Designs by Mason
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...your trusted digital companion for outdoor emergencies—whether you’re lost, injured, facing a wildlife encounter, in need of medical assistance, or experiencing a similar crisis.
view Prototype
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Role:
UX Researcher and Designer leading end-to-end design processes
Problem:
Lack of preparedness among hikers in dealing with an emergency situation in the great outdoors
Goal:
Improve user survival chances in response to an emergency crisis.
Solution:
A mobile application feature that automates an outgoing emergency alert notification to a pre-determined list of contacts
Summary:
Based on initial research, 40.7% of participants reported hiking backcountry trails, and approximately 11% had experienced being lost or injured. More notably, 92.6% did not have an emergency plan in place in the event of a crisis—an issue that cannot be overlooked. Proposed solution: a mobile application designed to automatically send emergency alerts, including the user’s location and personalized voice or text messages, to a pre-selected list of emergency contacts. The app also places a simultaneous outbound call to emergency personnel (911). A 90% usability success rate has been recorded.
User Research
An anonymous, multiple-choice survey was sent out using Google Forms to 27 participants via various social media platforms.
Results based on 12 Male & 15 Female participants:
- 59% hiked backcountry trails
- 93% did not have a plan in case of an emergency
- 11% have been lost or injured
Sarah, 29
Sarah is a wife and mother of 2 young kids. She works as a blog editor and landscape photographer for a touring agency. She enjoys going on hiking trips and capturing landscape photos for her blog. She does have allergies to pollen, but she usually takes her inhaler with her to the hikes.
Persona
Jack, 35
Jack is a rock climber instructor. He enjoys venturing off into the wilderness seeking new spots for bouldering and climb. A fun weekend for Jack involves outdoor adventures, usually climbing and backpacking. He is very sociable and tends to participate in group adventures, but there have been countless number of times when he has been on solo journeys.
Persona
Bob, 47
Bob, aka “the Tank”, works as an accountant for a large technology firm. He enjoys participating in obstacle courses and pushes his limits whenever possible. Bob likes to go on a hiking and camping weekend trips once every 5-6 weeks. Exploring the backcountry trails are his favorite trips. Bob takes high blood pressure medication.
Persona
Strategy & Ideation
Given the inherent risk of encountering an emergency in the great outdoors—especially when venturing off-trail or hiking in backcountry areas—a solution is needed to improve the survival chances of hikers, particularly those traveling alone. An emergency situation is defined as becoming lost, trapped, or injured due to a fall, wildlife encounter, sudden medical issue, or any condition requiring urgent attention.
Research shows that 100% of participants carry their cell phones while hiking, and 92.6% indicated they would download a mobile app designed to improve their chances of survival in emergency situations. Based on these findings, I believe a mobile application can play a vital role in increasing the likelihood of surviving a crisis. This assumes that hikers have access to cellular service, emergency signal, or can reach an area with connectivity.
Trail Beacon is designed to address this need. Its primary function is to automate outgoing emergency alerts, sending your real-time location and a personalized voice or text message to your designated emergency contacts and local emergency services. In addition, the app provides trail navigation, state and national park information, real-time weather forecasts, and essential first aid procedures—all accessible from within the platform.
User Journey Map
Pre-Emergency
Actions
1
2
3
- Hiking/Walking in the great outdoors
- Lost or comes across a wild animal
- Unable to confirm Location or becomes injured & sustains life threatening bites, cuts, stings, dislocation, etc.
Thinking
- How do I find my way back to the car?
- What do I’ve to do for the injury?
- What happens if it gets dark?
- What do I do?
Feeling
- Confused
- Anxious
- Uneasy
Opportunities
Provide a way to navigate hiking trails & download maps for offline use. Provide wilderness first aid educational info. Provide a way to locate nearby hospitals.
Emergency
Actions
4
5
6
7
- Call for help & attend to injury
- Unable to reach someone. Health condition exacerbation
- Activate Trail Beacon
- Emergency personnel arrive at scene
Thinking
- What is wrong with the signal?
- Please, pick up the phone
- What happens if I run out of food/water?
- Am I going to survive this?
