The first rule of technologists working in crisis response is, don’t make an app. The rule number two is, go back to rule number one.

Now that I have got that out the door, I’d like to make a short list of 5 lessons turned into 5 rules to consider when trying to deploy a technology in times of crisis. The lessons discussed in this post are drawn from a self-organised community (mutual aid) help group that I am part of.

1. Help the Helpers
2. Look what they are already using to do their activity.
3. Delegate their most frustrating and mundane activity to a piece of technology.
4. Don’t create false hope & say No.
5. Keep focus on the human interaction: face, agency & control