In 2015, the United Nations member states presented their aim to "provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces." We aimed to contribute to this by exploring the question:
How might we inculcate the feeling of safety within individuals travelling in public spaces at night?
Context Building
We conducted interviews and learnt from behavioral science and architecture to understand why people feel unsafe. We found that perceieved safety had a greater impact than actual safety, as user confidence changed their behaviors in public spaces.
The Product
Our solution was finalized after two rounds of paper prototypes and Wizard-of-Oz testing, where we tested both the effectiveness of the companion toy and the functionality of the app.
The companion toy was found to create friendship and confidence, by providing a light in the dark, pairing individuals walking alone with other individuals feeling unsafe, permitting family to track their location, or alerting the police at the press of a button. The toy created a sense of familiarity within the user, by being an easily attachable cute plushie. The app allowed for additional support in case of an emergency by creating a loud noise to alarm any attacker and alert those around.
Gallery
