Public Safety App
Designing for emergency protocols in K-12 institutions
Overview
At The Scoop, I led the research and design for a client project - an emergency response tool, designed for use by admins at educational institutions to utilize during emergency situations. I collaborated with stakeholders and owned the end-to-end process including organizing research strategies, designing mockups + prototypes, and iterating until hand-off.
Role
Researcher + Designer
Timeline
3 months
Tools
Figma, Adobe Illustrator
Public Safety App
Designing for emergency protocols in K-12 institutions
Overview
At The Scoop, I led the research and design for a client project - an emergency response tool, designed for use by admins at educational institutions to utilize during emergency situations. I collaborated with stakeholders and owned the end-to-end process including organizing research strategies, designing mockups + prototypes, and iterating until hand-off.
Role
Researcher + Designer
Timeline
3 months
Tools
Figma, Adobe Illustrator
Public Safety App
Designing for emergency protocols in K-12 institutions
Overview
At The Scoop, I led the research and design for a client project - an emergency response tool, designed for use by admins at educational institutions to utilize during emergency situations. I collaborated with stakeholders and owned the end-to-end process including organizing research strategies, designing mockups + prototypes, and iterating until hand-off.
Role
Researcher + Designer
Timeline
3 months
Tools
Figma, Adobe Illustrator
Due to confidentiality agreements, I am unable to share detailed mockups of the core product. This case study highlights my process, design rationale, and outcomes at a high level.
Due to confidentiality agreements, I am unable to share detailed mockups of the core product. This case study highlights my process, design rationale, and outcomes at a high level.
What is it?
Client Project
A mobile app designed for educational institutions, particularly K-12— that provides a real-time incident response & communication platform with emergency operators.
Purpose
Admins, teachers, and operators struggle with delayed action and response times during human-instigated on-campus emergency situations due to inefficient modes of communication. This app provides a real-time incident response platform with a goal to enhance effective decision-making and share vital information.
Admins, teachers, and operators struggle with delayed action and response times during human-instigated on-campus emergency situations due to inefficient modes of communication. This app provides a real-time incident response platform with a goal to enhance effective decision-making and share vital information.
My role
In my role as the Lead UX Designer, I was responsible for communicating with stakeholders, conducting/organizing research, and collaborating with a QA specialist on design iterations.
In my role as the Lead UX Designer, I was responsible for communicating with stakeholders, conducting/organizing research, and collaborating with a QA specialist on design iterations.
Research
Goals: Analyze market solutions, stakeholder values, understand current roles & interactions.
Process
Research was a crucial step in designing a viable product for this project. We focused on filling domain knowledge - including current IT infrastructures of schools, existing safety processes, and stakeholder roles in relation to school safety (safety resource officers, head of schools, admins, etc.).
Research was a crucial step in designing a viable product for this project. We focused on filling domain knowledge - including current IT infrastructures of schools, existing safety processes, and stakeholder roles in relation to school safety (safety resource officers, head of schools, admins, etc.).
Goals
As stated above, our main research goals were to analyze existing solutions, understand stakeholder values, and the current landscape. Following competitive analyses, it was crucial to understand the emotions and many sub-topics that could influence the design process. Finally, by understanding the current roles and interactions of emergency protocols, we could explore how safety issues are addressed beyond standard procedures.
As stated above, our main research goals were to analyze existing solutions, understand stakeholder values, and the current landscape. Following competitive analyses, it was crucial to understand the emotions and many sub-topics that could influence the design process. Finally, by understanding the current roles and interactions of emergency protocols, we could explore how safety issues are addressed beyond standard procedures.
Target user groups include:
School Admins
Classroom Teachers
Safety Resource Officers (SROs)
Secondary research, user interviews, analysis.
Research Execution
I interviewed head of schools, district principals and substitute teachers. These sessions and surveys gave us a better understanding of current solutions, sentiments, and opportunities. Specifically, we wanted dig into the users' preparedness in responding to an on-campus emergency situation and the current state of emergency protocols. Secondary research and competitive analysis provided us with a deeper understanding of existing solutions, opportunities, and challenges in school safety topics.
