Serene: Women's Safety App

Inspiration

The inspiration for Serene comes from the need for victims of domestic violence to have a discreet and empowering way to call for help.

The article that inspired it all! https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/23/us/911-pizza-domestic-abuse-call/index.html

What it does

Serene is a safety application designed to assist women in distress, particularly those experiencing domestic violence or other dangerous situations. It functions by masquerading as a regular e-commerce app, allowing users to maintain privacy and avoid detection by potential abusers. The app features a hidden help button disguised as a notification bell that, when pressed for 3 seconds, activates a discreet alert system. This system enables users to silently contact emergency services or trusted contacts, sending an alert message that includes the user's real-time location and relevant personal information.

How we built it

"Serene" was meticulously developed through a combination of in-depth product research, AI integration,UI prototyping and strategic use of modern development tools:

Product Research and AI Integration:

Extensive product research guided the design process, focusing on user safety and app discretion. AI and machine learning, via the OpenAI API, were crucial in personalizing the app experience, analyzing user behavior to tailor the UI and features. Development Tools and Technologies:

Flutter: Enabled development across multiple platforms with a single codebase, ensuring a consistent UI. Firebase: We used for real-time data synchronization (Firestore) and secure authentication (Firebase Auth). Dart: The main programming language, key to creating a scalable and robust application. Sinch: Provided essential communication features for emergency alerts. Visual Studio Code: Enhanced the coding process with its comprehensive support for Flutter and Dart. GitHub: Facilitated collaboration and version control, keeping the project's evolution transparent and well-managed.

Challenges we ran into

Challenge for App’s Disguise: How to determine the best disguise for the user and how much agency the user should have over the disguise Solution: We wanted to give the users some input on the type of the disguise but we did not want to overcomplicate the app so we leveraged GenerativeAI by requesting user input on online shopping habits to generate the best disguises for them\

Challenge for Alert Feature: How to disguise the alert feature and make calling for help discreet and easy Solution: We went through a couple different iterations of the alert feature, considering “placing and order” as being a way to alert, but we found this method harder to be fully discreet. We decided we to use a notification button as an intuitive alert button for users to call for help. After conducting user research on this we found that clicking once of the bell is still not discreet enough and there needs to be a decoy (fake pop-up) when you click once and the alert pop up when you click and hold for three seconds (which only the user knows about)

Challenge for AI Images: How to utilise the AI to generate the image each time the user clicked on the refresh button

Solution: This solution required researching APIs that offer real-time, on-demand generative capabilities to ensure seamless integration and responsive performance within the app.

We explored ideas on the integration of an AI API capable of generating images dynamically to enhance the app's disguise feature. Each time a user hits the refresh button, the API is queried to generate a new, unique layout or image, enriching the user experience and maintaining the disguise's credibility.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We've achieved remarkable milestones with our project, notably:

• The development of a high-fidelity prototype that vividly showcases our app's design and core functionalities.
• Crafting an intuitive dynamic user interface, empowered by AI integration, that adapts to user preferences, enhancing the overall experience.
• Implementing a comprehensive safety alert system coupled with precise location tracking, ensuring users receive timely assistance during emergencies.

What we learned

The team gained significant insights and learned valuable lessons during the buildathon process, focusing on enhancing women's safety through technology:

1. Remote Collaboration:
   • The importance of open communication in a remote team setting was a key takeaway, with different time zones necessitating efficient collaboration tools and methods.
   • Discord was chosen for day-to-day communication, while LettuceMeet helped in scheduling meetings. Async daily stand-ups on Discord ensured transparency in work progress.
2. Cross-functional Collaboration:
   • In this project, many team members engaged in cross-functional interactions for the first time, but during the process, we learned the importance of mutual understanding and communication between engineers, product managers, and designers, recognizing how each role influences and contributes to the project's success.
3. Learning New Technology:
   • The software development team embarked on a steep learning curve with Flutter and Firebase Firestore, gaining hands-on experience and deepening their understanding of these technologies. This process was not only about technical skill enhancement but also about embracing challenges and leveraging AI to develop a scalable, impactful application.
4. Learning as a Product Manager:
   • The buildathon offered a unique platform for a product manager to exercise and refine collaboration skills with designers and engineers, translating design concepts into actionable engineering tasks while considering technical constraints and possibilities. This experience underscored the value of teamwork and cross-disciplinary respect and cooperation.

What's next for Baddies in Tech Buildathon: Women's Right's

In the next, we would:

• Enhance the app's core features while keeping its discreet nature intact.
• Refine the generative AI model for better disguise options and an improved, user-friendly alert feature.
• Conduct ongoing usability testing with domestic violence survivors to gather valuable feedback and make necessary improvements.
• Introduce a dedicated resources page providing essential support information and links for domestic violence assistance.
• Focus on inclusivity by developing and integrating accessibility features, ensuring the app is accessible to all users regardless of their abilities or circumstances.

Built With

• 5g
• ai
• dart
• figma
• firebase
• flutter
• genai
• sinch