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“A!ert Me”

Name: Minds On Design Lab
Price range: $

Honorable Mention 👏

Creators: Decoran R.

a Middle School Student from Mouse & DIIT Design League @ MS 301

About this Project:

The hate crimes going on all over the country inspired me to create an app that keeps people alert of what is going on, not all crimes are reported to the police and it made me think of Waze which is an app that people report car accidents for other users to see, so this is basically an app where you trust humans to report what is going on.

A!ert Me allows you to see any situation going on around you, the only challenge is that in order for it to work we have to trust each other. I came up with A!ert me because the number or crimes not in my community but all over the country keeps going up. Another issue is not that all crimes get reported to the police. Which made me think of the Waze app what better way to keep track of daily incidents that us reporting it to each other.

We have to trust each other to stay informed. My app evolved from an app that just tells you about incidents in your area to people self reporting what they see. If my app came to our phones it would really help us know what is truly happening in our communities instead of what we just hear from the news.

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Feedback from the Judges:

Meredith Summs

👏 Sr. Director of After School and Informal Education at Mouse — Emoti-Con Judge

Decoran - I am so impressed, not only by your design-thinking skills, but especially about your ability to create a persuasive pitch of your idea! That video you made is outstanding - your description of the importance of the problem, your walkthrough of the app, your editing and voiceover skills, and your conclusion at the end all really show what a great marketer you are! This app addresses the crucial issue of hate crimes in our communities - I love that you are creating solutions to real, authentic problems. Thank you and GREAT WORK!

Eddie Palacio III

👏 Admissions Counselor at University of Michigan Stamps School of Art & Design — Emoti-Con Judge

This project is thoughtful and impactful! This can aid communities that are fearful of contacting authorities but want to notify the community of negative activity in their area. Self reporting in this way could save so many lives and people emotionally and mentally! Great work!

Azfar Rizvi

👏 Omni Experience Manager at Verizon — Emoti-Con Judge

This project touches on some critical societal issues - challenging bias, community building, self-policing, and ties everything together around Freedom from Fear - one of our 'Four Freedoms'. Self-reporting has always been used by the architects of society to express a deep willingness to create a safe environment. The choice of topic and medium itself says a lot about the team's ability to navigate through some real issues. This app is dealing with some of the most important issues America is facing - and I would love to see it develop more.

Nilanjan Bhattacharya

👏 Development Manager at Mouse — Emoti-Con Judge

Hi Decoran: I was so impressed by your project. It was well-conceptualized and well-documented. It calls attention to an urgent social problem and provides a clear, practical and easily implemented solution. The video and the slides were of exceptional quality.

David Maldonado

👏 Media Solutions Architect at The Walt Disney Company — Emoti-Con Judge

What I enjoyed most about this project was the potential for uncovering safer courses of action using historical data and predictive analytics, similar to how Waze correlates multiple reports to recommend faster routes. Would users of this app be able to see other users, or would reports be anonymous? How could we foster that trust between neighbors? One of Airbnb's challenges early on was developing that trust between its hosts and guests, as the idea of allowing a complete stranger into your house sounded absurd at the time. This is a good article for how Airbnb addresses trust and safety on their platform: https://www.airbnbforwork.com/resource/how-airbnb-builds-trust-and-helps-keep-hosts-and-guests-safe. Great presentation. Great potential.

Diane Levitt

👏 Sr. Director of K-12 Education at Cornell Tech — Emoti-Con Judge

Decoran, you showed great insight into the needs of your community and creativity in bringing a solution you saw elsewhere (on waze) to your own design. Your values of safety and trust shine through your video. The presentation is so lively and entertaining even while it's about a serious subject. Finally, I think your design is both exciting and appropriate to the topic. One feature you might consider is a "phone a friend or family member" button that would enable the user to get help or support from a loved one quickly. I'm very impressed with your insight, your empathy and your sense of community. Great job!