New feature makes Sugar Land parks more interactive for users to offer opinions
SUGAR LAND, Texas - In the incredible heat of summer, there are not a lot of people in city parks. But when people do come to Sugar Land, they may notice a new feature asking if they'd like to talk to the park, because it would like to talk to them.
Already posted in most of the city's 27 parks, the signs featuring QR codes encourage users to engage in a conversation. At the other end, the Sugar Land Parks & Rec Department will be listening for clues.
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"What can the city do to make you life better than you can even imagine? We can only find that out by asking everybody," says Parks & Rec. Assistant Director Kimberly Terrell.
Called "Hello Sugar Land Parks," the QR code connects to an artificial intelligence 'chatbot', designed by a British company, that is programmed with the answers to about 100 frequently asked questions. It also asks some things about the user, like what brings them to the park, what do they like about it, and what would they like to see? The answers provide a specific snapshot of what's working, and what's not, at each park.
"It becomes very actionable, on our end, to be able to take the input and say, 'Maybe we can do this now', or 'Maybe this is something we can do in five to 10 years from now,' or this is something we have over here. But we need to advertise it more to let people know," says Terrell.
If it sounds like a 'survey,' that's exactly what it is, designed for people who are not interested in taking another survey, but would like to have some input on what would make their community a little better.
Terrell says, "Certainly we can provide you with something that you would just imagine you would love to have."
For now, the QR codes are a pilot project expected to last six to 12 months. In that time, the Parks and Rec. Department expects it will tweak some of the questions to fine-tune some of the answers they get. They also expect to introduce additional languages to get more people involved through the program.