SAFE SPOT

A digital product aimed at supporting homeless students by connecting them with temporary housing solutions, essential resources, and community support systems to foster stability

The Problem: Many San Jose State students struggle with high housing costs and lack stable living options. A dedicated app can connect them with safe, temporary housing through trusted community members, offering support during difficult times.

MOBILE APP

UX/UI DESIGN

PROTOTYPING

INTERACTION DESIGN

SOCIAL GOOD/ COMMUNITY SUPPORT

BRANDING

USABILITY TESTING

PRODUCT DESIGN

USER RESEARCH

OVERVIEW

Goals

Interview San Jose State University students experiencing housing insecurity to understand their needs, preferences, and challenges.

Student Profile: Include details such as housing needs, preferred locations, skills for potential tasks, and a brief background.
Homeowner Profile: Highlight available space, expectations for hosting, location, and potential exchange options (e.g., tasks or reduced rent).
Develop an alternative arrangement where students can perform low-pay work or tasks (e.g., cleaning, yard work, or tutoring) in exchange for temporary living accommodations.
Create an interactive map to identify and display available housing options near San Jose State University.
Draft a contract outlining mutual respect, responsibilities, and rules for both students and homeowners.

Pain Points

Many homeless students park or stay in unsolicited areas to be safe.

Neighborhoods are not aware of who's car it belongs to and end up calling the police.

Homeless students are stress when looking for shelter.

Not a lot of options to sleep comfortably and stay in a safe areas at night.

Academic standings can be affected as a result.

My Role

Project Duration: 6 Months
My Team: Alex Benyat and Michael Tran
Design Process: Interviews, user research, visual design, usability tests, brainstorming, storytelling, user flow, low-hi fidelity wireframes, Prototyping
Digital Tools: Figma, Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop

Solution

Homeless students will be able to search nearby neighbors who are offering temporary parking spots or tent in their backyard.
Create a community of homeless students where they can communicate and help each other.
Offer alternative solutions to stay at a designated spot or pay a small monthly fee.
Homeowner can view a students profile and offer them a place to stay.
Issue a temporary permit so for the stay, so they don't have to worry about getting in called by nearby neighbors.
Create a way to provide affordable or free living agreements for homeless students in search of a place call home.

RESEARCH

According to a report issued by the CSU, officials believe nearly 11% of students in the 23-campus system are either homeless or have experienced some form of homelessness during their college careers. However, SJSU tops the list at 13.2% percent, which equates to more than 4,300 students.

13.2%

Struggle to find a place to live while going to school

USER PERSONAS

4,300

SJSU homeless students

11%

CSU Students are homeless

College tuition and housing costs have gone up in California affecting students ability to focus in school while having to figure out other options.

USER INTERVIEWS

Interviewed 10 current students from the homeless alliance group using open-ended questions to understand their needs and expectations.

Brainstorming

To address homelessness among students, several creative solutions can be explored, each incorporating important features to ensure effectiveness.

USER FLOWS

First, the core objectives of the app, such as connecting homeless students with temporary housing, offering resource directories, and providing support services, would be clearly defined.

WIREFRAMES

The wireframes for a homeless student support app should be designed to prioritize simplicity, accessibility, and user-friendliness. Here’s an outline of key screens and their features.

STYLE GUIDES

The app’s design will follow a vibrant, vivid color scheme inspired by Material Design principles, ensuring a modern and engaging user experience.

PROTOTYPING & USABILITY TESTS

Prototype in Figma and conducted usability tests with students, allowing them to try out the app to evaluate its usability and determine what works best for them.

FINAL DESIGN

The final design for the Safe Spot app is specifically tailored to meet the needs of homeless students, ensuring they feel both comfortable and understood while using the platform.

Map search: Search for nearby listings that are available.

Listings: Shows detailed information about the house and what is being offered for the housing.

Homeowner Contacts List: Homeowners can save their favorite students interest in his spots and also provide information to other students.

Chat: Students can message the homeowner about specific details about the spots available and what options she has.

