Women's Safety App

Format: Mobile App

Project Overview: Our trio of UX designers embarked on a transformative journey, crafting an app to enhance women's safety awareness and communication with elected officials in New York City. Guided by the design thinking process, we empathized, ideated, and innovated to create a solution that empowers and informs.

The Result: Enter "SafeTrek," a dynamic and empowering Women's Safety App. It equips women with real-time crime updates, route adjustments, and incident reporting. SafeTrek is the ally women need for confident navigation in New York City, enhancing their safety and connection with their community.

Evolving Cityscape: Unveiling Realities

Over the past quarter-century, New York City has undergone a remarkable metamorphosis – transitioning from the ominous 'murder capital of the country' to the accolade of the 'safest big city in the US.' Yet, a deeper inquiry into the NYPD crime reports unveils a more nuanced narrative, particularly when it comes to the safety of women.

Findings

1. NYPD has been systematically underreporting rapes and reported reports have increased by 20% in 2018

2. Senior SVD officials reported concerns that investigations have been harmed by under-staffing dating back to 2010

3. Manhattan has the highest reported incidences of rape and sexual assault of all boroughs at 13.3 per 10,000 residents, a figure slightly higher than the citywide rate of 11.7 per 10,000 residents

4. A broader category of sex crimes that includes groping, and forcible touching also jumped 8.4 percent in 2018

Crafting Project Aims

With a direction in sight, our focus crystallized into three pivotal project goals, forming the compass for our journey.

1.

Accurately capture the mental models, behaviors, and attitudes of women living in New York City as it relates to public safety.

2.

Design a trustworthy mobile application that allows women living and working in New York City to have control over their own public safety.

3.

Design a mobile application that encourages open communication with local officials so that women’s voices are heard and communities are kept safe.

Connecting with Real Experiences

To debunk the assumption of New York City's safety for women, we embarked on a journey beyond desks and data. Empathy was our compass, leading us to engage with the authentic stories of 12 women who inhabit this bustling city. These interviews spanned 9 diverse neighborhoods, encapsulating the vivid mosaic of NYC. Our participants, aged 21 to 47, carried a collective experience of 14 years in the city.

Through these conversations, our aim was to unearth a profound understanding of:

1.

The role local government and associated entities play in providing public safety

2.

Mental models, behaviors, and attitudes of women towards the local government and its different entities about public safety

3.

Past or present experiences related to communicating with elected representatives, officials, and other forms of support in public safety

Pivotal Discoveries

A unanimous sentiment emerged from our interviews with all 12 women – a resounding sense of safety prevailing in New York City. This revelation pivoted our direction, transitioning from a mere safety-focused app to crafting a steadfast ally for women navigating the unknown. The underlying trigger for feeling unsafe stemmed from being alone, confronting unfamiliar circumstances that expose vulnerability. This pivotal insight fueled our redefined purpose.

1. Feelings of safety increase among others. 11 out of 12 participants mentioned feeling more safe among others, because of being in large numbers and/or being with another person. They feel safer in subways because of the crowds present. 6 out of 12 participants mentioned that they believe people in NYC are willing to help one another when danger is present. 10 out of 12 participants mentioned feeling more unsafe when traveling at night, which was most commonly associated with a decrease in crowds and/or traveling alone.

2. Familiar locations lead to safer feelings. 5 out of 12 participants mentioned feeling unsafe in unfamiliar locations within the city. 2 participants mentioned local vendors, such as fruit vendors and bodega owners, as proving a sense of safety. While in unfamiliar areas, participants were on higher alert when traveling alone, it was nighttime, it was quiet, and/or it was less populated.

3. Presence of unstable people contributes to unsafe feelings. 6 out of 12 participants specifically mentioned feeling more unsafe around vulnerable populations when traveling throughout the city. The subway is perceived as unsafe at night when there are fewer crowds, increasing unsafe feelings when there are vulnerable people present.

Persona & Journey Map

Venturing into the realm of personas and their unique journeys, a tapestry of emotions and tasks unfolded before us. As we delved into these maps, we unveiled pivotal junctures brimming with emotions – the anxiety that can grip someone contemplating a solo walk in an alien environment, or the unsettling feeling of departing from companions and embarking on a nighttime commute. Our solution had to be a beacon of relief, alleviating these concerns without introducing new hurdles. This nurturing approach ensures our app’s triumph, echoing the warmth, relatability, and support that characterize our entire journey.

Problem Statement

The independent nighttime commuter needs a way to travel with a trusted companion while navigating unfamiliar areas because being alone makes her feel unsafe.

We defined the core problem by gathering our user insights, persona, and journey map to narrow in on the scope. Our biggest pain point that led us to focus on this problem statement was related to traveling at night alone in an unfamiliar area. I wanted to take a step back in order to make sure the team had a clear understanding of the insights we had collected from our users, and as designers, we were solving the right problem.

Guiding Lights

With our problem statement etched, our collective creativity ignited, birthing design principles that stand as pillars of our creation:

Trustworthy: A beacon of confidence, every facet empowers users to navigate with certainty.

Dynamic: As the river of information flows, our product evolves in tandem, enriched with time and usage.

Empowering: Across terrains and time, users wield the reins, in full command of their journeys.

These principles encapsulate our harmonious blend of warmth, reliability, and empowerment – woven into the very fabric of our product's essence. Unified in their approach, they resonate with the familiar tone that threads through our entire narrative.

Exploration and Focus

Our ideation journey melded individual insights into a collective tapestry of innovation. Starting with rudimentary sketches, we wove our ideas into tangible form through paper prototypes, enabling swift exploration and iteration. Each of us charted divergent courses, but the real magic happened when our paths converged. Convergent thinking ignited rich discussions, culminating in the harmonious synthesis of our concepts to tackle our unified problem.