Trusted Safety Check-In
Design a personal safety flow that alerts chosen contacts and offers an emergency-services route when a check-in is missed.
The brief
Understand the problem
Background
Broadly broadcasting a person's exact location can create new risks and overwhelm nearby strangers. A safer service centers explicit setup, selected contacts, timed check-ins, and direct access to local emergency services.
User context
Mei is walking home alone after a late shift. She wants her sister to receive an alert only if she misses a planned arrival check-in.
Product problem
A safety tool must support fast escalation while limiting false alarms, location exposure, and assumptions that contacts or emergency services will respond.
Objective
Create check-in setup, active monitoring, missed check-in alert, and cancellation states for a trusted-contact safety feature.
What to design
Define the experience
Required experience
- Choose trusted contacts, duration, and shared details
- Start and extend a timed check-in
- Respond to a missed check-in countdown
- Escalate to local emergency services or cancel a false alarm
Screens and states
- Check-in setup
- Active check-in
- Escalation countdown
- Trusted contact alert
Core user flow
Follow the critical path
- 01
Mei chooses her sister and a thirty-minute arrival window
- 02
The active view shows exactly what will be shared
- 03
A transit delay triggers a pre-alert countdown
- 04
Mei extends the timer before any location is sent
Product rules
Requirements and constraints
Requirements
- Require explicit contact consent and explain delivery limitations
- Share location only according to the configured event
- Provide a discreet cancellation option and duress-safe design notes
- Keep direct emergency calling available without depending on the service
Constraints
- The product cannot promise rescue or response time
- Alerts must not go to unspecified nearby users
- Sensitive history needs short retention and deletion controls
Reality check
States worth considering
Finish line
What to deliver
- Four mobile or watch screens with false-alarm recovery and offline notes
Optional direction
Visual resources
Use these as a starting constraint if you want one. They are not part of the required solution.