Feeling
- Nervous
- Frantic
- Distrassed
Opportunities
Provide an easy and quick way to initiate, create and automate a SOS signal.
Post-Emergency
Actions
8
9
- Travel to safety/hospital
- Terminate Trail Beacon
Thinking
- I’m grateful they are here now.
- I need to prepare better for the next hike.
- I need to get in touch with my family.
- I made it!
Feeling
- Relieved
- Happy
- Tired
Opportunities
Provide an easy way to terminate an active SOS signal.
User Flows, Diagrams & Wireframes
User Testing
Usability Testing
Moderator-operated testing were conducted to examine the usability and ease of use of the design. Users were asked the following tasks to perform: access account, activate the SOS alert notification system, what is next day’s high temperature and locate first aid procedures dealing with burns. 90% success rate was concluded.
A/B Testing
SOS button location was the main focus of the test. The two options were: centrally located SOS button on the tab bar versus peripherally located button above the tab bar. 80% of the participants were in favor of SOS button positioned on the tab bar.
Prototype
Explore the app experience through the interactive prototype. The prototype will open in a separate browser tab.
view Prototype
button
button
Conclusion
Emergency situations can happen to the best of us while out on a hike in the great outdoors. The goal with the Trail Beacon is to improve the survival chances of someone who find themselves in such as crisis. The solution presents promising outcome with a 90% usability success rate. Next step: dev handoff for MVP implementation and further testing.
Designs by Mason
Say hi 👋 on
button
...your trusted digital companion for outdoor emergencies—whether you’re lost, injured, facing a wildlife encounter, in need of medical assistance, or experiencing a similar crisis.
view Prototype
button
button
Role:
UX Researcher and Designer leading end-to-end design processes
Problem:
Lack of preparedness among hikers in dealing with an emergency situation in the great outdoors
Goal:
Improve user survival chances in response to an emergency crisis.
Solution:
A mobile application feature that automates an outgoing emergency alert notification to a pre-determined list of contacts
Summary:
Based on initial research, 40.7% of participants reported hiking backcountry trails, and approximately 11% had experienced being lost or injured. More notably, 92.6% did not have an emergency plan in place in the event of a crisis—an issue that cannot be overlooked. Proposed solution: a mobile application designed to automatically send emergency alerts, including the user’s location and personalized voice or text messages, to a pre-selected list of emergency contacts. The app also places a simultaneous outbound call to emergency personnel (911). A 90% usability success rate has been recorded.
User Research
An anonymous, multiple-choice survey was sent out using Google Forms to 27 participants via various social media platforms.
Results based on 12 Male & 15 Female participants:
- 59% hiked backcountry trails
- 93% did not have a plan in case of an emergency
- 11% have been lost or injured
Sarah, 29
Sarah is a wife and mother of 2 young kids. She works as a blog editor and landscape photographer for a touring agency. She enjoys going on hiking trips and capturing landscape photos for her blog. She does have allergies to pollen, but she usually takes her inhaler with her to the hikes.
Persona
Jack, 35
Jack is a rock climber instructor. He enjoys venturing off into the wilderness seeking new spots for bouldering and climb. A fun weekend for Jack involves outdoor adventures, usually climbing and backpacking. He is very sociable and tends to participate in group adventures, but there have been countless number of times when he has been on solo journeys.
Persona
Bob, 47
Bob, aka “the Tank”, works as an accountant for a large technology firm. He enjoys participating in obstacle courses and pushes his limits whenever possible. Bob likes to go on a hiking and camping weekend trips once every 5-6 weeks. Exploring the backcountry trails are his favorite trips. Bob takes high blood pressure medication.
Persona
Strategy & Ideation
Given the inherent risk of encountering an emergency in the great outdoors—especially when venturing off-trail or hiking in backcountry areas—a solution is needed to improve the survival chances of hikers, particularly those traveling alone. An emergency situation is defined as becoming lost, trapped, or injured due to a fall, wildlife encounter, sudden medical issue, or any condition requiring urgent attention.
