Lighthouse

Lighthouse
Recording
Live Map
Community

Inspiration

We’ve seen through recent news that violence and crimes are unfortunately not going to simply disappear. Police brutality, public shootings, minority hate crimes, and more tragedies are excessively prevalent in today’s society; citizens feel increasingly unsafe, even in their own communities. Lighthouse was created to help individuals feel and be safer in any location, allowing them (and friends and family) to have ease of mind whenever they go out.

What it does

Through features that include a recorder, a community aspect, and a live interactive map, Lighthouse helps users stay safe in various locations. When users are in dangerous areas or urgent situations, they can easily record and save evidence, alert emergency contacts with one button, read safety tips that guide them towards safety, and follow a reliable map to the nearest safe location. Regarding the community tab, users can read about dangerous incidents as well as update others about any they see, which contributes to the interactive map.

How we built it

The Lighthouse app was designed using Figma. We conceptualized the initial wireframe and developed the interactive app prototype using this website. The layout and functionalities of the recording, live map, and community post features were also entirely designed through Figma.

Challenges we ran into

While our team didn’t struggle much with designing Lighthouse, we found it difficult to come up with concise, accurate, and actionable advice for users who may be in dire situations (Safety Tips). It’s difficult to decide a one-size-fits-all piece of advice for any dangerous situation, so we had to be very careful in selecting appropriate labels for each scenario.

What we learned

Throughout the experience of designing Lighthouse, we learned how to efficiently collaborate as a team and create a finished and polished prototype given the time limit of the hackathon. Since this is also our first hackathon, we are also proud of being able to transform an abstract idea into a concrete product that– if implemented– can benefit the lives of many individuals who experience violence or crimes in their respective areas.

What's next for Lighthouse

In the future, the app may incorporate more advanced functionalities to enhance the quality and accuracy of the live map feature. Lighthouse may also be advertised towards a wider market by coordinating with official authorities and crime prevention programs to allow more users to access the product and ensure the security of various areas around the globe.