LIV: A female-centred UX Approach to Safety
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Timeframe
February 2024 - August 2024
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Role
Co-Project Manager / Head of UX / Leading UX Researcher
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Skills
User Surveys, Focus Groups, User Tests, Persona, Project Management
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Team
A team of seven UX researchers
01. What is Liv?
"Liv" is the outcome of an interdisciplinary, self-organized project developed by students from Mobile Media, Advertising and Brand Communication, and Crossmedia Editing/Public Relations. The project addresses the social issue of fear and safety in everyday life, particularly for women and other marginalized groups.
02. Defining the Research Goals
Before developing Liv, our team needed to answer key questions:
Who are the primary users, and what are their pain points?
What existing solutions are available, and where do they fall short?
What safety concerns do users experience in everyday situations?
How can UX design reduce fear and enhance security?
We structured our research into five key areas:
Target Audience Analysis – Identifying user demographics and their unique needs.
Competitor Analysis – Understanding strengths and weaknesses of existing apps.
User Surveys – Gathering quantitative data on security perceptions.
Focus Groups – Collecting in-depth qualitative insights.
User Testing – Evaluating usability and effectiveness through multiple iterations.
03. Target Audience Analysis
We identified women as our primary target group. However, we also recognized queer and racialized people as potential target groups.
Pain Points: Users expressed fears of harassment, assault, and lack of immediate support in threatening situations.
Behavioral Insights: Many users already rely on informal safety strategies (e.g., fake phone calls, location sharing) but need more structured and reliable solutions.
🚀 Key Takeaway: An app like Liv should go beyond location sharing—it must provide proactive safety features and emergency responses tailored to users' needs.
04. Competitor Analysis
We analyzed existing safety and emergency response apps.
Identified gaps in functionality such as lack of personalized responses, accessibility issues, and complex interfaces.
USP for Liv:
AI-powered risk assessment.
Standalone emergency activation (not reliant on pre-saved contacts or pre-activation by user).
🚀 Key Takeaway: Liv should focus on being proactive rather than reactive, differentiating it from existing solutions.
05. User Surveys
📊 Methodology:
Conducted a Google Forms survey.
Distributed through university networks and social circles.
311 respondents provided insights on security concerns and app expectations.
📌 Key Findings:
67% of respondents reported frequent security concerns in public spaces.
Most requested features:
Live location tracking (88%)
Emergency call feature (79%)
Pre-set emergency contact list (74%)
Safe space locator (72%)
Voice-activated emergency trigger (69%)
🚀 Key Takeaway: The app must be quick, accessible, and intuitive—users need to activate safety features in seconds.
06. Focus Groups: Deep-Dive into User Experience
📊 Methodology:
Conducted a 2-hour in-person focus group at University of Media.
7 participants recruited via survey.
Discussed security challenges, app expectations, and feature rankings.
📌 Key Findings:
Feature Importance: Users ranked fast access to emergency help higher than real-time risk assessments.
App Branding & Perception: The name "Liv" was well received, associated with protection and empowerment.
Challenges in Usability: Many existing apps have too many steps before emergency activation—users preferred a one-tap approach.
🚀 Key Takeaway: Liv must focus on usability-first design, with a minimalist interface for fast access to critical functions.
07. Persona Development
Based on survey and focus group insights, we created a data-based user persona named Julia.
Julia represents a Black, queer woman who frequently experiences safety concerns in urban environments.
We used her pain points, motivations, and frustrations to inform key design decisions.
08. Usability Testing & Iterations
User Tests Conducted:
First User Test: Evaluated usability, efficiency, and navigation challenges.
Second User Test: A/B tested emergency activation features.
Third User Test: Assessed user acceptance of AI-based tracking and data security concerns.
📌 Key Findings:
Users preferred simple, fast emergency activation.
Some UI elements needed better contrast and hierarchy to avoid confusion.
Transparency in data handling increased trust in AI-powered safety features.
🚀 Key Takeaway: Iterative testing was essential to refine usability, accessibility, and user trust.
09. Impact of Research on Liv’s Development
Our research directly influenced key design decisions:
One-Tap Emergency Activation: Simplified the UI to allow users to trigger safety features immediately.
Voice Trigger for Hands-Free Use: Addressing accessibility and real-world use cases.
Smart AI Risk Assessment: Providing users with contextual safety insights in real-time.
Integration of Safe Spaces Feature: Allowing users to find nearby trusted locations in case of emergency.
🚀 Key Research Takeaways:
UX research must involve diverse perspectives to ensure inclusivity.
Safety apps must prioritize accessibility, simplicity, and speed.
Competitive analysis is essential in identifying unique differentiators.