WE CONTINUED TO LEARN FROM CALIFORNIANS THROUGH A SMARTPHONE APP.

We used dscout, a mobile research app, to expand the reach of our listening to Californians ages 18–36 across the state. Through the dscout app, anyone with a smartphone can apply for research studies called “missions.” If selected, they use their own device to capture photos or video of themselves or their surroundings to respond to a given topic, as well as to answer a few open-ended, multiple-choice questions.  

In the first mission, we asked scouts to “Speak out!” by sharing their hopes, dreams, and challenges via selfie video — as if they were addressing a person in power (e.g., California’s governor, their mayor, their boss). In the second mission, scouts used video to show us how they use creativity in their daily lives. 

Using dscout, we heard from 58 Californians across the state, including those in communities we did not visit. We deepened our understanding of how they leverage their voices and creativity in their lives.