Serene Women’s Safety App
A mobile-based application designed with a hidden panic button enables women who are experiencing domestic violence to get help immediately.
This app provides urgent assistance, ensuring help is readily available, even in the most precarious circumstances.
Brief
Tools
Figma, Miro, Google Sheets, Loom,
Timeline
2 weeks
Deliverables
Hi-Fi mobile prototype
My Team
Brooklyn Witteman - UX Designer, Researcher
Aiman Shahpurwala - Product Manager
Precious Onah - Developer
Sonia Nyenkan - Developer
Vanessa Lee - UX Designer
Challenge
Women facing domestic violence or trapped situations often lack safe and discreet methods to reach support methods and emergency services.
Abusers often monitor their phone activity, demand access to their devices, and install spyware or monitoring apps. This significantly hinders access to help, increasing their risk of harm and even endangering their lives.
Existing methods like phone calls, text messaging, and website browsing to search for help online can further endanger them by potentially alerting the abuser, reinforcing the power imbalance, and creating a barrier to seeking help. Serene is designed to address the pressing issue faced by women in domestic violence situations: the absence of secure and inconspicuous means to seek support.
Our Solution
Enter Serene, a covert safety app featuring a hidden panic button disguised as a regular e-commerce application. Women can seamlessly integrate its’ use into their phone activity while prioritizing their mobile network privacy and limiting risk.
#SafetyAtYourFingertips
Users can tailor the app's interface with AI-generated UI changes for heightened discretion. When help is needed, a discreetly activated button, resembling a notification bell, enables users to silently contact emergency services or alert trusted contacts. Users can share crucial information, providing a confidential lifeline while in the even the most challenging circumstances.
Project Goals
Empower women with technology via an innovative approach
Create an intuitive design with security while also being discreet
Leverage AI technologies and integrate them in app design
Research & Discovery
I conducted secondary quantitative research in tandem with the PM gathering qualitative information about domestic violence in the US.
We carefully selected secondary research as we did not want to burden any domestic violence victims by asking them to share about their experience. Our aim was consider the challenges that domestic violence victims experience in order to tailor the design to their needs.
Following the initial discovery research, I completed a competitive analysis to understand what features were essential to offer users security. The analysis was helpful in revealing the core functionalities of existing apps that are focused on personal safety, panic buttons, and tracking location enabled.
Target Demographic Research
The PM and I conducted secondary research to have a better understanding of how of our application could positively impact users. While heartbreaking reading both survivor stories and discovering statistics, our research proved to be paramount in designing a high-impact solution for women in need of help. The following information helped our team build empathy for our target users, while also informing us of the complex problems that domestic violence victims encounter:
Abusers isolate their intimate partner. This helps us understand what resources and support services are currently available to the target audience.
Victims communication channels are monitored. By understanding what users like and dislike about existing apps, we can refine our approach and ensure Serene addresses their specific needs effectively.
20,000 phone calls placed to domestic violence hotlines nationwide on a typical day
Intimate partner violence accounts for 15% of all crime (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence Organization). Analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of existing solutions allows us to avoid potential pitfalls and build upon successful strategies to create a truly impactful app.
Competitive Analysis
To gain a holistic understanding of existing successful silent safety application designs, I conducted a competitive analysis that was aimed at exploring the following:
Identify existing solutions and their functionalities: This helps us understand what resources and support services are currently available to the target audience.
Gain insights into user preferences and pain points: By understanding what users like and dislike about existing apps, we can refine our approach and ensure Serene addresses their specific needs effectively.
Learn from past successes and failures: Analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of existing solutions allows us to avoid potential pitfalls and build upon successful strategies to create a truly impactful app.
Summary of Competitive Analysis Key Findings
After reviewing different silent safety alert apps, we discovered that there is an opportunity in this space to create an app that is discreet and empowers the user to silently get help. We also found that safety apps are often focused on safety for anyone, which is great, but we wanted to create a product that is tailored to women experiencing domestic violence.
We also found that there is an opportunity to create an app that provides emergency services and contacts users with precise real-time location information so that they can find the user in their time of need, which can be advantageous in place of calling 911 services.
Lo-Fi Prototyping
These initial wireframes serve as foundational sketches outlining our application's basic structure and layout during the early stages of design. I suggested we incorporated tool tips to help guide users through navigation, and included a tutorial in the profile menu for a walkthrough. The onboarding screens were designed to build trust before requesting personal information. Originally, we included a map to "track an order," allowing users to monitor police response time, but research revealed this was not feasible, prompting its removal in the hi-fi prototype.
Here are few of the lo-fi screens from the tool tips given during the tutorial.
These lo-fi screens are from the tutorial flows displaying how users will be walked through the key features of Serene.
Hi-Fi Prototyping
Vanessa (co-UX designer) and I iterated the hi-fi prototype with a focus on hidden UI elements to maximize user safety. We wanted the app to be designed intuitively for an emergency event, while also being disguised as an everyday e-commerce application. Additionally, I contributed by emphasizing the importance of UX writing. Writing plainly and concisely is an essential approach in the event of an emergency.
We removed "place order" and "track order" to avoid suspicion and simplify the app during emergencies.
