Safely
2020
During the novel case of COVID-19, people in self-isolation often have difficulties finding useful sanitation information themselves
Our Context
Misinformation is often a result of a lack of knowledge. During the unsettling time of the pandemic, individuals are stunned by a mix of opinions and perspectives that often originate from unreliable sources. Under stress and fear, it becomes inevitable for them to feel lost about how to protect themselves from COVID-19. With the help of Safely, individuals can find first-hand information from front-line workers regarding COVID-19 updates and corresponding safety and sanitation guidance. Furthermore, Safely provides a communication dashboard and private chat system where people can raise inquiries about specific COVID-19 topics. By bridging the gap between healthcare workers and people in quarantine, individuals can keep themselves and others informed about COVID-19 to protect themselves and others during the pandemic.
A mobile application that provides valid COVID-19 information updates through health care and front line workers to help inform people with regard to sanitation and safety guidance.
A Quick Peek of Our Solution
What's Unique?
We helped build a platform to connect health-care workers and people in quarantine so that COVID-19 related information can be communicated effectively and efficiently.
Worked as a team of 5 for a design class project, I took lead in confining the project scope, finalizing creative choices regarding UI design, designing persona, and conducting user research.
Our Process
Information We Gathered
A Gulf of Knowledge & A Lack of Communication
From Online Research
Improper Usage of PPE
“PPE used improperly (such as when taking off PPE) can provide a false sense of protection and potentially lead to self-contamination, particularly when not combined with other hygiene measures” (CDPH).
Shortages of PPE are negatively affecting healthcare workers
“Use PPE beyond the manufacturer-designated shelf life for training” (CDC).
Uncertainty with developing knowledge of COVID-19
“Early information from the CDC [...] suggests that SARS-CoV-2 can survive on certain types of surfaces [...] for 2-3 days. However [...] the transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 from contaminated environmental surfaces and objects is still not fully understood” (OSHA).
From User Research
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We found that stay-at-home individuals feel lost in the sea of contradictory information
We found that health care workers cannot voice valid information from experience to the public
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We realized that there is a disconnect of information between health-care workers and the public
From Self-isolated Individual
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From Healthcare Workers
I actually didn’t think about not touching or re-adjusting my mask while wearing it until you told me. I just assumed I was safe because the inside of my mask is still clean.
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Yes, it’s frustrating to see so many people having proper PPE but not using it correctly such as not covering their nose and making sure their mask is secure.
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A discussion board forum that provides space for healthcare workers and individuals to post questions, answers and announcements.
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Ask health-care workers directly! A private dialogue with healthcare professionals to get specific, urgent questions answered!
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Did you wear your mask correctly? Have a scan and see if all is covered!
Step-by-step sanitation tutorials for various locations (gas station, shopping mall, etc.) when people are out performing daily activities in different settings.
Building the Bridge of Knowledge
Opening the Channel of Communication
Our Solution - The Four Functions
We targeted two groups of individuals: self-isolated people and frontline workers. We were interested in knowing how the pandemic affected them similarly and differently.
Our People
Hypothetic Scenarios
We visualized the problem we hope to address. We used storyboarding to walk through our initial ideas.
We selected a color scheme of blue, green and yellow because our application wants to appeal to be established, reliable, friendly and calming.
Design Choices
Our Achievement
Walking Across the Bridge
Sliding Through the Channel
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Stay-at-home individuals feel delighted to have consistent sources of valid information from healthcare professionals.
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Health-care works can now have a place to published most up-to-date information with regard to COVID-19 sanitation protocol and precautions.
Final Thoughts
I believe my team designed a solid prototype that addressed the problem we desired to investigate. This ten-week project was my first time going through the human-centered design process in its entirety. Given that my team created this application during the pandemic, I feel proud that we overcame many challenges to make this prototype possible.
If I could work on this project further, I would like to reach out to more people for our user research and user testing. Furthermore, I would like to think more about the broader impact of this application and its potential and limitation for informing our people on a grander scale. Overall, this project was an advantageous experience. I learned various skills, such as collaboration, user research, prototyping, project management, that I believe will significantly benefit me in the future.