Philly Truce: Digital Safety for Communities
Philly Truce is a non-profit organization in Philadelphia dedicated to reducing gun violence and fostering safer communities through conflict resolution. It operates by deploying Peace Patrols who intervene in conflicts, especially around schools, to de-escalate tensions and ensure safe passage.
TechFleet partnered with Philly Truce to help them build a user-centered app which would be available to students and Peace Patrols. The project was conducted as a UX Researcher role with Tech Fleet (Client: Philly Truce Project) between July 2024 and September 2024. The subject of the research was a community safety app
Role
UX Researcher
Project duration
Jul - Sep 2024
Industry
Non-Profit/ Public Safety
Organization
TechFleet + Philly Truce
Challenge
The project aimed to enhance its digital tools by specifically evaluating two key application prototypes. The challenges were:
IRMP Usability Challenge (Peace Patrols): To identify usability barriers in the Peace Patrols' internal workflow (creating, claiming, editing reports) that could slow down their response time, moving them beyond their current paper-based system.
Chatbot Usability Challenge (Students): To evaluate if the conversational flow designed for middle and high school students was clear, empathetic, and effective enough to encourage accurate and easy incident reporting, especially in sensitive or urgent situations.
Results
The testing generally yielded positive feedback on the clarity of the solutions but identified crucial areas for iteration:
IRMP Usability Testing (Peace Patrols):
Workflow Clarity: Users struggled to connect the "unclaimed" report tab (for chatbot-generated reports) with their existing mental model of generating their own reports on paper.
Design Improvements Needed: Recommendations included clarifying the "Archive Report" button, enhancing the incident-type dropdown menu functionality, and adjusting the size and placement of the "+ New Report" button.
Chatbot Testing (Students):
General Success: Participants found the chatbot easy to understand and effective at reporting incidents.
Need for Empathy: The conversational flow was noted for lacking empathy, leading to recommendations to incorporate statements like "I'm sorry you had to witness this."
Efficiency Issues: The chatbot failed to recognize natural language variations (like "yes," "no," or "not sure") when restricting responses to numeric inputs (1, 2, 3), creating errors.
Safety Suggestion: Users strongly suggested the chatbot should offer advice and resources (e.g., dialing 911 or contacting an adult) for immediate assistance during urgent situations.
60%
Interviews conducted by me
5/5
Usability score
80%
Average sub-task rate
Process & Tools
The testing generally yielded positive feedback on the clarity of the solutions but identified crucial areas for iteration:
IRMP Usability Testing (Peace Patrols):
Workflow Clarity: Users struggled to connect the "unclaimed" report tab (for chatbot-generated reports) with their existing mental model of generating their own reports on paper.
Design Improvements Needed: Recommendations included clarifying the "Archive Report" button, enhancing the incident-type dropdown menu functionality, and adjusting the size and placement of the "+ New Report" button.
Chatbot Testing (Students):
General Success: Participants found the chatbot easy to understand and effective at reporting incidents.
Need for Empathy: The conversational flow was noted for lacking empathy, leading to recommendations to incorporate statements like "I'm sorry you had to witness this."
Efficiency Issues: The chatbot failed to recognize natural language variations (like "yes," "no," or "not sure") when restricting responses to numeric inputs (1, 2, 3), creating errors.
Safety Suggestion: Users strongly suggested the chatbot should offer advice and resources (e.g., dialing 911 or contacting an adult) for immediate assistance during urgent situations.
Conclusion
The research confirmed the solutions were generally effective but required specific iterations to ensure seamless use in critical situations. The insights were applied to:
Improve User Guidance and clarity across the application.
Address Technology Adoption Challenges by aligning the digital workflow with the Peace Patrol's existing mental models and increasing student trust and ease of use.
Ultimately, enhance the app’s effectiveness as a tool for violence prevention.
Key Learnings & Reflections
Technical Mastery: I successfully learned to manage Wizard of Oz (WOZ) testing in real-time on Maze and deepened my expertise in user testing metrics.
Research Execution: I demonstrated high productivity by personally conducting 60% of the user interviews for the project.
Stakeholder & Team Management: I honed my ability to maintain an objective research agenda while working with a large team and managing the process when everyone voiced different opinions.
Recruitment & Interviewing: I overcame complex logistical challenges, including recruiting under-18 participants and Safe Path Monitors (SPMs), and learned the patience required to manage interviews with distracted participants.
Get Athos Pro