup-to-the-minute developments.

COMPANY'S SOLUTION

I spearheaded the end-to-end design, onboarding experience, and launch of CivUP’s updated platform, ensuring a seamless, intuitive, and engaging user experience. My work focused on:

AI-Driven Personalization & User Experience: Integrated AI tools to simplify complex policy information and prioritized usability, providing clear insights and enhancing navigation for better accessibility and engagement.

Civic Engagement & Policymaker Interaction: Developed interactive features to facilitate direct engagement between citizens and policymakers, empowering users to take action on pressing issues..

Key steps included:

COMPANY’S OUTCOME

The CivUP app surpassed 10,000 active users within the first month, driving measurable improvements in civic participation and public dialogue. Key outcomes included:

Enhancing User Experience & Engagement: Streamlined design, AI-driven insights, and interactive features resulted in a 10% quarterly increase in satisfaction ratings, making civic engagement more accessible and impactful.

Empowering Citizens: Users felt more informed and confident in discussions with others and were eager to help bridge the gap between citizens and policymakers.

Case Study 2: Bridging the Civic Engagement Gap - Driving Student Participation at UVU with CivUP

CLIENT PROFILE

Utah Valley University (UVU) is a comprehensive public university located in Orem, Utah, recognized for its dedication to providing accessible, high-quality education to a diverse student population. As one of the largest universities in the state, UVU offers a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programs across multiple disciplines, integrating hands-on learning, research opportunities, and industry partnerships to ensure students gain real-world experience. With a strong emphasis on student success and career readiness, UVU provides numerous internships, practical training, and leadership development opportunities, equippinggraduates with the skills and knowledge necessary to excel in their chosen fields.

CLIENT CHALLENGE

Utah Valley University (UVU) faced significant challenges in boosting student participation in civic discussions and community initiatives. Despite having a large and diverse student body of over 20,000, traditional engagement methods such as flyers, campus bulletin boards, email blasts, and in-person events failed to generate meaningful engagement. Many students remained unaware of opportunities to get involved, while others found existing outreach efforts ineffective or unappealing. Additionally, there was a disconnect between students and the university’s efforts to foster civic participation, with a lack of streamlined communication channels to connect students to relevant activities and initiatives. As a result, civic engagement remained low, limiting student participation in meaningful discussions, volunteer opportunities, and local initiatives.

THE APPROACH

I knew addressing UVU’s civic engagement challenges would require extensive collaboration and preparation before presenting our solution. As a former student, I was already familiar with the campus culture and the obstacles students faced in getting involved. Our strategy focused on:

👫Collaboration & Preparation: I worked closely with Tamu Smith, Head of Community Engagement, and Alan Sevison, General Counsel, to prepare for the presentation, ensuring alignment on key points and messaging

📊 Tailored Presentation: We created a compelling presentation that showcased how CivUPcould help the university identify the root causes of low engagement and provide a structured solution.

💬 Guiding the Discussion: : I led the meeting with university staff, steering the conversation on how CivUP could transform student involvement and enhance civic life on campus.

CLIENT SOLUTION

💼Department Chair of History & Political Science

After a successful meeting, I collaborated with Dr. Jay to develop a solution encouraging greater student engagement. My work focused on:

Customizing Onboarding: Designed a tailored survey to identify student needs for civic involvement and integrated it into a personalized onboarding experience within the app.

Driving Participation: : Enabled real-time feedback collection, allowing students to shape the platform’s development and enhance civic participation efforts through data-driven insights.

Key steps included:

CLIENT OUTCOME

More than 20,000 students were successfully onboarded, driving widespread adoption of the CivUP app and significantly increasing civic engagement at UVU. Key outcomes included:

Student-Centered Implementation: UVU adopted a scalable engagement model, strengthening connections between students, faculty, and the community, resulting in higher participation in civic activities.

Data-Driven Enhancements: The app provided insights to improve curriculum and foster active student participation, empowering students to organize events and engage in key policies, making it the primary platform for civic involvement on campus.

KEY SKILLS UTILIZED

Strategic Partnership Development

Established and nurtured strategic collaborations with key stake holders, including community leaders, policymakers, and educational institutions, to expand CivUp’s reach, enhance functionality, and drive long-term engagement.

Product Innovation & User Experience Design

Led the transformation of extensive user feedback into innovative, high-impact features, creating an intuitive and engaging platform that improved accessibility and user retention.

Civic Engagement & Stakeholder Communication Strategy

Conducted dynamic workshops, presented data-driven insights, and designed user-centric experiences that significantly boosted adoption, engagement, and meaningful participation in civic initiatives.

TESTIMONIALS

5.0

"We were impressed by Cedric's presentation and his ability to connect with our students. The platform has transformed civic engagement on campus, and the experience has been a resounding success.”

Chair of the Department of History
Utah Valley University
5.0

“Cedric’s leadership in designing and launching CivUP was instrumental. His ability to roadmap features and prioritize user needs resulted in a platform that truly
empowers communities.”

Advisory Board
CivUP
5.0

Cedric’s leadership in designing and launching CivUP was instrumental. His ability to roadmap features and prioritize user needs resulted in a platform that truly empowers communities.”

General Counsel
CivUP

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