PROBLEM SPACE

People take the public transportation because it's convenient, but they feel their safety is threatened when they encounter unwanted behaviour. They don’t know what to do.

"group drunk middle-aged men brought liquor onto train and started harassing people. People had to leave on the next stop"

"There was once a drunk person on the train just randomly yelling at people and pushing them, I just hoped they wouldn't reach me."

"Nothing happened. There was no translink people coming up to deal with it."

"I had to leave the stop and wait for the next skytrain"

HOW MIGHT WE?

How might we make public transportation a safer environment in order to allow commuters to seek help without attracting unwanted attention?

Secondary research is needed to understand what types of apps are already out in the market, which address the problems of safety on public transportation. It is also to see what the city of Vancouver or other cities in the world have been doing in the physical space to make public transportation a safer environment. 

Current Initiatives/Solution:

• Brighter lighting in and around skytrains, bus stops, bus, skytrain stations

• Increased number of transportation staff patrol

• Surveillance cameras

• Women-only subway carts/bus

• Apps which send-off distress signals to your family and friends, giving your location and opening up a video recorder

• silent trigger alerts on buses and skytrains

• texting police – 87 77 77

After completing secondary research, I came up with a hypothesis/assumption that : 
Women feel unsafe when taking the public transportation in Vancouver. They’re not aware of what they can do when their safety is threatened.

In order to validate my hypothesis/assumption I did a survey research using Google forms to understand the different commuters who take public transportation in Vancouver. I wanted to understand their behaviour - Why is it they take the public transportation? What do they do on the transit to keep themselves occupied? Have they encountered unwanted scenarios? What happens when they do? What are their overall feelings towards the public transportation in regards to safety? (these were only some of the questions). 

In result, my assumption/hypothesis was incorrect. People generally felt safe taking the public transportation, but it's times when they've encountered non-emergency situations - they're unsure of what their options are. They didn't want to dial 911 or press the emergency alarm - having their identity revealed. In that case, many decided to ignore the situation or hop off and on to another bus/skytrain.  Women weren't the only ones who encountered situations where they needed help - men also had their concerns. 

My problem space shifted from women having a general concern for safety while taking the public transportation to what can bus and skytrain commuters do when they're faced with a non-emergency situation (grey area). 

This was one of my favourite and most confident part of the project - being able to put myself in the user's (Sandra) shoe and walking through their journey into the discovery of my app - Beacon. 

Interaction Touchpoints: 
Lowest point - sees an unpleasant situation on the skytrain, not sure how to report or ask for help
Mid point - discovers Beacon which can provide an alternative way of physically stepping in to confront the situation (risking her own safety) 
Highest point - a peace of mind when an alert has been successfully broadcasted to those around her, knowing she's not alone

User Testing Results - Second Round with Greyscale hi-fi wireframes

• clear CTA buttons

• more context overall to give users a better understanding

• "I know where I am in the app"

• users liked having the option to take a photo when entering text

• you're not able to enter text right into the description box without it opening up a new screen

• "the time stamps on the feed are in a weird area, I almost couldn't see it"

• "I'm still not liking the name, feed"

• "I have something to say seems very blunt" is there any other way to make it more user friendly?

• users were able to understand the overall task flow

• even without text to describe the navigation bar, users were able to distinguish the icons

The main colour for Beacon is blue - represented by the first 3 (#407EFF / #5984DC / #007AFF). Three types of white are used to create negative space and to emphasize information. All other colours are used on icons and to represent their different states.

• Associated with open spaces, freedom

• Positive effects on the mind and the body

• Communicates significance, importance, and confidence without creating somber or sinister feelings

Dictionary Definition of Beacon: 
A fire or light set up in a high or prominent position as a warning, signal, or celebration.

Why Create Beacon?

For someone who comes from a Criminology background, I wanted to create a solution that would help with crime prevention and help those who have been victimized. Although there is no ultimate solution that can solve all problems in the Criminology field, public transportation is known for its high numbers of criminal activities—which is why I decided to focus on this area. I’ve seen deviant activities occur and I’ve also been a victim of harassment on public transportations. During these moments, I felt defenceless and without options - I didn’t know how to seek or provide help. Unfortunately, I’m not the only one that has felt this way. It’s time for the crowd to step in and help, whether as a silent, anonymous witness or a Good Samaritan that takes action, because the end result is safer public transportation for everyone—something we can all get behind.