SafePath | Interaction Design
SafePath: Rethinking Navigation with Safety in Mind
MY ROLE
Led Double diamond design process from discover to deliver phases, design and test phases
TEAM
Solo Designer
DURATION
6 Months
TOOLS
Figma
Notion
Miro
Figjam
Sketch
Keynote
Adobe Creative Suit
THE PROBLEM
Most navigation apps focus on speed, not safety, when walking.
When I first moved to San Francisco, I was trying to walk across the city and unknowingly ended up in the Tenderloin—a notoriously dangerous area. Every navigation app led me through the most unsafe routes, making me realize the need for a safety-focused alternative.
THE SOLUTION
Prioritizing safety over speed by using crowdsourced insights.
Users can seamlessly navigate safe routes, report suspicious activities, and receive real-time alerts, enhancing overall safety and community awareness.
SELECT PREFERED ROUTE
SafePath recommends the path which is of the highest safety rate.
This rating reflects various individual factors, such as travel time, safety concerns, and path conditions, tailored to personal preferences
SHARE LOCATION
Users can share live location to their added contacts.
Sharing location is one of the most important aspects of safety so I included this feature at the very beginning.
ALERT AND VALIDATE
An alert notifies users to check for potential risks or encounters on their walking route.
The alert is triggered in real-time through crowdsourcing, based on reports from other users about suspicious activities.
REPORT
Users can report suspicious behaviors encountered on their route.
The Report feature allows users to easily document unsafe situations along their route. Crowdsourced data enhances navigation safety, fostering community awareness and support.
SOS
In case of extreme situations, users can click SOS button to alert 911.
The SOS button is the most basic yet important feature in case of an emergency.
IDEA SYNTHESIS
Safety while walking? Is that important?
My own experiences inspired me—without a car, I often felt uneasy walking alone at night. This made me wonder how other women felt in similar situations. So, I asked students on campus, mostly women, if they felt unsafe walking back from the library or a club late at night. Almost everyone agreed, saying, "Walking alone, especially at night when it's empty, feels scary."
PERSONA
So, who are we solving this problem for?
I chose to conduct persona development to precisely define the target audience and to better understand the individuals for whom I'm designing the product. This approach not only sharpened my focus during research but also enriched my storytelling capabilities.
INITIAL DISCOVERY RESEARCH
That got me thinking about how common this fear is among students on campus and how they're handling this issue…
I wanted to dive deeper into understanding how students actually felt, so I conducted a survey and interviewed several students to shape the product's vision and niche. I focused on their feelings of insecurity, their behavior during unsafe encounters, and what factors made them feel safe.
70% of students prefer walking through well lit, crowded places or with someone.
Well-lit roads, crowds, and open spaces enhance security, while walking with others feels safer than being alone. 90% of the participants insists that sharing location with someone makes them feel more secure.
Almost 50% of people find google maps to be unreliable for navigation keeping safety in mind.
6/12 interview participants pointed out that google map's walking mode feature is tottering and unreliable, it makes the journey much more difficult, inducing anxiety during uncertain hours.
INITIAL PROBLEM DISCOVERY
So, what is the solution? Crowdsourcing!
Through initial research, I found a clear need for safer navigation apps. The key insight was that people feel more secure when routes offer transparency—like knowing if they are well-lit or crowded. Crowdsourcing can enable this by providing real-time digital updates on the safety of paths taken by students.
SafePath addresses the transparency issue with its unique crowdsourcing feature, providing live updates on route safety.
COMPETITIVE AUDIT
The competition had no safety considerations…
We analyzed four major navigation apps during our competitive audit, assessed their strengths, weaknesses, and user feedback, and documented our findings. We selected a few specific competitors and examined and tested these apps before creating a competitive analysis table to record our observations.
OPPORTUNITY
How might we help people walk safely through crowdsourcing, while making sure everyone sees safety the same way?
CONCEPTUAL DESIGNS
How would users interact with the product, and in what scenarios?
By utilizing storyboarding, we identified key navigation pain points, which were then visually represented in our user flow diagram.
Mid-Fi PROTOTYPE
Brainstorming potential solutions
We started out with a Mid-fidelity wireframe while brainstorming ideas before creating a final high-fidelity version. Our mid-fidelity wireframe helped us plan how the app would be laid out and function with many moving parts.
TESTING & VALIDATING
Validation through A/B testing.
Lastly, to get feedback on the mid-fidelity prototype, I conducted multiple critique session with the potential users and expert reviewers while ensuring a rapid prototype-evaluate cycle. Feedback from these sessions continued to evaluate our high - fidelity prototype as well.
VISUAL DESIGN ITERATION
Crafting the optimal layout for sharing location and search bar.
Location sharing is a key feature of SafePath. The initial design had the basic functionality but didn’t fully reflect how people typically share their location. Our goal was to minimize time spent on non-navigation tasks, so we refined the design to offer more options in a clear, organized way. The old layout took up too much screen space, which could be distracting. The final design is more streamlined and user-friendly, keeping the focus on safe navigation.
VISUAL DESIGN ITERATION
Altering color and iconography to keep consistency and readability.
Location sharing is a key feature of SafePath. The initial design had the basic functionality but didn’t fully reflect how people typically share their location. Our goal was to minimize time spent on non-navigation tasks, so we refined the design to offer more options in a clear, organized way. The old layout took up too much screen space, which could be distracting. The final design is more streamlined and user-friendly, keeping the focus on safe navigation.
VISUAL DESIGN ITERATION
How detailed should the alert icon be?
From my contextual inquiries, I found that users prefer detailed, concrete incident reports to help them make better decisions. A clearer report reduces stress and anxiety while ensuring their safety.
FINALIZED DESIGNES
Introducing SafePath
This innovative app designed to revolutionize route security through crowdsourcing. Users can seamlessly navigate safe routes, report suspicious activities, and receive real-time alerts, enhancing overall safety and community awareness.
REFLECTION
Project Learnings:
I gained substantial knowledge and skills throughout the project, including:
Conducting research at the intersection of interdisciplinary concepts, honing my ability to navigate complex subject matter.Research methodologies for addressing social bias in technology.
Prototyping techniques for developing an algorithm-based user interface.
Future Directions:
Delving deeper into the study of design decisions aimed at building and maintaining user trust.
Addressing concerns related to user privacy, particularly when it comes to sharing location data and creating public profiles.
Managing security challenges inherent in users relying on the judgment and location information of others.
Addressing ethical considerations, such as reducing or eliminating any prejudicial assumptions that might emerge from crowdsourced data.
Implementing a range of measures to enhance user trust and safety within the HerPath application.