Whistleblower
Area of profession: User centered design, particiaptory design, UX research, analytic methods & Thoughtful interaction design.
Method/Tools: Creative brief analysis, Figma, Wireframe, Sketching, Prototyping, Defining scope of the project.
Final grade: Pass with excellence
Other: This was an individual school assignment
Purpose:
WhistleBlower is a platform designed to help empleyees and other individuals expose misconduct within organizations safely and anonymously. Be enabling whistleblowers to report wrongdoings, we promote transparency and responsible behavior within companies and government agencies.
Target Audience:
– Employees: The primary users who can report internal misconduct.
– Journalists: Who review and verify the information.
– Public: To raise awarness about corporate behaviors and impacts.
Problem:
Many employees feel they cannot report misconduct due to fear of retaliation or lack of anonymity. This leads to many issues remaining undiscovered and unresolved, harming both individuals and society.
Solution:
WhistleBlower provides a secure and anonymous platform for whistleblowers to report misconduct. By separating user identity from real identity after verification, the platform ensures that whistleblowers can speak freely without the risk of being exposed.
The Process
Creativ Brief Analysis:
I received a creative brief outlining the project requirements and objectives. The brief highlighted the need for a secure and anonymous platform to help employees and other individuals expose misconduct within organizations. The primary goals were to ensure user safety, promote transparency, and maintain the integrity of the information shared.
Concept Development:
Based on the creative brief, I conducted a thorough analysis of the requirements and translated them into actionable design goals. Key aspects included:
– Security: Ensuring that users could report misconduct anonymously and securely.
– Usability: Creating an intuitive interface that is easy to navigate for all users.
– Verification: Implementing a system for verifying user identity without compromising anonymity.
Wireframes:
– Initial Sketches: Developed quick wireframes to visualize the basic structure and user flows based on the brief.
Prototyping:
Using Figma, I built interactive prototypes to simulate user interactions and workflows.
Prototype:
Creative, detailed interactive prototype in Figma to simulate user flows and interactions
User Interface:
Design choices like selection of color palette, typography, and layout to promote clarity, professionalism, and security.
Clear Entry Points:
On of the design patterns I´ve used and focused on is Clear Entry Points. This concept focuses on making it obvious to the user where they can interact. This might be through prominent buttons, links, or interactive elements that clearly guide the user to the next step in the userflow (Tidwell et al., 2020).
When a user lands on the website, it’s crucial that they are immediately met with clarity regarding the site’s purpose, its offerings, and the methods to navigate or interact with it. This instant comprehension is achieved through strategically placed, unambiguous messaging coupled with distinct entry points and prominent call-to-action (CTA) buttons. These elements serve as intuitive guides, effortlessly leading the user through their journey on the site. By implementing these design choices, I aimed to remove any guesswork for the user, ensuring they understand not only what the site offers but also how they can engage with it.
Dashboard: The Dashboard pattern focuses on presenting key information and statistics in a clear and efficient manner. This often includes summaries, charts, and important indicators. The dashboard acts as a control center where users can quickly get an overview of relevant information (Tidwell et al., 2020).
The primary user group for our service is in the midst of a critical situation. They have exposed instances of misconduct within their workplace and are adamant about keeping their identity concealed. Given the gravity of their circumstances, these individuals are likely to be deeply invested in the progression and investigation of their case.
Access to pertinent information and the ability to actively participate in the process are of paramount importance to them.
In response to these specific needs, I have crafted a user-centric dashboard. This design ensures that users have comprehensive visibility into their own case, with access limited exclusively to information relevant to their situation. This dashboard is not just a passive display of information; it includes strategically placed, easy-to-use contact buttons that facilitate direct communication with the journalist handling their case. Additionally, a clear, intuitive timeline is incorporated, offering users a straightforward estimation of their case’s current status and progression.
Security And Verification:
Users may initially feel hesitant, harboring concerns about the security and confidentiality of their identity. To meet these fears, it’s essential to convey that the environment is safe and that user identities are rigorously protected. This assurance is further reinforced by the requirement for all users to verify their identity through BankID (Swedish identity system), underscoring the platform’s commitment to addressing misconduct with outmost seriousness. Clear, accessible information detailing how the website Whistleblower maintains this promise of anonymity and security is vital.
Here is a short video-walkthrough of the scope of this project.
Teachers feedback on the whole project:
Service / application design
Definitely the functions, the graphics and the level of interaction expressed in the report indicate that the task was successfully executed; and that the final proposal obeys the criteria identified by you. A minor observation (without impact on the evaluation) is the small part where the registration is no longer anonymous, this detracts from the credibility of the anonymity of the platform and may generate insecurities in the new users.
Dividing the target users by orders (1 and 2) facilitates the understanding of the planned scope. Also, relying on disciplinary references increases the level of professionalism of your proposal. Well done for these successful aspects!
Something that I consider relevant also from your report, is the potential to express both the functioning of the application with the disciplinary references and, even better, including pertinently the interface patterns. The visual aspect is harmonious and careful, in the future you can dedicate a short time of the oral presentation you made to highlight these aspects that are of weight and relevance for digital interaction.
The concern about the cognitive processes of the user are very well materialised, generally poor interaction designs overload the user almost forcing him to learn every interface. So, another good decision.
Critical evaluation
This section is very well divided making it efficient to find the four sections on which you focus your reflections. I particularly consider it pertinent to establish the strengths and weaknesses of each segment and consider it appropriate to stress the idea of the iterative process to constantly improve the interface and the overall interaction (note taken from aspect 2 – target user adaptation).
General observations
In conclusion and in general terms, and in view of the oral presentation made.The platform is simply interesting, has different levels of interaction and is quite clear in each of its sections. Some aspects can be improved and they are mostly related to the visual style. The proportions, the positions of the elements, the colors and the use of fonts can be linked to a single identity in order to avoid confusion or the false perception that one is leaving one platform and inadvertently entering another.
Reflection
One key learning from this project was the challenge of setting clear boundaries for the project scope. Initially, I struggled with scope creep, which impacted the project timeline and focus. As a result, there are many aspects of the design that I would like to iterate on in the next phase. By improving my ability to define and limit the scope, I can dedicate more time to refining specific elements, ultimately leading to a more polished and effective final product.
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