Sidewalk
Service Design
ST: Benjamin Butler | ST: Jo Rozycki | XD: Maryn Tan
My Role: Project Research, UI/UX Design, Prototype
THE ASK
How might we make walking safer for walkers.
THE OPPORTUNITIES
Make safety preventative rather than reactionary
by pairing walkers together.
Pairs walkers with other walkers
Allows the user to build a community with other walkers
Built-in safety measures to ensure walker’s protection
The Sidewalk App
An Uber App but for Walkers
Stage 2: During Walk
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Request walk
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Matched with a walker
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App establishes meeting point and suggests a safe route
Stage 3: After Walk
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Arrive at destination safely
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Check-out: take selfie, mark as safe
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Rate walker with option to save them as a connection
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App stays with you until you find your destination
Stage 1: Pre-Walk
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Set up profile
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Be verified
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Complete safety training
Stage 2: During Walk
Safety check-in part way through walk
Measuring
Success
App downloads
"Friended" walkers
Successful walks
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High ratings
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Repeat walks
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Walks without incidents
Why this will work
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Safety in numbers almost always guarantees a lower likelihood of being attacked, as opposed to walking alone.
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It reduces individual’s vulnerability by taking attention away from an app / your phone as you walk.
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The way you walk affects the likelihood of you getting victimized. → By feeling more safe, you are literally becoming more safe. (Grayson and Stein, 1981)
Reflection
This project gave me lots of knowledge not only about walkers but also safety in general.
In addition, we enjoyed making the user interfaces of the app. Since it was a new service, we had plenty of freedom to be creative and out-of-the-box while coming up with the UX/UI designs
Why we need this app
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Since 2020, anti-Asian hate crimes have increased 339% nationwide, according to the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism.
Replica service solution: SafeWalks NYC, founded in January 2021
The services in place require planning ahead (e.g. at least 24 hours in advance).
Twitter thread story of woman who was followed, another woman joined her — example of safety and numbers and the risks people face walking alone
Women, minorities, people with disabilities, and people new to a city are more likely to be targets of harassment, assault, or burglary.
