SafetyWatch
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UX Design | Content Strategy | User Research and Testing |
Project Summary
Developed a content strategy plan for the Centennial College Safety and Security section of their website, as well as the mobile app “SafetyWatch” to provide a more user friendly experience.
The purpose of the SafetyWatch App, or Safety and Security section of their website, is to assist students and faculty at Centennial College during difficult situations, or times of crisis by connecting them with internal and external resources as a solution.
Project Type
Academic
Role
UX Researcher, Content Strategist, Moderated Usability Workshops, Interaction Designer
Tools Used
Miro, Canva, Optimal Workshop, Excel
Deliverables
Content Audit
Content Strategy Report
User Research
Usability Testing
Low-Fidelity Prototype
Content as a Conversation
Information architecture
Current State Analysis
THE CHALLENGE
Lack of efficiency
The current structure and presentation of content within the Safety and Security section of the Centennial College website, and the SafetyWatch mobile app is confusing, not accessible, repetitive, and not engaging.
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This is problematic as these are resources students and faculty access during times of distress.
THE SOLUTION
Focus on organization and presentation of content
Organize the content in a more efficient and interactive way, so users can find answers seamlessly.
How might we organize the content on the existing Centennial College Safety and Security webpage, and the SafetyWatch app, in a more efficient way to provide reassurance for students and faculty?
TARGET USER GROUPS
The targeted users include all faculty and students that belong to Centennial College.
PAIN POINTS & OPPORTUNITIES
Current Situation
The homepage of the current app is putting the titles of each section as banners.​ This is hard for users to navigate, especially when they are in an urgent situation.
Our Recommendation
Change the layout of the homepage to be like a grid that has three square buttons per row so the user can view all of the sections when they first open the app.
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Move emergency contacts to the top of the homepage as a stand-alone button. In an emergency, a user should not have to take multiple steps to find a phone number or recall where they once saw it.
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The information is similar or closely related among pages. However, they are separated on different pages and it could create difficulties for users.
Both the app and the website could do a better job of connecting users to Centennial College’s own internal resources. For example, the Women’s Safety Awareness section could connect users to the Friendwalk or WorkAlone resources.
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It is great to include external links on the website to provide more information. However, if they open external links on the app, it will be opened in-app.
Ensure that all broken links are removed from the site/app or fixed. The use of external links in the app should be limited, as it takes the user out of the Safety Watch app and into an internet browser.
Both the content of the website and app are presented in heavy text and it blends making it difficult for the user to read and locate information or instructions.
More info graphics can be added to support the content and to prevent the user from getting lost, the website should implement a content hierarchy.
Campus maps showing the campus security locations. It is good to have maps for users to locate themselves at night to access security services on campus and get help.
The maps can be changed to interactive maps where a user can know their exact current location. There could also be several marked indicators of open entry/exit points, the location of security desks, nearby food services available, and more.
CONTENT AUDIT & CURRENT STATE ANALYSIS
The following recommendations are based on research findings, by completing a Content Audit and Current State Analysis.
Website
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The website could put a button for immediate help under the title of the topic where it is easily accessible.
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Add a “Hide Your Track/ Leave Site Now” which is common to be seen on sexual violence help groups. This provides safety for people that are facing sexual assaults.
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The website can integrate more point-forms, highlight/colour coding, graphics, change of font size to enhance the user experience and to highlight important points or frequently asked points.
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Avoid repeating content, links, and phone numbers
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Remove broken links
App
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Rather than making the user scroll through the page, have the buttons structured like the “Emergency Procedures” section, so the user can see all 13 sections at once, with a visually descriptive icon to support each topic.
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By incorporating a “call to action” to encourage users to follow the College's Twitter account, and making the news feed look more like Twitter, this will likely increase user engagement on Twitter.
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The App should have more direct buttons (similar to the Emergency Procedures page) or incorporate accordions to organize and contain information, but keep the user on one page.
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Incorporate more built-in interactive content (such as photos, videos, or infographics) to engage users on the subjects at hand.
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The phone numbers are repeated unnecessarily throughout the app. It would be best to incorporate an “Address Book” section which can just list all the phone numbers for different scenarios in one place.
GUERRILLA USABILITY TESTING
The Test:
Participants were put on the spot and given the task of card sorting the sub-topics (orange) under 5 headers (pink). This test helped to determine the navigability of the app/website, and where users would look to find certain topics on the Centennial College Safety website or app.
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Prior to getting users to participate in the card-sorting activity, our team created a "reference point" or model of the navigational structure we thought was best (see image to the right).
The Results
This usability test concluded:
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Users were more likely to look for "Parking" information under "Campus Information" not "Centennial College Policies"
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"Counselling Center" could also go under "Health and Wellness"
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Users were confused of the difference between "Contacts" and "Address Book" as well as "FriendWalk" and "WalkSafe"
