COVID cohort (part II)

How our newest hires are navigating pandemic life

Building our team during a pandemic is a challenging prospect, particularly when the City needs our help. As the pandemic continues, the need for San Franciscans to access easy-to-use digital city services grows.

More of our new teammates describe the challenges of pandemic era onboarding and the dynamic impact during these wild times.

Meet Lorena Villa-Parkman

What do you do for San Francisco?

I’m a Content Designer, which means I create content based on user needs and make sure it’s functional and usable. I do this in 2 languages, English and Spanish, and I do it usually for SF.gov.

Why did you want to work with San Francisco Digital Services?

I joined Digital Services because I wanted to make City services easy to understand and affect the lives of people who use them. I left great coworkers and a career in a hot industry (streaming TV), but once you stop learning or finding meaning in what you create, you have to move on. I knew my bilingual skills would be invaluable in government, where the focus is on equity and user needs.

What is the difference between your pre-pandemic expectations and the reality of your new role?

My first day at Digital Services was April 27, when the pandemic seemed to be peak (there were more peaks to come). The office my new manager raved about was now a place collecting dust — a “standing desk and monitor” cemetery. Before I knew we wouldn’t be working at an office, I dreamt about my commute: a 15-minute bike ride! I’ve replaced it with a walk from my kitchen to my living room right after breakfast.

If all of this sounds like first world problems, it’s because they are. I’m very aware of how fortunate I am. I have a job that allows me to work from home. I have a job in which I get to work with the brightest minds in gov tech. I have a job that allows me to help others as much as I want to travel to see my parents in Mexico.

I also can’t wait to experience San Francisco to its fullest. A city’s personality comes from what its inhabitants get to build as a collective force. Right now, I’ve seen glimpses of what it is about, and it’s pretty awesome. But I know it will become home when I get to talk to its people in person and ask them: How can we make SF better for you?

Meet James Wills

What’s your role on the team?

I started working at Digital Services in April as a web developer on the housing team, where we’re building a website for San Franciscans to apply for affordable housing.

What did you do before you joined this team?

Before this, I was on the Anti-Discrimination team at Airbnb. I decided to move into government because I felt the learnings from my previous job could uncover systemic bias in our City’s software. When I joined, it was heartening to see how equity was already core to the team’s housing goals. We still have a lot more work to do, and I’m excited to help the City continue improving how we help our residents from all backgrounds.

Anything that surprised you?

I started on the team at the beginning of the pandemic; everyone had been working from home for just a couple of weeks. I was so surprised at how efficient everyone was! The team had more work than ever before: engineers were helping build COVID-19 testing websites, digitized permitting was suddenly high-priority now that the permitting office was fully remote, and our designers and content strategists were working with the City to help communicate safety standards to residents. It was inspiring to see everyone step up to meet the City’s needs in an uncertain time.

Meet Christina Worsing

How did you get here, and what do you do?

After seven months of idling, countless rounds of byzantine paperwork, and one world-wide pandemic, I joined SF Digital Services in May as a Senior Service Designer.

What makes working during a pandemic different than any other time?

In the best of circumstances, we bumble our way through the initial stage of any new position. I like to think of starting a new job in isolation as the Seven Circles of Uncertainty, blindly bumping into processes, personalities, partners, places, pathways. You name it. I couldn’t see the context in my new virtual role.

What have you worked on that you’re excited to share?

My first project, appearing on my third day, was a whirlwind. The City is re-opening. In 72 hours, the Mayor is sharing her roll-out plan. Here are the spreadsheets with everything that’s happening. We need clear, easy to understand information and visuals. Can you help?

Um, yes, but wait, we need what, when?

Ok. Sure.

I can do it.

But wait, can anyone tell me what fonts we use? Fourteen hours and three frameworks later, I handed off a solid outline of the critical information that Mayor Breed would use to tell the story of her phased approach to re-opening. Suddenly, like a rabbit trick, there it was. The City of San Francisco’s official re-opening plan using the framework I helped to shape, right there live on sf.gov. Wait for what? I haven’t even left my kitchen. How did that happen? At that moment, your guess would’ve been as good as mine….and off I went….

San Francisco Digital Services’ ‘COVID Cohort’ is Part II of a two-part exploration of what it means to live and work in the City and County of San Francisco during the pandemic.