Project Overview

The Product: 

The Safe Space Project is a app and website designed to help members of the LGBTQ+ community find safe havens and support, weather they are just looking to meet up with people like them, a safe place to stay, or need someone to talk to. The safe space app has many resources for individuals to use. 

Project Duration:

May 1st 2023 - Jun 7th 2023

The Problem: 

LGBTQ+ members have a hard time fitting in or finding a safe haven for them to go and express themselves freely.

The Goal: 

To create a network of resources for LGBTQ+ individuals, focussed on inclusivity for all.

My Roles and Responsibilities:

Lead UX Designer, Lead Researcher, Responsible for building layouts and conducting user research.

Research 

Summary

We conducted user research to gain insights into the needs and preferences of our target audience for the Safe Space app as well created user personas to better understand our users. Our research involved a combination of surveys, interviews, and usability testing to gather qualitative and quantitative data. Initially, we had assumptions about the key features and usability of the app, assuming that certain functions would be more popular than others. Additionally, the research helped us understand the specific pain points and preferences of our users, allowing us to refine the app's features and design to better meet their needs. Overall, the user research provided valuable insights that shaped the development of the app and ensured that it aligns with the expectations and requirements of our target audience.

User Personas

Ideation

Crazy 8's

Speed drawings that helped get creative juice flowing. My goals for ideation was to make a easy to navigate and friendly interface. Something that would be welcoming to all but especially someone in need. 

Early Design

Paper Wireframes

Paper wireframes allow for quick iteration of design ideals.

Digital Wireframes

Home Page

Talk Page

Safe Space Page

Appointment booking Page

Usability Study 

Study type:

Unmoderated Usability Study

Participants:

5 Participants

Location:

Denver, Remote

Length:

30-60 Minutes

Findings

#1

Emergency Button was in the way of home screen.

#2

Back Button Was not functioning properly or lack of back button.

#3

No notable difference between gatherings and events pages. 

After Study Design

Mock Ups 

Before and After Usability Study 

Emergency button was moved to bottom of the screen and given a place to rest at the bottom of the page so it would allow users to interact with the site with no interruptions. 

Before and After Usability Study 

A back button was added to mockups on top left of screen. 

Before and After Usability Study 

Gatherings was replaced with a groups category.

Refining The Design. 

After a second usability study I found that some text was difficult to read, so I updated the design to make txt more legible. 

Before:

After:

Responsive Design

Site Map

I wanted a seamless experience with the website as well as the app, that would be hard to differentiate. I also wanted to explore other pages on the web site vs the application.

Web Designs

I wanted a similar layout and feel as the application. With the larger screen size however I was able to play more with white and negative space giving the website and open and inviting feel. 

Another benefit I had while working on the web page was information. I was able to add more details to better inform users about each selection. 

This is another example of the information. The web page allows more detail to be presented to the user. 

Final Thoughts

Overall I found this site and application to be more difficult than the others. The reason being this was a heavy information based site, this made it hard to compress information to fit on a smaller screen while still getting the information to the user in an effective manner.

Continuing on i would like to further develop this application and website to minimize text and convey the messages through more visualization. 

FIN