UX Case Study : PLEH!
What is ‘Pleh’?
‘Pleh’ is an app designed for the safety of women. You might be thinking, there are already dozens of such apps avaibable in the Play Store, what different does this offer. Right? Well, yes. There are plenty of women safety apps available but PLEH uses a unique concept for the safety of women which you will come to know later in the post.
The name, Pleh, is taken from an American Sitcom, ‘Friends’. Anyone who has ever watched Friends can relate this term invented by Joey himself.
What’s Unique about Pleh?
Pleh provides a unique feature ‘Register to HELP’, which means people(M or F) can register themselves in order to save people. When a woman in danger alerts a signal, the location of the woman is tracked and an SMS is sent to the people who have registered themselves from the same location where the woman is in. This way Help can reach faster to the woman in need and some brutal incidents could be avoided. It also sends the SMS to the 5 selected contacts and the Police. The app also shows the nearest police station.
The security of the woman is not compromised. People can only register using their Aadhar card after verifying it with mobile number(since all aadhar have been linked with mobile). This will help curb fake registers and also provide security.
Research
As I mentioned, there are already plenty of women safety apps in the market, so I plunged on to those apps and studied what they offered. Most of the apps used some kind of gesture-based signal to activate the alert and then send an SMS to the contacts the user had chosen. The app would also inform the Police that the user is in danger. This was the basic working of most apps. While some of them also offered safest routes based on the feedback of the other users.
Personas
Shania Roy, 23 years old
- Shania lives in New Delhi and she is working for an MNC.
- She usually reaches late at home.
- She lives in a PG with a roommate.
- She uses OLA Cabs for travelling.
- She fears going out late at night.
- She has used several safety apps but she didn’t find them much useful.
Problem 1 : Based on ‘SOS to selected contacts’
Most apps send an alert with the location to the selected contacts which occurs when the user interacts with the hardware in a defined way or presses some button on the app. The contacts selected are notified about their relative being in danger but the contacts do not have much time to react or save the user.
Solution
The alert generated will send the SMS not only to the contacts selected but also to the registered users(‘Register to HELP’) who belong to same location as the tracked location of the woman. This way help can reach the woman much faster and brutal incidents can be avoided.
Problem 2: Works only when connected to Internet
Most apps that I studied worked only when the phone was connected to internet. It was one of the biggest issue because it is not possible that the internet facilities are available in the area.
Solution
Pleh is based totally on SMS service. It downloads the maps into the phone when the user is connected to the internet so that they can be used offline. It doesn’t require internet connection to send an alert.
Problem 3: Alerts generated mistakenly
During my research, I came across various reviews which stated that sometimes the alerts would generate mistakenly like while playfully interacting with the hardware.
Solution
To avoid such a situation, the alert can only be activated in two ways:
- by opening the app and clicking Help or
- by tapping the screen 5 times within 3 seconds.
If even then, the alert has been generated mistakenly or if the user has received help or reached a safe spot, then user can make use of ‘I’m safe’ (see the above fig) button to notify the contacts that they are safe and don’t need help anymore.
Additional Features
- ‘My Saviours’ feature which shows the list of poeple who received the SMS from the woman. Women can report the users for inappropriate behaviour or can Thank them for saving her.
- People registering can only register using their Aadhar Number and Mobile Number. This will ensure that people don’t misuse the app as their details will be sent to the alert-sender(except for aadhar number).
Sketches and Wireframes
A quick walkthrough!
It was a bit challenging to take this concept as there are already a few such apps in the market providing similar things. From Wireframing to Prototyping, it was a great learning experience for me. During this voyage, I came across various design principles and laws such as Gestalt Principles, Hicks law, Fitt’s law, etc. Altogether, it was a wonderful journey comprising of failures, disappointments, hard work and success!
I would like to thank a few special people in my life who helped me in the research process. Thank you Sakshi, Deeksha, Neha, Karan and Gaurav for your immense support.