Developing software that addresses some of the world's most pressing problems relies on a human centered approach as it provides a context in which to investigate solutions and their potential impact. It can help us to create better, more useful software, while also questioning the proper ways to develop and design products. By examining the trajectory of Appolition, a software product designed to make contributing in bail relief easy for users and that centers the black experience, I will talk about how community engagement and empathy and have been crucial to its success and how Appolition serves as a template for future innovations. Dr. Kortney Ziegler is an award-winning writer, filmmaker and entrepreneur. His passion for social-justice-based work in the tech space, led him to found Trans*H4CK (2013) the first technology organization centered on sustaining transgender lives. He is also the co-founder of Appolition, a web app that collects spare change to pay bail for those that can't. Ziegler is the first person in history to receive the PhD of African American studies from Northwestern University (2011). Ziegler was named one of the most influential African Americans by TheRoot100 and one of the most powerful African Americans by Ebony Magazine.