Senior Thesis: App Design for Navisafe
Keep yourself and your friends away from danger with Navisafe — a location sharing emergency network.
Opportunity
For my senior thesis, we were opened to a variety of design media. I’ve always been interested in the UX/UI aspects of design, so I took on this opportunity in an attempt to understand problem solving in a frequently encountered issue — street harassment. This mobile app concept hopes to address the uncertainty when it comes to commuting on foot.
Solution
Finding a way to ensure individual commuter’s safety that seamlessly integrated with their current security habits was one of the puzzles I had come across. When proposing both the design and development of Navisafe’s network, I utilized user-centered design principles that delivered a unique value between both the commuters and safety officials. We addressed common safety concerns such as feeling vulnerable when walking alone. With Navisafe, one may allow their friends to keep an eye out for them virtually.
Research
First, I spoke to fellow off-campus students as well as other individuals that commute to work by foot or public transportations regarding their behaviors when they feel unsafe. I created a short Google survey and based on the results, I was able to understand the user’s mindset and later informed product decisions. A lot of individuals have expressed hesitation when notifying the police, reasons included lack of trust and time sensitivity. Instead, individual’s friends were contacted.
We also identified two types of Navisafe audience:
Primary user: individuals that feel uneasy walking alone but rarely reach out to authorities and choose to contact their friends instead.
Secondary user: Users that are friends who get notified when primary users feel unsafe.
After creating wireframing and low fidelity designs, the final high fidelity design was created to test the flow of the app. The Navisafe purple was created to make the interface feel more approachable and comforting. The typeface IBM Plex Sans was chosen to be readable and easy to navigate.
