SafeSpace
Challenge
SafeSpace is a mobile application that aims to reduce anxiety around law enforcement encounters by crowdsourcing ally witnesses to the scene of an encounter.
Propose a well-scoped solution for new features to be added to the SafeSpace application, within technical constraints.
Tech budget = 20-25 points
Solution
After research and rapid prototyping, a set of features was recommended based on the intersections of business goals, user goals, and technical constraints.
Approach
METHODS:
Stakeholder Interview
Journey Mapping
Tech Scoping
Kano Analysis
Prototyping
TOOLS:
Pen & Paper
Sketch
Axure
Google Docs
Slack
Re-shaping a narrative
A stakeholder interview with Mondo, founder of the SafeSpace app, highlighted a broad goal of the SafeSpace application.
SafeSpace aspires to become an independent resource for collecting information on encounters between the community and law enforcement (both positive and negative).
By collecting and sharing this information with the public, the community, and law enforcement, Mondo hopes to open a communication channel around the existing issues between the community and law enforcement, build empathy, and re-shape the narrative around policing.
“At the end of the day... it’s not about the tech. It’s about people and how the people perceive each other. ”
Connecting the Community
Journey Mapping an ally witness's experience with the app uncovered two significant opportunities.
While the number of Android users continues to grow, the SafeSpace app is not currently available for Android users.
In its current state, SafeSpace crowdsources for allies, but does not provide information to those allies to ensure safe interactions between the community and law enforcement.
Balancing Needs & Reality
A tech scoping session conducted by Software for Good helped narrow down a set of core features that aligned with the business goals and fell within the technical budget constraint.
The top 10 features were then presented to current SafeSpace users for feedback via the Kano Analysis*.
*Kano Analysis boiled down: asking users if a particular feature was absent/present in the app how much they would like, expect, not care, tolerate or dislike the app.
Safety for All
While the broader issue surrounding SafeSpace is large and complex, there are incremental steps that can be taken to help move the dial in a positive direction.
Taking into consideration the user goals, business goals, and technical constraints, a list of features focusing on community inclusion and education were submitted to SafeSpace.
View the annotated wireframes for the SafeSpace app:
