ROLE
User Research, Visual Design, Interaction Design, Prototyping
PROGRAMS
Figma, Illustrator, Premiere Pro
COLLABORATORS
Bella Lee, Annie Pao
DURATION
2 Days
As someone who moved from suburban California to a hustle-and-bustle Seattle city, there were a few changes from my pace of life, to say the least.
One of these changes we all recognized was the increase in homeless individuals we pass by daily. With Seattle being notorious for its crime, however, it’s difficult to feel safe aiding these individuals alone.
The solution? Deconstruct harmful impressions of homeless individuals through personal stories to encourage empathy, while giving donors their anonymity.
Balancing empathy and safety: Our goals
Goal 01 We want college students to empathize with homeless individuals and their stories.
Goal 02 We want to provide an easier way to give resources to aid homeless individuals.
"Homeless people" is a term with inherent negative stigma.
Whether through personal experiences or news online, stories of violent, erratic behavior from such individuals reduce their willingness to help in dire times. This concern only increases when living in dense, populated areas such as cities.
People ARE willing to donate, they're just unsure how.
When interviewing participants on their views on homeless individuals and their opinions on donating, we found that almost everyone is willing to extend a helping hand, but is concerned about their personal safety.
With all of these insights accumulated...
How might we provide resources for college student passersby to give back to the overlooked population who cohabit in their areas?
The key: design features that digitize the donation process, with anonymity, while giving homeless individuals a chance to tell their stories.
Homeless individuals can create their own profiles. Utilizing a map system, donation centers, and which homeless individuals are local to your area invites you to learn more about them and their situation.
Why Giiive Works
01 We include the "why" in "why donate". Knowing someone's story of adversity increases the chances of people being open-minded and willing to help.
02 A location map, while unconventional, reassures people that they're donating to someone who genuinely needs aid. At the same time, the homeless individual's information remains anonymous for their safety.
03 You have full control over how you want to donate. Homeless individuals can specify what type of aid they need, and you can decide which category to donate to.
The Final Product
Winning First Place
Our 2-day design sprint soon came to a close, and the designation results were announced! After a very brief yet intense design session, we're proud to say that we earned first place in the Coexistence Track at Boston University's BUFORGE Designathon.
Collaboration Can Be Rewarding, If Done Right
So much happened within two days, but it was all extremely rewarding. As a team, we were aiming to succeed in the designathon, but it didn’t drive us to create a good product, being genuinely excited about our app concept and wanting to display our idea the best way did.
Letting your ideas go and accepting that your teammates are just as knowledgeable if not, even more than you is something I will always remember for future projects. Everyone can contribute something, and if everyone embraces this fact you’re bound to create excellent ideas.
Letting your ideas go and accepting that your teammates are just as knowledgeable if not, even more than you is something I will always remember for future projects. Everyone can contribute something, and if everyone embraces this fact you’re bound to create excellent ideas.
Conclusion & Thoughts
I’m proud of the work and effort that we put into this project, and I’m thrilled thinking about how we could take our concept to the next level. Creating an app that we believe will have an impact on the world was our goal, and we accomplished it with our heads held high. Doing research for this designathon helped us reframe assumptions and cast them aside. In the eyes of a designer, assumptions are dangerous.
Special thanks to my teammates, Annie Pao and Bella Lee for working alongside me during late nights to get our high-fidelity prototype done!