As a Queer/Trans Person of Color (QTPOC), I and many of my friends have been made to unsafe in public spaces due to our gender expressions or sexual identities.
Take my persona - Kira, for instance. Kira is a Black Trans Woman, whose intersections of identities have made her a target for various axes of violence and oppression. If she happens to not "pass" as a cis woman, her life could be in immediate danger.
I reached out and conducted brief interviews with 3 Queer/Trans People of Color, and recognized the depths of the kind of discrimination they face. I also did research online with others having conducted research about this particularly topic:
Over 375 trans people were murdered in 2021, and most of them were people of color. Additionally, from my research, Queer/Trans people also often face other forms of violence including but are not limited to: job discrimination, medical discrimination, and sexual violence.
I also completed a competitive audit before proceeding any further to learn from other products that are already on the market, and learn from their successes and failings.
I conducted two rounds of remote and unmoderated usability studies for this project. The first round was conducted with the low-fidelity prototype as soon as it was finished. The second was conducted with the high-fidelity prototype. Both studies' main goals were to test the general design along with the functionality, smoothness, and intuitiveness of the main user flow.
• Users want a review options on business page
• Users feel that “create account” screen should be moved to the beginning of flow
• Users feel that the screen for adding review must be bigger
"I feel like you shouldn't be able to use this product without an account. Maybe make the account screen appear at the beginning?"
"I think overall it worked very well. The flows are nice and the design is intuitive. Considering the amount of information on these sites, I think the information architecture is wonderful."
I believe all my designs should be made accessible for as many different people as possible. Safeatea in particular as a product is aimed at marginalized folks, and so it cannot exist without considerations towards its accessibility towards marginalized peoples. Below are some considerations:
• Diverse selection of languages for users who may not speak English, or may not speak it primarily
• All buttons have been labeled in order to help screen readers function more smoothly
• Diverse identity choices included in the “create profile” process, as well as allowing space for users to enter their own information
This was the biggest individual project I had taken on thus far, and it was challenging to keep brand consistency in mind as I designed a mobile app and a responsive website. At times, I had to constantly keep in mind how a mobile website is different in its function and purposes to a mobile app. I also learned how to simplify similar functions of the app in order to create convenience for users.
• Conduct more usability tests on high-fidelity prototypes
• Fully realize and flesh out all of the app’s pages and functions
• Conduct an accessibility audit by partnering withe xpert consultants to ensure Safetea is a fully equitable platform
• Reach out to engineers to help make Safetea a reality