Develop a transmedia communication strategy for a selected company that makes complex topics understandable through various visualization models.
— University project
COVID-19 affected everyone's lives in many ways. The Tagesschau reported that domestic violence in Germany increased due to the isolation. One in three women experienced psychological or sexual violence, and one in four women experienced physical or sexual violence. These statistics showed how serious the issue of domestic violence is. But many victims stayed quiet out of shame and fear. They need help right away to deal with this tough situation.
Many women want to accept help, but are afraid of their partner's control. They also don't know where to start and often feel alone. The idea was to create an application which:
We used the brainstorming method to gather a wide range of topics, which we later organized into a Mind Map. This Mind Map was the basis of our app. We focused on the topic of domestic violence and came up with a “How Might We” question to get different ideas and figure out our perspective.
Our online survey shows that domestic violence affects more people than we thought. Many people don't think of verbal and social abuse as a type of domestic violence. The survey found that people who are hurt often don't ask for help because they worry about what might happen, feel embarrassed, or don't realize how bad their situation is.
Create a persona and a user journey helped us to learn more about the needs and challenges of our users. With Emma's story, we understand how our app can assist women in escaping domestic violence situations.
Emma, 28, works as a dental assistant and loves her dog Lenny. She has been married for five months and fears her partner, Jens. Even though she is worried, she wants a happy future. Emma's journey includes stages of hiding, acknowledging, and asking for help. She's skeptical at first but finds support in online resources, connecting with others, and taking steps towards a violence-free life.
For the app screens, we used the Crazy 8 method as our starting point. This method helped us come up with several layout options, making it easier to create different screens when we later built the wireframes.
Based on our user testing and interviews, we redesigned the app structure to better meet users' needs and gained valuable insights that helped us in the design process.
The updated app now includes several features specifically designed to support victims of domestic violence.
Our design system includes a mix of colors and minimalist aesthetics to create a modern, feminine user interface. The warm, pastel color palette exudes elegance and accessibility. We use a lot of white space and clean lines of icons and illustrations to keep things clear and focused.
Our app supports women experiencing domestic violence by supporting them. It is easy to use and has features like information about violence, accessing local support services, and emergency help. Our mission is to provide safety and support for women in need.
In addition to the app, we have designed posters and a brochure to raise awareness of domestic violence and provide important information. The posters send a strong message and highlight our partnership with a hygiene products company. The brochure that comes with the hygiene products is filled with detailed information and a QR code to download our app. We hope that with this print medias, we will help people understand domestic violence and find the support they need.
During our internship semester, all project partners got different types of knowledge. This was very helpful because it allowed us to learn from each other and complement our skills.
The Covid-19 epidemic forced us to work remotely using online platforms. This was a new experience for me, so I had to learn how to use unfamiliar online tools. Unfortunately, it was also difficult to interact with test subjects and help centers in person due to the restrictions. But, at last, the situation showed us that remote work wasn't as bad as we expected.
I learned a lot about my personal, social, team, and criticism-handling skills as well as how to strengthen my organization skills. I also learned how to stay motivated when working from home. The topic is very complicated and needs careful handling of emotions. I found it challenging to address the needs of users on such an emotional topic while still being strong. The topic was super relevant and took my skills to a new level.
During my project, I learned a lot about using design thinking methods. Sometimes, I struggled with applying these techniques, but as time went on, I got better at them. Working remotely with a big group came with some challenges, especially in organizing tasks and collaborating online using design software. Time seemed to fly by for all of us. It was also a new experience for everyone to engage with various designs and discuss what works and what doesn't.
HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd,
Course: Apllied Design, 2020
Team: Lena-Sophia Mösl, Ricarda Krejci, Nina Sauerbeck, Luisa Sperling, Anastasia Judt
