Sosafe is a mobile application developed in Chile, focused on strengthening security and interaction within communities. Its main function is to facilitate users' ability to report situations of risk that require immediate attention.
When starting the analysis of the app, we identified the following problems:
Primary: Some users have expressed concerns and stopped using the app.
Sosafe has over 1 million downloads, primarily in the Chilean region. There is no gender, age, or income bias that identifies the users; this app targets communities in general.
It is a crowdsourcing app, meaning that reports are submitted by anyone with access to the app.
According to reports generated by Sosafe representatives, the number of users is increasing, possibly due to partnerships with various municipalities in Chile. However, a quick investigation can reveal unfavorable comments and complaints that may result in a user exodus.
We identified three different types of users in the Sosafe community. We classified them as active users, recurrent users, and inactive users.
Active Users:
“I use it to find out if there are robberies or assaults in my area”
80% use the app only to stay informed.
Only 20% have made a report.
Recurrent Users:
“I only use it if I hear a suspicious or annoying noise near my house.”
They only use it if they believe something has happened around them.
They have never made a report.
Inactive Users:
They made a report and didn't receive a response
They saw old reports that were no longer relevant.
Accessibility is the dependent degree that allows any object to be used by the entire public, visit a place, or access a service, regardless of their technical, cognitive, or physical abilities. Boudreau created a 10-point heuristic accessibility analysis to assess and rank with a severity rating (0 to 4) and determine how accessible a digital product is.
Navigation and
Route Search
Users can easily navigate, find content, and determine their location within the system at all times.
Contrast and
Readability:
Content on the page can be easily read and understood by system users.
Visual and auditory
alternatives
Content that is purely visual or auditory and conveys information has text alternatives for those who cannot see or hear.
Motion and
flicker
The elements on the page that move, flicker, or are animated in other ways can be stopped and do not distract or harm users.
Semantic
structure
Users understand the structure of the content on each page and how to operate within the system.
Prevention of errors
and states:
The interactive controls must have permanent and meaningful instructions to help prevent errors.
Multiple methods of
interaction exist.
Users can efficiently interact with the system using the input method of their choice.
Contrast and
readability.
The text and other meaningful information can be easily distinguished and read by users of the system.
Predictability and
Consistency:
The purpose of each element is predictable, and how each element relates to the system as a whole is clear and meaningful to avoid user confusion.
Time and
Preservation
Users have enough time to complete tasks and do not lose information if time runs out.
3,2 from a severity ranking of 0 to 4
Based on the analysis of the application and subjecting it to different criteria of study, it can be concluded that the Sosafe application has a significant accessibility problem. It is inferred that the app was not created with accessibility criteria, and up to this point, it has not been applied in its use.
More visible - One step: More accessible/visible and easy-to-use button to request help during emergencies, all with just one step.
Location sharing: Continuously share the user's location with people previously authorized 24 hours a day.
Live - Recording: Pressing the emergency button activates video recording with the mobile camera, and this live feed is sent to designated individuals. The video is saved for potential evidence.
Security level: Easily and quickly customize the security level by allowing users to select the notifications they wish to receive.
Color coding on the map: Assign a color to each emergency based on its severity level and the amount of time it has been registered.
Information filtering: Each report posted in the application is reviewed and confirmed by a moderator before being published.
Zone categorization: Mapping of safe and unsafe areas based on the number of registered emergencies, where users input data about urban elements and rate safety.