Enhancing Community Safety: Dwelas Mobile App
"Dwelas" is an app designed to combat increasing insecurity and emergencies in Nigeria by empowering communities. Through real-time updates, users can proactively respond to potential threats. The name stems from "Dwell," signifying living in a specific area. In Nigeria, rising insecurity prompted citizens to seek self-protection due to limited law enforcement capacity. Dwelas addresses this by enabling distress calls, incident reporting, and safety checks. The User Experience Design Process (UED) guided development, involving research, user needs analysis, and competitive evaluation. Low-fidelity designs aided iteration and feedback. A Design System maintained design consistency. Usability testing of a high-fidelity prototype with young adults highlighted smooth navigation and interest in addressing insecurity. Solutions included tooltip onboarding for button clarity and enhanced notification settings. The app's potential impact was well-received, promising benefits to response units, service workers, and the public.
