With the project idea picked, our next step was to learn about the safety concerns and the features our targeted audiences wants in our proposed application. We came up with a list of interview questions. We interviewed several people and submitted a report. Then, we gathered together and listed out all our words from interviews in Post-It notes. We grouped the same topics together to analysis our findings. From this activity, we narrowed down our focuses and revised our interview questions. This time, we focus more on the features the users would like to see.
We went out again and spoke to a variety of people in our target audience. This time, each of us felt more comfortable doing interviews with strangers. We had a specific direction in interviewing and received detailed responses. We found most people were very helpful and were genuinely interested in our proposed application. We listed out all our findings in Post-it notes and put them in groups. We found some recurring patterns of from our potential users. We summarized them into five main categories (Real time updates, path finding, contribution, outside resources and information). At the end, we These five main categories became the backbone of our application. We wrote a user story for each category. Results are below:
User Stories
As a student, I want to see suggested routes after I enter my starting and ending positions, so that I can see all the possible paths I can take.
Features required:
- Google Maps API
- A way to show all possible paths from point A to point B with estimated travel time
- Field to enter destination
- Options to filter paths by distance traveled or time needed
As a student, I want to have a well-lit path so that I could see my surroundings better when I’m walking alone.
Features required:
- Feedback from users about the destination or path
- Confirmation system about the state of the destination or path
- A mechanism to input the how well a destination or path is lit in the database
- Display businesses and their hours
- A rating system that indicates how well the destination or path is lit
As a student, I want to share my real-time location with a list of people of my choice so that at least one person knows of my location in case something happens.
Features required:
- Buttons to call friends immediately from the app
- Import contacts from phone contact list
- Form to add new contacts or friends
- Location sharing on a map, that can be turned on or off
As a student, I want to find a path that is usually and commonly taken by others so that I could feel safer when I go the same way.
Features required:
- List of recommended paths, as shown on the map
- Each path has feedback from other people
- Allows users to enter descriptions and reviews of the chosen path
- A system that keeps track of how many people usually walk this way
As a student, I want to see safety information in the application, so I know my resources for getting help.
Features required:
- Option to contact emergency services immediately from app
- Map shows a list of emergency resources along the path
- Show details and reviews of each resource
- A page with best practices, like advice on what to do or look for to stay safe, or recommended items to keep with you
SafeOwls 