Research shows that 100% of participants carry their cell phones while hiking, and 92.6% indicated they would download a mobile app designed to improve their chances of survival in emergency situations. Based on these findings, I believe a mobile application can play a vital role in increasing the likelihood of surviving a crisis. This assumes that hikers have access to cellular service, emergency signal, or can reach an area with connectivity.
Trail Beacon is designed to address this need. Its primary function is to automate outgoing emergency alerts, sending your real-time location and a personalized voice or text message to your designated emergency contacts and local emergency services. In addition, the app provides trail navigation, state and national park information, real-time weather forecasts, and essential first aid procedures—all accessible from within the platform.
User Journey Map
Pre-Emergency
Actions
1
2
3
- Hiking/Walking in the great outdoors
- Lost or comes across a wild animal
- Unable to confirm Location or becomes injured & sustains life threatening bites, cuts, stings, dislocation, etc.
Thinking
- How do I find my way back to the car?
- What do I’ve to do for the injury?
- What happens if it gets dark?
- What do I do?
Feeling
- Confused
- Anxious
- Uneasy
Opportunities
Provide a way to navigate hiking trails & download maps for offline use. Provide wilderness first aid educational info. Provide a way to locate nearby hospitals.
Emergency
Actions
4
5
6
7
- Call for help & attend to injury
- Unable to reach someone. Health condition exacerbation
- Activate Trail Beacon
- Emergency personnel arrive at scene
Thinking
- What is wrong with the signal?
- Please, pick up the phone
- What happens if I run out of food/water?
- Am I going to survive this?
Feeling
- Nervous
- Frantic
- Distrassed
Opportunities
Provide an easy and quick way to initiate, create and automate a SOS signal.
Post-Emergency
Actions
8
9
- Travel to safety/hospital
- Terminate Trail Beacon
Thinking
- I’m grateful they are here now.
- I need to prepare better for the next hike.
- I need to get in touch with my family.
- I made it!
Feeling
- Relieved
- Happy
- Tired
Opportunities
Provide an easy way to terminate an active SOS signal.
User Flows, Diagrams & Wireframes
User Testing
Usability Testing
Moderator-operated testing were conducted to examine the usability and ease of use of the design. Users were asked the following tasks to perform: access account, activate the SOS alert notification system, what is next day’s high temperature and locate first aid procedures dealing with burns. 90% success rate was concluded.
A/B Testing
SOS button location was the main focus of the test. The two options were: centrally located SOS button on the tab bar versus peripherally located button above the tab bar. 80% of the participants were in favor of SOS button positioned on the tab bar.
Prototype
Explore the app experience through the interactive prototype. The prototype will open in a separate browser tab.
view Prototype
button
button
Conclusion
Emergency situations can happen to the best of us while out on a hike in the great outdoors. The goal with the Trail Beacon is to improve the survival chances of someone who find themselves in such as crisis. The solution presents promising outcome with a 90% usability success rate. Next step: dev handoff for MVP implementation and further testing.
Designs by Mason
Say hi 👋 on
...your trusted digital companion for outdoor emergencies—whether you’re lost, injured, facing a wildlife encounter, in need of medical assistance, or experiencing a similar crisis.
view Prototype
button
button
Role:
UX Researcher and Designer leading end-to-end design processes
Problem:
Lack of preparedness among hikers in dealing with an emergency situation in the great outdoors
Goal:
Improve user survival chances in response to an emergency crisis.
Solution:
A mobile application feature that automates an outgoing emergency alert notification to a pre-determined list of contacts
Summary:
Based on initial research, 40.7% of participants reported hiking backcountry trails, and approximately 11% had experienced being lost or injured. More notably, 92.6% did not have an emergency plan in place in the event of a crisis—an issue that cannot be overlooked. Proposed solution: a mobile application designed to automatically send emergency alerts, including the user’s location and personalized voice or text messages, to a pre-selected list of emergency contacts. The app also places a simultaneous outbound call to emergency personnel (911). A 90% usability success rate has been recorded.
User Research
An anonymous, multiple-choice survey was sent out using Google Forms to 27 participants via various social media platforms.
