Overview
When a natural disaster such as a flood, hurricane, or earthquake occurs, many people become trapped in hard-to-reach areas without basic resources or a way to communicate. Aid can take hours or even days to arrive, and every minute is critical.
Project duration
1 month
My role
Product Designer
Responsabilities
UX Research
User Interface (UI) Design
Design process documentation
Usability testing
User research: summary
To understand users' concerns, habits, and expectations in these types of extreme situations, I conducted fundamental research through interviews. The goal was to discover which products would be included in this emergency package and what type of information or features they would expect from the relief app.
I opted for qualitative research. This method allowed me to explore users' motivations and identify their main pain points.
Gaps
After conducting the competitive analysis, I realized that the opportunity lay in creating a new feature within Google Emergencies. Since the app already addressed part of the needs of people seeking help, it made sense to build on that foundation by adding this proposal. At that point, I decided the project should move in that direction.
The apps do not offer the possibility to deliver aid packages via drones.
Most apps do not have a desktop version.
Most applications only focus on providing help when GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) service is available. When this service is not available, support could be provided using GPS (Global Positioning System) instead. For this reason, I decided to create a new functionality for the Google Emergencies app.
Opportunities
Offer an application that integrates drone technology to support emergency situations.
Provide a checklist of essential items the person might need.
Add more accessibility features for all types of users.
Findings during sketching
I considered integrating this new functionality into the Emergency Sharing feature, but it didn’t make sense to notify loved ones in situations like these.
Emergency Sharing was designed for scenarios where someone needs help from close contacts. However, in the case of a large-scale disaster, your family or friends may not be able to provide the kind of assistance that trained professionals can offer.
That’s why I ultimately decided to separate this functionality and develop it as a completely independent feature.
Usability study: parameters
Study type: Unmoderated usability study
Participants: 3 participants
Location: Spain, remote
Time: 20-30 minutes
Impact
This project has the potential to provide concrete and effective assistance to people affected by natural disasters. Tools like this could be used by rapid response organizations such as fire departments, police forces, or rescue teams. In a world where drones are increasingly integrated across various sectors,
Why not harness their technological potential for social good and life-saving missions?
What I learned
During the design process of this feature, I learned the importance of creating an experience that can be used by anyone, regardless of their level of technical skill or familiarity with technology. The interface must be, above all, clear and intuitive.
On the design side, I learned to work with Google’s design guidelines (Material Design). It was particularly interesting to see how well-structured their documentation is and how, as a designer outside of their internal teams, I was able to create new features while staying consistent with their visual and interaction system.
