Duration
24 hours
Role
Product Designer
Team
2 Designers, 1 Engineer
Problem
Worried about getting home safely? You're not alone
9 in 10 women feel unsafe walking alone after dark, according to a survey conducted by Newstalk. The risks extend beyond walking—ridesharing services like Uber also lead to unwanted harassment. When late hour events are a common part of social life, traveling alone often becomes an unavoidable experience that can be anxiety-inducing.
The Solution
Give solo travelers reassurance and a sense of control
BeSafe is a mobile app that allows users to play pre-recorded calls and FaceTimes of their friends and loved ones while traveling alone. The app is meant to reassure solo travelers and deter offenders who may be looking for isolated victims.
User Journey Map
Understanding the context in which BeSafe would be used
We first created a User Journey Map to identify the pain points and emotions of a solo traveling experience, and where along the journey an app like BeSafe could come in.
In constructing the user journey map, it became clear that reaching out for support (ie. to family, friends, or emergency services) is not always available or safe, and that feelings of danger are compounded by the feeling of isolation. Additionally, there are often many points where the user can feel threatened and targeted, especially during trips where multiple forms of transportation are used.
Competitive Analysis
Identifying opportunities for design
Following the user journey map, we analyzed 6 different applications that dealt with the issue of safety and traveling alone.
Key Findings
1. Safety features tend to be reactive, often focused on actions the user can take after they encounter a threat. There is a lack of preventative measures that make the person less likely to be a target of harassment.
2. While some apps have shortcuts that the user can take to signal for help, a lot of them require the user to open the app to access its features, which can be detrimental in a high stress situation where seconds matter.
3. There are already inspirations for "fake calling" (particularly through prank call apps, and TikTok)- these are easily accessible, but may not accurately mimic a real call / FaceTime and pose a risk of not being taken seriously.
Ideation
Narrowing down the scope of our project
Our competitive analysis revealed a multitude of safety features we planned to incorporate in our app. However, given our limited timeframe, our mentor suggested narrowing down on one feature. After considering the timeframe, scope, and insights from our competitive analysis, we landed on exploring a prerecorded calling feature for multiple reasons:
Prerecorded calling signals to potential threats that the traveler is not alone. This makes the solution proactive rather than reactive.
There is no reliance on another person picking up.
The feature can be used to tide the victim over until emergency help arrives.
Sketching
Initial ideas for a prerecorded calling feature
We began sketching out the prerecorded calling feature, and incorporating other standard features of a safety app (map navigation, panic button, chat / contacts, etc).
Through the sketches, we identified the primary user flow:
User prerecords a call / FaceTime
User views prerecordings in a saved library
User selects the prerecorded call / FaceTime before or during a distressing situation.
Prototyping
Digitizing BeSafe
From the sketches, we advanced to making the screens. I was responsible for the View recordings page, during call / FaceTime screens, and the onboarding screens.
Design System
My team created a design system to ensure visual consistency across the final screens. Blue was chosen as an accent color for its association with stability and safety.
Final Design
Reflections
More consideration towards onboarding: apps like BeSafe are often downloaded out of urgency or anticipation for a dangerous encounter. Providing more information about the different activation features and instructions on how to use BeSafe would reassure the user more and equip them with a feeling of preparedness.
Ideate more with pre-recorded calling: After landing on pre-recorded calling as the primary feature, our team immediately began sketching and prototyping what a calling interface could look like. However, taking the time to explore different calling interfaces and integration with existing apps could have revealed additional insights and problems that we didn't explore.