I interviewed head of schools, district principals and substitute teachers. These sessions and surveys gave us a better understanding of current solutions, sentiments, and opportunities. Specifically, we wanted dig into the users' preparedness in responding to an on-campus emergency situation and the current state of emergency protocols. Secondary research and competitive analysis provided us with a deeper understanding of existing solutions, opportunities, and challenges in school safety topics.
Image shows research analysis board (blurred due to NDA).
Image shows research analysis board (blurred due to NDA).
Ideation
We created target user personas, and brainstormed ideas onto a priority matrix.
I collaborated with my PM and designer to organize ideas and features based on business and user needs. User flow and journey maps guided the process by helping me to align on user values and address original goals.
I collaborated with my PM and designer to organize ideas and features based on business and user needs. User flow and journey maps guided the process by helping me to align on user values and address original goals.
Design
Wireframes, iterations & trade-offs.
I iterated on low-fidelity wireframes for the next 5 weeks, collaborating with a PM and designer for product walkthroughs, and QA sessions.
I iterated on low-fidelity wireframes for the next 5 weeks, collaborating with a PM and designer for product walkthroughs, and QA sessions.
Trade-offs
Designing for simplicity & accessibility meant eliminating secondary features in alternate user journeys.
Designing for simplicity & accessibility meant eliminating secondary features in alternate user journeys.
Designing for thorough enhanced communication required reducing the number of communication channels in appropriate response to user's behaviors in emergency situations.
Designing for thorough enhanced communication required reducing the number of communication channels in appropriate response to user's behaviors in emergency situations.
Every decision was related back to the user's goals. The following questions guided our process:
Every decision was related back to the user's goals. The following questions guided our process:
Does this decision help resolve the user's pain point? What other implications follow this decision (technical, business needs)? How does this help achieve the original goal?
Final Product
The final product consisted of a fully functioning, high-fidelity mobile & web prototype. Only limited screens are shown. While I can't provide additional mockups of the core functionalities, it shows a glimpse of the visual style and direction of the product,
The final product consisted of a fully functioning, high-fidelity mobile & web prototype. Only limited screens are shown. While I can't provide additional mockups of the core functionalities, it shows a glimpse of the visual style and direction of the product,
What I Delivered: High-fidelity mobile & web mockups + prototype interactions, and scalable design system.
Over the course of 3 months, I delivered a detailed research protocol and execution plan, a product roadmap and timeline, high-fidelity mockups and prototype interactions. This included a design system made from scratch, incorporation of branding and visuals and multiple user flows. Effective communication with my PM, engineers, designers and QA specialist was crucial to drive progress and design decisions.
Over the course of 3 months, I delivered a detailed research protocol and execution plan, a product roadmap and timeline, high-fidelity mockups and prototype interactions. This included a design system made from scratch, incorporation of branding and visuals and multiple user flows. Effective communication with my PM, engineers, designers and QA specialist was crucial to drive progress and design decisions.
Challenges
Designing for a sensitive space.
Diving into a sensitive domain for research and design was a challenge, especially when interacting with external stakeholders. My pitch and verbiage was always carefully crafted to approach discussions in a careful manner.
Diving into a sensitive domain for research and design was a challenge, especially when interacting with external stakeholders. My pitch and verbiage was always carefully crafted to approach discussions in a careful manner.
Testing MVP in non-emergency settings.
Testing the MVP in a real emergency situation was not plausible, and we lacked the resources to simulate an emergency scenario. This would be an important next step to assess genuine interactions with core features.
Testing the MVP in a real emergency situation was not plausible, and we lacked the resources to simulate an emergency scenario. This would be an important next step to assess genuine interactions with core features.
Outcomes
Improved time on task
Navigation flows were redesigned from the initial concept prototype, removing friction and nested interactions.
Navigation flows were redesigned from the initial concept prototype, removing friction and nested interactions.
User satisfaction levels
Refined user flows and redesign features showed improved satisfaction levels in usability testing.
Refined user flows and redesign features showed improved satisfaction levels in usability testing.
Visual accessibility & usability
Colors, branding, and elements were redesigned to improve visual accessibility and usability.
Colors, branding, and elements were redesigned to improve visual accessibility and usability.
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