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Empowering Women to Travel Confidently Alone

SafeCity

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Design Brief

  • Urban safety is not only about actual risk, but also users’ perception of safety

  • Users experience anxiety and lack confidence when navigating unfamiliar or high-risk areas

  • Current solutions do not effectively combine real-time data, emergency support, and emotional reassurance

Timeline

September 2025 — January 2026

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Role

UI Designer (high-fidelity UI, visual system, interface design)

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Tools

Figma, Miro

DESIGN APPROACH (01)

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My contribution focused on designing visually clear interfaces for key safety features, ensuring users can quickly understand and act in both everyday and emergencies.

CHALLENGE (02)

THE PROBLEM

  • Users feel unsafe when travelling alone, especially at night

  • Existing safety apps lack real-time, reliable information

  • Emergency features are often complex and difficult to use under pressure

WHO IS THIS FOR?

  • Women travelling alone in urban environments

  • Users navigating unfamiliar or high-risk areas

  • Individuals seeking reassurance and quick access to help

WHAT ARE THE USER NEEDS?

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  • Users want a simple and reliable way to stay safe while navigating the city

  • They need real-time information about safety conditions and surroundings

  • They want quick and effortless access to emergency support

  • They seek reassurance and confidence, especially when travelling alone at night

  • They value clear and intuitive interfaces that work well under stress

  • They expect control and transparency when sharing their location or data

WHAT ARE THE END GOALS OF SAFECITY?

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  • Provide real-time safety insights through maps and location-based data

  • Enable fast and accessible emergency actions (SOS, contact services)

  • Support safe route planning based on risk levels and the environment

  • Reduce anxiety and cognitive load in high-risk or uncertain situations

  • Deliver a clear and user-friendly experience in both normal and emergency scenarios

  • Increase user confidence, trust, and perceived safety

UNDERSTANDING THE USER (03)

To understand how users experience safety in urban environments, we conducted both secondary research and primary user research focusing on real-life safety concerns and behaviours.

Conducted

  • 5 user interviews

  • 46 survey responses

Key Insights

  • Users often feel anxious and vulnerable, especially when travelling alone at night

  • Perceived safety is influenced by lighting, crowd presence, and environment

  • Users want real-time awareness of safety conditions around them

  • Many users feel unprepared in emergencies and don’t know what to do

  • Existing apps do not provide clear or immediate access to help

  • Users prefer simple and fast interactions in high-stress situations

USER RESEARCH RESULTS & FINDINGS (04)

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Insights from Existing Platforms

  • Most existing safety apps focus on reactive features (e.g., emergency calls, reporting incidents) rather than prevention

  • Users lack support for avoiding unsafe situations before they happen

  • Interfaces are often complex and difficult to use under pressure

  • Safety information is not always clear, accessible, or easy to interpret quickly

  • Many platforms rely on static or outdated data, reducing reliability

  • Lack of real-time, location-based alerts limits users’ situational awareness

  • Emergency features are sometimes hidden or require multiple steps to access

  • Users need fast, intuitive, and stress-free interactions in critical moments

AFFINITY DIAGRAM

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PERSONA

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USER JOURNEY MAP

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PROBLEM STATEMENT & HMW QUESTIONS

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FEATURE PRIORITIZATION

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INFORMATION ARCHITECHTURE (05)

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USER FLOW (06)

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FEATURE (01) — SOS Emergency

Helping users instantly reach help and feel in control during critical moments.

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FEATURE (02) — Safe Route

Guiding users to make safer navigation decisions based on real-time environmental risks.

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FEATURE (03) — Crime Detection

Detecting potential threats in real-time and supporting users before situations escalate.

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FEATURE (04) — Alerts & Safety

Providing timely, context-aware alerts to increase situational awareness.

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FEATURE (05) — Safety Map

Turning complex safety data into simple, understandable insights for everyday decisions.

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FEATURE (06) — Contacts & Sharing

Enabling users to stay connected and share their safety status with trusted people.

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FEATURE (07) — Report Crime

Empowering users to contribute to a safer community through easy reporting.

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User Testing – Usability Evaluation (07)

PARTICIPANTS

  • 8 participants

METHODOLOGY​​

 

  • Remote Usability Testing: Participants interacted with the prototype to complete key safety-related tasks.

  • Task-Based Scenarios: Users performed tasks such as checking alerts, finding safe routes, activating SOS, and reporting incidents.

  • Behaviour Analysis: Heatmaps and navigation tracking were used to observe user interactions and decision-making patterns.

Key Findings

  • Users completed tasks successfully, indicating a clear and usable flow

  • Safety indicators strongly influenced route selection

  • SOS was easy to locate, but interaction cues needed improvement

  • Some confusion between reporting and SOS actions

  • Minor navigation errors did not impact task completion

Design Improvements

Refined SOS flow to prevent accidental actions

Improved visual hierarchy and feature distinction

Clarified labeling and onboarding guidance

Simplified interactions to reduce cognitive load

Future Opportunities

  • Community-based safety updates

  • AI-powered emergency support

  • Wearable integration for SOS

  • Voice-based navigation

  • Improved detection and contextual awareness

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