Earthquake Awareness

Quakely.io sends alerts up to 15 seconds before a major earthquakes reaches the surface. This project was a joint effort by a previous student of mine from APDZ 331 and myself. The topic was a shared interest and would provide an opportunity for Jay to learn more about app development, and for myself to mentor another student one on one.

Role

We would pick up the project with the idea of prototyping a few features. Jay would manage, gather information, present and gain interest, while I created the wireframes and prototype.

Information Architecture

I walked Jay through how to create a diagram that would instruct the UX designer (myself) in creating some wireframes.

Wireframes

I completed two rounds of wireframes. The first were tested during Jays class, and the feedback we received drove some small tweaks. Mostly to explain the controls the user had in front of them through dialog boxes, and to add legends to maps. We had 3 main features to prototype for the MVP.

Finding Loved Ones

During the Seattle Earthquake Relieve project Jay completed in my class, we learned what people cared about the most during a time of crisis, their family and friends. This insight plays a large role in motivating feature decisions.

Tracking Hazards

The ability to know where hazards lie can inform physical navigation decisions. Bridges going down, sunken roads, fires, and landslides are all hazards Seattle has to fear after an earthquake. If a bridge is down, the waterways will prevent access to certain areas. An estimate of when the hazard will be clear can help with better planning on the users part.

Setting the tolerance for notifications

Everyone has a different level of curiosity when it comes to earthquakes. Some people find the small ones scary, and others are only concerned with “The Big One”.

This project is ongoing, stay tuned for the final presentation in June 2018