Results based on 12 Male & 15 Female participants:
- 59% hiked backcountry trails
- 93% did not have a plan in case of an emergency
- 11% have been lost or injured
Sarah, 29
Sarah is a wife and mother of 2 young kids. She works as a blog editor and landscape photographer for a touring agency. She enjoys going on hiking trips and capturing landscape photos for her blog. She does have allergies to pollen, but she usually takes her inhaler with her to the hikes.
Persona
Jack, 35
Jack is a rock climber instructor. He enjoys venturing off into the wilderness seeking new spots for bouldering and climb. A fun weekend for Jack involves outdoor adventures, usually climbing and backpacking. He is very sociable and tends to participate in group adventures, but there have been countless number of times when he has been on solo journeys.
Persona
Bob, 47
Bob, aka “the Tank”, works as an accountant for a large technology firm. He enjoys participating in obstacle courses and pushes his limits whenever possible. Bob likes to go on a hiking and camping weekend trips once every 5-6 weeks. Exploring the backcountry trails are his favorite trips. Bob takes high blood pressure medication.
Persona
Strategy & Ideation
Given the inherent risk of encountering an emergency in the great outdoors—especially when venturing off-trail or hiking in backcountry areas—a solution is needed to improve the survival chances of hikers, particularly those traveling alone. An emergency situation is defined as becoming lost, trapped, or injured due to a fall, wildlife encounter, sudden medical issue, or any condition requiring urgent attention.
Research shows that 100% of participants carry their cell phones while hiking, and 92.6% indicated they would download a mobile app designed to improve their chances of survival in emergency situations. Based on these findings, I believe a mobile application can play a vital role in increasing the likelihood of surviving a crisis. This assumes that hikers have access to cellular service, emergency signal, or can reach an area with connectivity.
Trail Beacon is designed to address this need. Its primary function is to automate outgoing emergency alerts, sending your real-time location and a personalized voice or text message to your designated emergency contacts and local emergency services. In addition, the app provides trail navigation, state and national park information, real-time weather forecasts, and essential first aid procedures—all accessible from within the platform.
User Journey Map
Stages
Pre-Emergency
Emergency
Post-Emergency
Actions
1
2
3
- Hiking/Walking in the great outdoors
- Lost or comes across a wild animal
- Unable to confirm Location or becomes injured & sustains life threatening bites, cuts, stings, dislocation, etc.
4
5
6
7
- Call for help & attend to injury
- Unable to reach someone. Health condition exacerbation
- Activate Trail Beacon
- Emergency personnel arrive at scene
8
9
- Travel to safety/hospital
- Terminate Trail Beacon
Thinking
- How do I find my way back to the car?
- What do I’ve to do for the injury?
- What happens if it gets dark?
- What do I do?
- What is wrong with the signal?
- Please, pick up the phone
- What happens if I run out of food/water?
- Am I going to survive this?
- I’m grateful they are here now.
- I need to prepare better for the next hike.
- I need to get in touch with my family.
- I made it!
Feeling
- Confused
- Anxious
- Uneasy
- Nervous
- Frantic
- Distrassed
- Relieved
- Happy
- Tired
Opportunities
Provide a way to navigate hiking trails & download maps for offline use. Provide wilderness first aid educational info. Provide a way to locate nearby hospitals.
Provide an easy and quick way to initiate, create and automate a SOS signal.
Provide an easy way to terminate an active SOS signal.
User Flows, Diagrams & Wireframes
User Testing
Usability Testing
Moderator-operated testing were conducted to examine the usability and ease of use of the design. Users were asked the following tasks to perform: access account, activate the SOS alert notification system, what is next day’s high temperature and locate first aid procedures dealing with burns. 90% success rate was concluded.
A/B Testing
SOS button location was the main focus of the test. The two options were: centrally located SOS button on the tab bar versus peripherally located button above the tab bar. 80% of the participants were in favor of SOS button positioned on the tab bar.
Prototype
Explore the app experience through the interactive prototype. The prototype will open in a separate browser tab.
view Prototype
button
button
Conclusion
Emergency situations can happen to the best of us while out on a hike in the great outdoors. The goal with the Trail Beacon is to improve the survival chances of someone who find themselves in such as crisis. The solution presents promising outcome with a 90% usability success rate. Next step: dev handoff for MVP implementation and further testing.