UX/UI, Interaction Design II
Sheltered
Project Summary:
Homeless people have a hard time finding an opening in homeless shelters as they have to call each shelter hoping for a spot. This can lead to them sleeping on the streets most nights, if they can’t find a bed. So, I made this mock up application to provide a solution to this problem.
Main Task:
Allow homeless people to check shelters to see availability and reserve future spots if none are available.
Search for Shelters: It has an inbuilt maps, that sources and locates the best possible homeless shelter that is within your set radius, has good rating and available beds.
Book beds or make reservations: Filling out a simple form once. You can get vetted by the homeless shelter and be registered in their system, so it is an easier process to get a bed or a reservation. This system will be more efficient in allowing more people to get the care they need.
Navigation: As soon as your bed is booked, the app will navigate you to the chosen shelter by walking, public transport or car.
Contextual inquiry:
Contextual inquiry is a semi-structured interview method to ask and observe users while they attempt to complete their task as they normally would in their own environment.
Interviews:
To conduct an interview with a homeless shelter staff and find out the problems they face and how the system works.
Crystal
Staff at 40 Prado Homeless Services Center
Observation Time:
20 mins sitting at the front desk watching intake.
Finding:
After the intake, individuals have access to services like meals, showers, and staying inside during open hours. They are also placed on a bed list. Beds are allocated through a lottery system, with priority given to individuals who are 65 or older or medically vulnerable.
Once a bed is assigned, individuals can keep it unless they get "kicked out of the pool." There are rules for maintaining a bed, such as turning in a work schedule if employed or a class schedule if they are a student. Also, if they are medically vulnerable individuals and those aged 65+ can keep their beds as long as they check in.
The shelter has 56 male beds, 34 female beds, and 5 family rooms where one is specifically only for medically vulnerable individuals.
That it can be challenging to communicate with some individuals who may have difficulty understanding or engaging in the process.
Brian
Staff at Casa Esperanza Homeless Center
Observation Time:
10 min phone call.
Finding:
That shelter in Santa Barbara is a 100-bed facility for the general population, and it operates on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The length of time individuals can keep a bed varies depending on their situation, and some individuals have stayed for nearly two years.
Contract beds are given priority, and they try to work with senior citizens. The allocation depends on the situation.
There is a need for a quicker turnaround which helps more people, rather than having individuals stay for extended periods without progress.
The importance of proactive efforts to find permanent housing.
The need for more housing and more beds in Santa Barbara, as there are only three shelters in all of Santa Barbara County, with their shelter being the only low-barrier facility.
Research:
Homeless Person
Age: N/A
Has a mobile device
Empathy Map:
An empathy map serves as a tool to visually represent and express the emotions of our users. It aids in cultivating a more comprehensive comprehension of the attending user.
Impact/Effort Matrix:
An Impact/Effort Matrix is a visual tool used in project management and decision-making to prioritize tasks, projects, or initiatives based on their potential impact and the effort required to implement them.
Task Flow:
Shows the path of how my applications process works.
Sketches:
Drawing the basic function to figure out layout.
Final:
Final rendition of work.