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Understanding the problem
How can we empower women during solo commutes or nighttime travel ensuring their personal safety?
Solution
An intuitive navigation tool that helps finding any reported incidents, potential threats and connect with friends nearby while maintaining privacy and discretion.
Design goals
Ensuring that user location and personal data are securely managed to protect privacy, especially since users may be sharing sensitive safety information.
Balancing open community reporting with the need to prevent false reports or misuse of the platform, which could undermine trust and reliability.
Designing an intuitive, easy-to-navigate interface that allows users to quickly report incidents or access information, even in potentially stressful situations.
Designing language and reporting features that are culturally sensitive and inclusive to cater to women from diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Project timeline
6 weeks to create the high-fidelity prototype.
What I was handed over - Version 1
When I first joined Striide, I was handed over some wireframes and Lo-Fi prototypes, which I further ideated.
Where I started - V 2.0
Key findings
Feature prioritization for real-time reporting: 96% Users emphasized the need for immediate, accessible ways to report incidents.
Community feedback and interaction: More than 76% of participants expressed a desire for community support and engagement.
Enhanced map visualization for safer routes: Insights about users' preferences for specific visual cues and route details.
Privacy and anonymity options: Concerns around privacy, empowering users to contribute without compromising their identity.
Incident categorization and filtering: 60% of the users highlighted the importance of quickly accessing relevant reports.
User research : Focus group
I organized and led a focus group to gain in-depth insights into user needs, pain points, and preferences.
Given the limited resources and funds, I recruited women from a Facebook group specific to the Boston area.
This hands-on research helped me learn about their needs, and provide qualitative data for my redesign. It validated my design decisions, by understanding real-world scenarios and refining features on our MVP.
Results
This insight led to prioritizing an intuitive, quick-reporting interface, allowing users to easily share incidents or safety concerns on the go.
Led to adding interactive features like comments, reactions, and sharing options for reported incidents.
Inspired to incorporate color-coded, interactive maps highlighting safer or more incident-prone areas.
A decision was made to offer anonymous posting options.
Guided the creation of a system to categorize incidents by type and urgency, with filtering options to help users navigate information efficiently.
Sitemap
I created a detailed site map that defined the app’s core features. By visually organizing these elements, the site map clarified the app’s structure and prioritized ease of access to critical safety features. This layout helped identify intuitive pathways, refine content hierarchy, and ensure seamless navigation, especially for time-sensitive interactions.
Redesigning version 2.0
Based on the discussions with stakeholders, Focus groups, and the user-centered approach, the Screens were redesigned.
Previous designs
A new initial linear flow
And then, something came up!!
As we wrapped up the V.2 for the development, there was a sudden change in the concepts which called for re-evaluation of the previous desicions that affected the designs and next process.
Feedback from various mentorship programs
Change in business strategies
New concepts for better user experience.
Product re-evaluation
Following insightful feedback from multiple mentorship programs, the design strategy and business focus shifted to answer critical questions like: Why would users choose us over other safety and navigation apps? What would make us stand out against our competitor 'Waze'?
I came up with 5 alternative ideas
Shared location : So users can broadcast their current position to trusted contacts, ensuring that their friends or family are aware of their whereabouts, particularly during higher-risk moments.
Vibe check : A gamified feature, allowing users to share real-time insights on the energy and safety of locations and their routes.
Party mode : A flip side of the app that converts the serious business in to a fun app while making sure of the security of the user by providing the safe and easily accessible hangout place, along with navigation.
User profiles : Enabling users to connect, comment on reports, and verify or update incident details, enhancing interaction and trust across the platform.
Create group : Users may create a group to bring all the users who are hanging out together to keep eachother informed without sharing locations individually.
​More wireframing and ideation
Upon further research and ideation based on the feedback received from the mentors and the stakeholders, I ideated a new flow of the screens and created wireframes, which were further developed into hi-fi screens.
Lo-Fi screens
Version 2.1
Hi-Fi screens
Looking for a final design flow or a working prototype?
Unfortunately, that can not be shared due to the NDA signed with the organization.
What's next?
Review: The working prototype was presented to the stakeholders.
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Development: These screens are under development..
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Quality assessment: Once developed, I will personally run a quality check to ensure the quality matches the original designs.
Usability testing: Upon successful development, I and my team will conduct thorough usability testing and iterate if need be.
Appreciation time
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