Right To Be – Hate & Hope Tracker

Challenge & Goals

The Right To Be Hate & Hope Tracker was created to document stories of harassment, hate and hope, and empower communities to track incidents across the United States and beyond. The challenge was to design a safe, interactive platform where users could share experiences, and where Right To Be could collect data for reports to policymakers and journalists. Key goals included:

• Provide a simple form with real ‑time address validation and separate fields for U.S. and non‑U.S. locations.
• Allow classification of stories as Hate, Hope or Both, with tooltips explaining the definitions.
• Display a map with color‑coded pins for hate, hope and media stories, along with counts of stories on the map.
• Add meta content and copy reflecting the platform's mission and ensure users know their story and location will be shared on the map.

Design Process

We explored several map and form layouts in Figma. Early concepts experimented with different pin styles and map color palettes. Iterations included:

• An “older design” with basic map and story list.
• A refined variation with offline and online story counts (e.g., offline/online counts 482/182) and interactive info cards (www.figma.com).
• Adding a media checkbox and location selection logic (country first, then city/state).
• Incorporating tooltips for Hate/Hope/Both definitions and adjusting copy per team feedback.
• Updating the note on the map to explain that only stories submitted after May 2024 with locations appear.

Implementation & Outcome

The final release launched in mid‑2024. The design features an interactive map with color‑coded pins representing hate, hope and media stories, plus counts for each story type. The form includes classification options with tooltips and location fields that adapt to U.S. or international addresses. We updated the copy to inform users that their story and its location will be shared on the Hate & Hope Tracker map. According to Right To Be’s tracker page, the platform has collected over 32 k hate stories and 138 hope stories, with 31,414 offline stories and 1,318 online stories, and tracks locations for stories submitted after May 2024 (hateandhope.righttobe.org). The tracker is now a valuable tool for communities, policymakers and the media (righttobe.org).

Reflection & Learnings

This project required balancing sensitivity and transparency. Designing a platform that encourages users to share personal experiences of harassment demanded clear communication about how their data would be used. Iterative feedback from the Right To Be team (via Slack) helped refine the form fields, copy and map features. Launching the Hate & Hope Tracker has provided Right To Be with a powerful story‑sharing tool that informs policy and raises awareness of both hate and hope in our communities.