Here is a link to the Figma prototype if you’d like to click around and explore:
https://www.figma.com/file/PunYTAg2usnOoTpCsxCjZw/Serene-Safety-App
Login Screens
For the sign first sign in or sign up screen, we utilized copy to help the user quickly understand that the app is disguised for safety. Additionally, the copy states that we are committed to protecting privacy to boost users confidence in our product.
We also opted for purple as our primary color for trust and security.
Sign Up Process
Onboarding prompts users to select items for realistic gen AI interfaces based on their interests. The gen AI populates UI, while also being mindful of not asking for any sensitive personal information on this step. Users are launched into a tutorial experience after the finish their sign up process.
Application Tutorial
The tutorial included 9 steps and each step had a small amount of copy to help users quickly move through the demo.
We made the tutorial mandatory in the beginning of the app experience as a calculated decision. I wanted to guarantee that users would be able to navigate the app in an emergency event. In the hi-fi design, the panic button icon changed from a question mark icon to a bell icon for better representation of security, safety, and emergency.
Panic Button
We used the copy “Notification settings“ rather than panic button or emergency alert, because we wanted to maintain a covert interface. Additionally, we decided not to use red as an alert/panic color for the same reason. I suggested that we use iconography to help lower the cognitive load on users and make the design intuitive in the event o a domestic violence emergency.
FaceID was utilized to boost the panic button’s security, preventing accidental activation. Users can contact either the police or an emergency contact for a non-police option based upon a pop-up selection.
Profile Settings
Upon completion of account creation and taking the tutorial, users are prompted to fill out some personal information and health info. We decided to include this at the end of the sign up process because we wanted to ensure that we built trust with the user first, before asking for sensitive information.
We also included copy text to explain to the user why we were asking for this information and that this information was crucial in order to maximize the potential benefit for them in the event of an emergency.
Gen AI Dummy Screens
Here are a few examples we created the generated AI screens. We created a few examples to help the engineers base their coding off of. We decided we wanted to include online shopping platforms that were not limited to food delivery types of applications.
Usability Testing
Testing the Prototype
For usability testing, our PM focused on recruiting participants with first or second- hand experience with domestic violence in our professional network.
Our targeted message led to responses from two individuals with personal experiences.
I designed the moderated testing session with semi-structured interview questions in tandem with the think-aloud approach.We did have one participant cancel last minute, but the pilot test session still provided valuable insights, helping us refine the app for better user experience among those affected by domestic violence.
Interview Guiding Questions & Q + A Spreadsheet
Guiding Research Questions:
Do users consider the application intuitive?
Do users understand and accept the GAI? Is the function of GAI apparent?
Is the interface covert enough while also being easy enough to navigate in an emergency?
Do users perceive the application to be too high risk?
Think-Aloud for Following User Flows:
Account Creation + Onboarding (does the Gen AI make sense to users)
Tutorial
Home Screen (variation option)
Panic Button - (alert mechanism as a whole (click & hold the bell icon and the pop-up)
A/B Test Panic Button
Profile Settings
Affinity Map
While we were only able to pilot the interview with one user testing session, the interview and affinity mapping sessions were very helpful for our team to gain insight from a test user. Keep scrolling to see the key findings below!
Key Findings from Affinity Mapping
Ease of Use:The user found the onboarding process quick and straightforward, navigating the tutorial effortlessly. The interface was clear and discoverable. The inclusion of a refresh button for the home screen was appreciated, adding a unique feature. The GenAI disguise feature received positive feedback, enhancing the app's appearance.
Security: While the Panic Button was praised, concerns arose about customizing its message. The user suggested allowing message personalization and enhancing notification security.
Account Creation and Profile Settings: Recommendations include explaining the relevance of certain questions, enhancing profile settings with details about children and pets, and including health information like nearest urgent care.
Panic Button: Suggestions involve adding a personal message option, refining the notification system, and providing more context, especially for situations involving children.
Issues/Bugs: The user reported a profile button functionality issue on screens other than the main screen, highlighting the need for consistent app performance.
Summary: While praising ease of use and innovative features, improvements are needed in customization, security, and addressing specific concerns for a better user experience.
Design Changes Based on Usability Testing Findings
The pilot test was very helpful to help our team gain insights into how we can modify our design to maximize user trust, secure their information, and safety get help. After conducting user testing here are a few changes we made as follows below.
Feedback: User was unsure of how the gen AI model worked and what the purpose was about the questions regarding their food choices and shopping interests.
Solution: Improved the copy on onboarding screen to better explain how Serene uses AI to generate a disguised interface
#AI Use Explanation
Feedback: User felt like there could be additional information from the profile to help increase ability for emergency services to offer targeted support ie. medical info, if they have children etc.
Solution: Added options in Profile Settings:
Have children? If yes, do they live at home?
Do you have pets?
Who is your primary care doctor?
What is the primary care doctor number?
What is the closest urgent care or hospital?
#Targeted Support
#Intuitive UI
Feedback: User felt the notification bell icon might draw unwanted attention in the case where the victim gets their phone taken away
Solution: Changed notification icon to outlined instead of filled. Filled usually means the user has a notification, which can cause curiosity. Changing to outlined implies there are no notifications, meaning there would be no reason to check.
#Needs Clarity
Feedback: User isn’t sure what information is being sent out to police and emergency contacts
Solution: Added disclaimer text in profile settings to state what information will be sent out.