Life Shield
Creators: Savana, Emily, Nicole & Valerie
School: High School Students from Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School
Location: Bronx, NY
Project Themes: Public Services
About this Project
“Life Shield” is an app comparable to ‘Life360’ and the ‘Citizens' app but offers a variety of more features to ensure the safety of the users/those susceptible to falling victim to crime. If you’re disabled, a woman, or someone in teen or senior age, you are involuntary a target to criminals/potential criminals. Users can contact emergency services like 911(police, firefighters, or an ambulance), including 311, with just the click of a button in situations where they’re unable to talk or text. This feature differs from simply dialing 911, which would require you to speak with dispatch in order for police to locate where you are and determine if your need is emergency worthy. Whereas using our app to get in contact with 911 will automatically alert authorities that you’re in a threatening situation. Similar to the citizens app, when your location is on, you’d see a view of a map representing your area and the crimes that just occurred in your area. You’re shown on the map as a blue dot while crime in your area is shown to you as red dots. Our app can also be translated to other languages (a few being: Spanish, German, Russian, Japanese, Mandarin, Hindi, Korean, Portuguese, and French). “Life Shield” stores data using AI engines to keep track of possible recurring crimes. If we could build this app, we’d place the language option on our sign in page, edit the in-app menu to make texting a bit more realistic, keep the map displayed on the home page, as well as authority contacting features on the next page. Please note that users will have their information hidden and protected—as our system will be built to prevent attempted security breaches.
Project Links
Professional Feedback
Very Impressive project! I love the research presented and the fact that you noted your sources, that's really important. I can tell you spent a lot of time on the research.
I think the idea is a great one and the solution is smart, to be able to get help with the "one tap". Offering different languages is helpful too so more users can access the app.
A couple of suggestions: the presentation deck could have included some graphics to break up all the text. Sometimes simply a colorful line or shape can help keep readers interested.
In the app, I would take a look at some of the color contrast and usability. You want the the text to be as readable as possible, especially if the users are in emergency situations.
Backgrounds could be more plain, so the buttons and text sticks out and is eaasier to find and tap. Moving some of the buttons further away from each other will help someone tap 911 and not fire emergency so they get the right type of help.
Thanks for sharing this project and good luck! Keep designing!
I think the idea is a great one and the solution is smart, to be able to get help with the "one tap". Offering different languages is helpful too so more users can access the app.
A couple of suggestions: the presentation deck could have included some graphics to break up all the text. Sometimes simply a colorful line or shape can help keep readers interested.
In the app, I would take a look at some of the color contrast and usability. You want the the text to be as readable as possible, especially if the users are in emergency situations.
Backgrounds could be more plain, so the buttons and text sticks out and is eaasier to find and tap. Moving some of the buttons further away from each other will help someone tap 911 and not fire emergency so they get the right type of help.
Thanks for sharing this project and good luck! Keep designing!
This is a very useful app, and I think it can be easily used by a wide range of users (regardless of age, tech-savvy or not, different languages, etc.). Your presentation is really good, with a clearly stated problem, research, insights, and a proposed solution. The demo works very well with all the options (text, call emergency service, no connection text, customer service). Maybe work on icons to use instead of text for some options, making it easier to use regardless of language.
