NaviSafe
My Role
Timeline
Tools
User Research, User Experience, Prototyping
3 months
Miro, Figma, Zoom, Photoshop
Presented below is an overview of NaviSafe, a project that was a part of my second year course ‘Prototyping and User Centered Strategies’. Here, you will find my personal contributions as well as the work of 4 other students who came together to work towards the successful completion of this project.
The Problem
Several crimes against persons were reported in the university in 2022-2023.
With increasing number of assault cases reported on university campus, students were becoming fearful about their safety, especially when alone or during late hours in the evening. This rising concern made us delve deeper and see what we as students could do about this issue.
How Might We?
Help provide students with adequate support and information to help them feel safer when on campus?
Solution
An app designed to boost students' confidence in navigating the campus and finding optimal study spots through easy navigation assistance.
User Interviews
Conducted 8 interviews to collect data on diverse experiences within a small sample.
We established interview criteria specifically targeting current post-secondary school students or recent graduates in the Ontario, Canada region. Following interviews that delved into their experiences on university or college campuses, we organized the research findings into distinct categories, namely user needs, goals, and pain points.
Participant 1
“It’s really difficult to participate in activities on campus that happen in the evening, or hang out with friends after class as I feel unsafe.”
Participant 4
“I don’t want to waste my time looking for a place on campus and ultimately come back because I could not find a decent place.”
Participant 3
“I need to study to do well in my class but it’s hard to focus when study spaces sometimes get dangerous”
Key Insights
1
Campus Safety and Student Well-being
Many students feel unsafe on campus, especially during certain times of day or in isolated areas. This lack of security impacts their ability to focus, attend classes, and engage fully in academic life, emphasizing the need for a supportive and secure environment.
2
​Gaps in Safety Infrastructure and Awareness
Students are either unaware of the existing campus safety infrastructure or lack confidence in its efficiency. Many prefer to rely on 911 rather than campus services, pointing to both communication gaps and trust issues that leave them unprepared in emergencies.
3
Security Concerns Influencing Campus Usage
Decisions about when and where to stay on campus are shaped by safety concerns, especially regarding unauthorized access by non-community members. The presence of others, location visibility, and time of day all influence how comfortable students feel in campus spaces.
Ideate
Help students make informed choices
We created two task flows that address the two most important features of the application: finding a location to study and contacting security in the event of a security concern. Our task flows were created from the perspective of our second persona, who is portrayed as an existing user for our project. These task flows address this personas need to find a study location as well as receive immediate support in the event of a safety concern and is informed directly by our research.
Finding a spot
Using a safety toolkit button
