Project Type
Coursework
Role
UX Designer, Researcher
Duration
Jul-Sept 2024
Problem
Callers struggle to accurately convey information, determine severity, and make decisions on 911 calls due to stress and cognitive load.
Goal
Design a mobile app, integrated with the 911 system, to reduce cognitive load to ease decision making, accelerate locating callers, and clearly define an emergency vs. non-emergency.
Process
Discover
Literature overview, Surveys, User interviews
Define
Personas, Voice
Ideate
Storyboards, Journey maps
Design
Sketches, Prototypes, Usability Testing
Discover
With the lack of a tangible product to compare with our project goals a broad review of existing literature was conducted. The information discovered from the review fueled the construction of the survey which then allowed more refined areas to be studied during user interviews. Below are the key insights from this process:
‣ Users need help defining an emergency
"If there were some kind of guideline..."
Callers seem to know what loosely differentiates an emergency from a non-emergency on their own terms, but they need to know more specifically what 911 deems is an emergency. Having a straightforward guideline system to not only determine their situation in the moment, but provide a decision matrix for them in the future will lead to more efficient use of emergency response resources.
‣ Users want their location to already be known
"I didn't know an address to give the operator"
A big theme through both the interviews and surveys related to conveying location information. In the age of the smartphone and live location data transmission, this should be something that the operator knows and only has to simply confirm with the caller.
‣ Users need improved access to non-911 resources
48% have never used a non-emergency resource
Yes, many people do not know that there are a plethora of other resources for non-911 appropriate situations, but they don't want to have to think about who they should call. If we can further determine who they might need to call, we can link them to that resource directly.
Define
With key user needs and wants determined from the research, it was important at this point that an expanded problem statement was drafted and personas were developed to reflect upon those insights. Additionally, a voice chart was constructed that addresses those wants and needs through the UX writing.
Expanded problem statement
Callers struggle to accurately convey information, determine severity, and make decisions on 911 calls due to stress and cognitive load. This causes possible delays, miscommunication and the eventual misallocation of emergency resources, putting a taxing burden on the 911 infrastructure. Because of the innately user-unfriendly design of the 911 system, callers often make erroneous decisions due the heightened anxiety and inability to function at full cognitive capacity. An opportunity exists to reduce the strain on the 911 system, enhance awareness of alternatives to 911, and create an environment that lends toward positive outcomes due to increased clarity.
Personas
Voice
Ideate
The beginning of the ideation phase was fueled by the sketching of storyboards to help begin breathing life into this app solution. Those storyboards were essential in contextualizing what the user journey might look like and were what set the framework for a more detailed accounting through journey mapping. Primary importance was given to the emotional valence of every interaction the user would have with the app during an emergency or non-emergency call. The primary persona's storyboard and journey map are included here.
Storyboard
Journey map
Design
Full Prototype
Sketches were created initially to brainstorm various visual implementations that might assuage user needs and pain points. Following sketches an iterative process of create then test was followed through a low-fidelity, high-fidelity, and final product. The subsequent screens help evidence the changes between each phase.
Testing insights
‣ Confusing navigation and language
Users found the navigation complex, with unclear vocabulary and overwhelming options that made it difficult to proceed confidently
‣ Lack of emergency and non-emergency guidance
Users were unsure of how their situations were classified and needed clearer guidance to make appropriate decisions, especially when selecting non-emergency paths.
‣ Limited transparency and visibility of help
Users felt uncertain about the type and timing of help they would receive; they needed real-time visibility of assistance and more context about their emergency status.
‣ Inconsistent communication options and reassurance
Users desired more ways to communicate, beyond voice calls, and felt that reassurance through situation-specific tips and visible details of their input were lacking.
Design responses
‣ Simplified navigation and clarified language
Streamlined the interface by reducing unnecessary directions, refining vocabulary, and simplifying navigation paths to create a more intuitive experience.
‣ Enhanced decision-making and guidance
Added clear, proactive explanations for emergency and non-emergency classifications, with more precise labels and descriptions to guide user decisions.
‣ Increased visibility of assistance
Introduced dynamic maps to show real-time help tracking, operator icons, and specific location details, reassuring users about the status of their connection to services.
‣ Expanded communication options and reassurance
Integrated flexible options for connecting to help (e.g., chat and clear, direct connection to 911 at any point), provided visible confirmation of shared information, and included tailored, actionable tips relevant to the user’s specific situation.
Principles of success
‣ Consistency
A card format was used throughout the situation diagnosis portion of the flow making it quick and easy to understand each screen.
‣ Color theory
A white space heavy and blue colour scheme was chosen to reduce distractibility and bring a sense of calm to the user.
‣ Fitts' Law
When possible, all important actions were positioned in the bottom half of the screen to make them quicker, easier to access.
‣ Minimal cognitive load
Use of simple yes/no questions as decision aids expedites and guarantees successful diagnosis of user situations.
Retrospective
‣ Simple, yet comprehensive
Dealing with emergencies are clearly complex and so were user desires. If time allowed, it would have been nice to do more quantitative user testing to find the balance between a clean, intuitive interface and one that includes every detail expected.
‣ Framing emergencies is difficult
It's almost impossible to simulate the exact emotional and cognitive state a user would be in during an emergency which made it hard to collect wholly accurate feedback during user testing.
‣ Takes two to tango
Operators are equally a part of this challenge and this design only tapped into the caller side of these situations. The conversational exchange between these two parties is something that we weren't able to truly explore.
Future considerations
‣ Universal integration
Many localities have varied procedures for 911 and non-emergency services, so the app would need to dynamically adjust to these differences.
‣ Accessibility enhancements
Without the ability to test out features with an appropriate user group, voice control, or other features like multi-language support still need to be researched, integrated, and validated by user's who would benefit.
‣ Data privacy and security
Having access to sensitive personal data means the app would need to comply with data protection laws through enhanced security measures
‣ Operator as the user
Design research would need to be done on this audience to create a fully usable emergency solution through the app