Overview
The integration of social media and online platforms into daily life underscores the importance of managing one's digital footprint. Understanding how to protect personal information and ensure online safety is as important as ever. FemmeTrail was inspired by this need, particularly for women navigating online spaces where they may encounter harassment, stalking, or other forms of digital abuse.
As part of the Women’s Rights Buildathon with Baddies in Tech and Devpost, participants were challenged to use emerging technologies like AI, blockchain, and 5G to create innovative solutions for problems such as gender-based violence, pay equity, and access to healthcare. The goal was to address a real and tangible problem. For two weeks my team and I would work around the clock to build a mobile app that uses artificial intelligence to help women protect themselves online, ultimately landing us a spot in the top 3 project submissions out of 28 teams.
Project Requirements
In order for our project to qualify for the buildathon we needed the following:
Unique Challenges & Constraints
Time
Although we planned to have about 3 full weeks to work, in the end we had to turn our project around in just 4 days.
Collaboration
With just a few days to go, we lost a team member and it completely derailed our plans.
Requirements
Because of the reasons listed above, we weren’t able to deliver the full submission requirements.
Innovation
How were we going to innovate against so many existing designs and products on the market and have a visible impact at the same time?
Snapshot of early planning phase
Initial Thoughts & Assumptions
In our early meetings we spent a lot of time in the ideation phase. We needed to determine which project management tool to use, define our roles and schedules, and address many other details. One team member proposed exploring an app that could provide real-time location tracking and also alert the authorities. Another idea was to create an app that could notify a user's friends and family of their location.
Personally, I wasn’t very interested in addressing domestic violence specifically because many products already existed in that space, making us competitors in a crowded field. I wanted to focus on a more tangible solution. The initial ideas felt like a race between a kidnapper and a victim, trying to determine who could reach the victim first, which seemed impractical.
I proposed an idea to help women identify unauthorized spyware installed on their phones. However, the challenge with every idea was the data to justify the need for our product, which quickly became overwhelming.
Team ideation session in miro.
Narrowing Focus
I was committed to the spyware idea. We gradually moved towards the concept of digital literacy and digital footprints. However, apart from using these terms, we had little clarity on the direction we were taking.
Narrowing the focus was extremely difficult and we lost valuable time. We spent more than half of our allotted time at this stage. This is also when we lost a team member who ultimately did not want to let go of their idea.
With less than a week remaining, we had to complete the entire project that we should have been working on for the past two weeks. With only four members instead of five, FemmeTrail was born.
Getting Started
I was in charge of user research and I developed an in-depth research plan that included a skillfully crafted spreadsheet (tooting my own horn here). However, we did not get to use the information due to a lack of time. Instead, we had to rely mostly on secondary research to justify the need for our product.
I did however, develop and send out a survey to better understand our user base.
71%
have been victims or know victims of domestic violence
71%
currently use tools to protect their data and privacy
60%
still do not feel safe after online after being harassed
Results from the survey.
We identified three key features for the app and decided to use Adalo to build it. However, we had to abandon app development in order to deliver a full prototype. We had to sacrifice many aspects of what we originally envisioned for the app due to the limited time available.
Key Features:
01
Digital Footprint Analysis
The app can analyze a user's digital footprint across various online platforms, including social media, messaging apps, and public records.
02
Privacy Settings Reccomendations
Based on the digital footprint analysis, the app can recommend personalized privacy settings for the user's social media accounts and other online platforms.
03
Risk Assessment & Safety Planning
The app includes a feature for assessing the user's risk level and creating personalized safety plans, utilizing organizations and other resources to educate and support users.
Snapshot of live wireframing session.
We worked collaboratively on the user flow while the other designer on the team developed the wireframes.
A look at the potential user journey for usres.
Quick Highlights
During the design phase, I noticed we were missing some small but important details that would make FemmeTrail feel more like a real web app. I suggested and implemented a few features that helped refine the final design of the app.
Saving Reports: Users now have the option to save and export the reports they receive in the app, allowing them to track their digital privacy scores as they increase over time.
Dashboard: We originally intended for FemmeTrail to scan individual accounts and generate separate reports for each account. I proposed and designed a dashboard where all the account reports are consolidated with one score for each app. Users can then select specific accounts for a more detailed view.
Snapshot of the onboarding process I designed.
Conclusion
After many late nights we were prepared to submit FemmeTrail. We were delighted to learn that we were finalists and subsequently won 3rd place out of all 28 teams that submitted.
The FemmeTrail team.
To see the full presentation and more details about the project click here.
Learnings & Takeaways
Communication
Because the team members were virtually strangers, we didn’t feel comfortable being more direct about drilling down on an idea. Trying to accommodate every idea cost us a lot of time. Although we placed, we could have achieved a much better outcome with more time. If I could go back, I would have communicated the need to speed things up.
There’s always a silver lining
Despite the many struggles we faced, placing third was a significant accomplishment. It validated my desire to work in the UX field and alleviated some of the impostor syndrome I’d been feeling. I couldn’t be more proud, and I am so happy I took on this challenge. I also have my great teammates to thank for turning things around.
This was so real
This was probably the closest I’d come (other than my internship) to feeling like a real UX designer. The uncertainty, balancing different needs and wants, and managing schedules were all part of the experience. Sometimes projects don’t go as planned, and I experienced that in real time.
Next steps?
My team and I received a lot of positive feedback and are very proud of FemmeTrail. Three out of the four of us have just graduated college and are wrapped up in our own lives. I would love for us to come together in the future to continue developing the concept.
