R.U.O.K — Are you OK?
Timeline 15 weeks (Feb — May 2022)
Tasks Problem discovery, heuristic analysis, adjacent industry audit, ideation & Iteration, usability testing, prototyping
About As an international student living alone in New York City, I understand that safety is one of many issues I should be mindful of when living in a big city, not only for the sake of myself but also for my family and friends. Whenever I go out, my parents would sometimes text me and ask where I am at. After every hangout, my friends would text me “Are you home yet?” This has driven me to create a digital tool for the students who live alone and people who care about them.
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Tasks Problem discovery, heuristic analysis, adjacent industry audit, ideation & Iteration, usability testing, prototyping
About As an international student living alone in New York City, I understand that safety is one of many issues I should be mindful of when living in a big city, not only for the sake of myself but also for my family and friends. Whenever I go out, my parents would sometimes text me and ask where I am at. After every hangout, my friends would text me “Are you home yet?” This has driven me to create a digital tool for the students who live alone and people who care about them.
Before landing on the idea of a check-in app, I did some research to understand about the living pattern of people who live alone.
After gathering notes, I noticed repeating patterns in people’s preferences for their living needs. Some of which are privacy, freedom, and safety.
Combining synthesis and insights from the interviews, 4 meta insights were formed. Then, I came up with some How-might-we (HMW) statements to address each meta.
I narrowed down to 3 HMW statements to do some quick sketches.
Some ideas started to form.
After the first round of usability testing, I received some good feedback about Virtual Mom and Apartment Community ideas. Most people agreed Robot Mapping was too complicated and far beyond their needs.
Started to get stuck with all 3 ideas, I decided to start over...
I knew that I still wanted to do something for students who live alone but wasn’t sure which direction I should go for. Luckily, my friends (Thank thank you!!!) called me out one night and an idea sparked.
I did some more research. This time I focused on safety specifically.
I love wordplays. And this name was a result from a random joke: R.U.O.K (Are you OK?)
Why the check mark?
The check mark indicates that “i am okay” or the person has checked in.
I hoped more students would use the app so I decided that the branding for the app should be bold and youthful.
After gathering notes, I noticed repeating patterns in people’s preferences for their living needs. Some of which are privacy, freedom, and safety.
Combining synthesis and insights from the interviews, 4 meta insights were formed. Then, I came up with some How-might-we (HMW) statements to address each meta.
I narrowed down to 3 HMW statements to do some quick sketches.
Some ideas started to form.
After the first round of usability testing, I received some good feedback about Virtual Mom and Apartment Community ideas. Most people agreed Robot Mapping was too complicated and far beyond their needs.
Started to get stuck with all 3 ideas, I decided to start over...
I knew that I still wanted to do something for students who live alone but wasn’t sure which direction I should go for. Luckily, my friends (Thank thank you!!!) called me out one night and an idea sparked.
I did some more research. This time I focused on safety specifically.
I love wordplays. And this name was a result from a random joke: R.U.O.K (Are you OK?)
RUOK is a safety check-in app created to help international students in New York City stay connected with their parents back home. The app allows parents to view real-time location updates, know whether their child is home or out, and contact trusted friends in emergency situations. Students can update their safety status and quickly alert parents and friends when they are in danger. As a result, conversations no longer have to end awkwardly with “Are you home yet?” — leaving both sides feeling reassured and at ease.
Why the check mark?
The check mark indicates that “i am okay” or the person has checked in.
I hoped more students would use the app so I decided that the branding for the app should be bold and youthful.
THE SOLUTIONS
