Part passion project, part design exercise, the Neighbourhood app is designed to make commuting on the TTC more comfortable by digitally enabling the social cues we are accustomed to.
While my initial concept had been to create an app that focused on making reporting easier, through interviews I repeatedly heard that reporting alone was not a viable solution. Primarily, this seems to be due to serious doubt amongst riders that completing a report will actually enact change. Beyond that, riders aren’t sure what constitutes a “reportable” experience in the first place, lack awareness around who a report should be submitted to, and don’t feel they have the time to complete a report. Moreover, for many riders there is a certain threshold of discomfort that is both expected and accepted as a part of the “big-city commute” package. Unfortunately, while riders do anticipate a certain level of friction in their public transit experience, that doesn’t stop them from being massively uncomfortable when these situations arise. Riders often rely on more nuanced, social approaches to deal with these issues as they come up. This is where the Neighborhood app comes in.
Rather than traditional safety apps, Neighbourhood aims to create safety through community. It brings the social tactics that riders employ every day in uncomfortable situations to a digital platform, enabling them to seek help and find exit routes for situations that might not qualify as “reportable” to authorities. Neighbourhood aims to equip riders-in-need with the best resource available to them in the moment- other riders. Conjointly, it empowers bystanders with the knowledge they need to feel comfortable stepping in and stepping up.
Neighbourhood doesn’t want to put you on the spot or overcomplicate things: every incident is different, and every action should be tailored to the moment. For that reason, the connection process Neighbourhood employs is exceedingly simple- just a name and face. No extra clicks, no adding friends. Just the ability to see who’s around and open to help. Neighbourhood doesn’t force the user’s hand, it’s simply there to help facilitate a connection, whether that means carving out a safe space for yourself by sitting beside a friendly face, or striking up a conversation with an “old” friend in need. You do you, boo.
Through this app, users can….
· Join the neighbourhood by being invited by at least two existing neighbours to ensure validity amongst the group
· Upload a photo and add a name so they can be easily identified by other users around them
· Turn on notifications to see when an alert has been triggered by a nearby neighbour, allowing them to keep an eye peeled for the rider-in-need
· Quickly and easily trigger an alert which will connect them to nearby ‘neighbours’, allowing them to identify people they can safely approach and hopefully find immediate assistance
· Escalate the situation as necessary (notify driver, transit enforcement, police, and emergency contacts)
· After they’ve reached safety, Neighbourhood will follow up with users allowing them to file a report easily and intuitively, helping to reduce some of the pain points noted above
· Neighbourhood will be able to direct the user to possible next steps (helping them to figure out if something is “reportable”, who to issue a report to) and track any progress associated with their report within the application
Design decisions:
It’s hard to know how other people will react, especially when they’re already violating your personal space. Neighborhood isn’t meant to look like a safety app. The interface is fun and friendly specifically so it doesn’t call attention to itself in an uncomfortable moment. As the premise behind the app is the idea of human connection, I’ve added many hand-drawn elements to subtly echo this in the design. The palette is muted and soft, but not overly gendered. A minimal illustration style helps visually represent what is being asked of the user in each screen, without cluttering the page.
Future considerations include…
· How to expand the community element further (as this is really the main selling point of the app)
· How could users look for other neighbors nearby without issuing an alert (proactive community versus reactive community)
· Adding additional safety features to ensure ‘neighbors’ are genuine (multiple verification checks for joining, ability to report a bad experience with a neighbor, etc.