MindAlert

Inspiration

Why do so many people hesitate to seek emergency aid when experiencing an acute suicidal crisis? During generative research we found that during a crisis, individuals are easily deterred by barriers. We wanted to find a way to decrease these barriers and allow easy access to medical resources. It is a mobile emergency button, in part inspired by emergency buttons, such as for the elderly or people who are at high risk for falling.

What it does

After a simple setup process during which the user prepares a Safety Plan for an anticipated emergency situation, an emergency button becomes available. When pressed and held for 3 consecutive seconds, the Safety Plan is activated. The plan includes coping strategies, text messages to emergency contacts, and a phone call to 911 or another emergency service.

How we built it

We focused heavily on research. After conducting initial research about the challenges of getting suicidal individuals help on time, we created wireframes and initial prototypes. We conducted user research of our Hi-Fi prototype via Zoom to evaluate our UX/UI features. Once this user research was analyzed and evaluated we can began the SwiftUI coding process. Das learned the basics of SwiftUI and coded the interface and the automated call feature.

Challenges we ran into

We did not know SwiftUI before this project.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We built a usable iOS app and reached our goal of focusing and empathizing with the target user to assure accessibility in a setting where usability really matters.

What we learned

We learned how to best collaborate between researcher and designer to create a joint product while building on each other's strengths. Das learned how to code an iOS app in 24 hours.

What's next for MindAlert

A more customized strategy input interface
Explore the API that allows text messages and phone calls to be sent in the background
Integration of Siri shortcut API to activate the Safety Plan thru voice command
Collaborate with medical professionals and publish the App on App Store