Permit: Two types of permits are provided based on the spots they choose whether its backyard or front driveway. The digital permit is created and contains all information about the spot. This permit can be viewed, and shared digitally as well as printed

Student Status: Where the homeowner can view the current status of the students staying at his place showing there type of payment or tasks and the duration of their stay.

Adding more Listings: The owner can add or edit his listing information and add more additional spots for students to explore.

Student: Can view their personal profile along with others registered to the app and can see her status and can sent messages to connect with other students dealing with the same situation.

Tasks List: Students who choose and select task lists can have to complete their duties in order to stay at the spot.

Payment Plan: Students have the option to pay a small monthly payment instead of doing tasks as spot of the contract of staying there.

Homeowner Calendar: The owner can see on his calendar which students are stay at his place and monitor their status.

Student Calendar: Students can see their own calendar and view the weekly tasks or payments they have to make along with the duration of their stay.

Rating: A way to see the past and current performance of a user. Leaving a review or comment about the person.

Outcome

Impact:

The final outcome of the Safe Spot app received positive feedback from San Jose State students, who expressed appreciation for how the app could directly address their homelessness challenges. They felt the app provided a much-needed solution, offering accessible housing options and resources in an easy-to-use format.

Takeaways:

The Safe Spot App provides essential support to help students navigate the semester more smoothly. Its development reflects a genuine commitment to the community, offering valuable resources and assistance. Students appreciate the initiative, as it demonstrates care and recognition for their challenges.

SAFE SPOT

MOBILE APP

UX/UI DESIGN

PROTOTYPING

INTERACTION DESIGN

SOCIAL GOOD/ COMMUNITY SUPPORT

BRANDING

USABILITY TESTING

PRODUCT DESIGN

USER RESEARCH

OVERVIEW

Goals

Interview San Jose State University students experiencing housing insecurity to understand their needs, preferences, and challenges.

Student Profile: Include details such as housing needs, preferred locations, skills for potential tasks, and a brief background.

Homeowner Profile: Highlight available space, expectations for hosting, location, and potential exchange options (e.g., tasks or reduced rent).

Develop an alternative arrangement where students can perform low-pay work or tasks (e.g., cleaning, yard work, or tutoring) in exchange for temporary living accommodations.

Create an interactive map to identify and display available housing options near San Jose State University.

Draft a contract outlining mutual respect, responsibilities, and rules for both students and homeowners.

Pain Points

Many homeless students park or stay in unsolicited areas to be safe.​

Neighborhoods are not aware of who's car it belongs to and end up calling the police.​

Homeless students are stress when looking for shelter.​

Not a lot of options to sleep comfortably and stay in a safe areas at night.​

Academic standings can be affected as a result.

My Role

Solution

Homeless students will be able to search nearby neighbors who are offering temporary parking spots or tent in their backyard. ​

Create a community of homeless students where they can communicate and help each other.​

Offer alternative solutions to stay at a designated spot or pay a small monthly fee.​

Homeowner can view a students profile and offer them a place to stay. ​

Issue a temporary permit so for the stay, so they don't have to worry about getting in called by nearby neighbors.​

Create a way to provide affordable or free living agreements for homeless students in search of a place call home.

RESEARCH

13.2%

Struggle to find a place to live while going to school

USER PERSONAS

4,300

SJSU homeless students

11%

CSU Students are homeless

USER INTERVIEWS

Brainstorming

USER FLOWS

WIREFRAMES

STYLE GUIDES

PROTOTYPING & USABILITY TESTS

FINAL DESIGN

Map search: Search for nearby listings that are available.

Listings: Shows detailed information about the house and what is being offered for the housing.

Homeowner Contacts List: Homeowners can save their favorite students interest in his spots and also provide information to other students. ​

Chat: Students can message the homeowner about specific details about the spots available and what options she has.

Permit: Two types of permits are provided based on the spots they choose whether its backyard or front driveway. The digital permit is created and contains all information about the spot. This permit can be viewed, and shared digitally as well as printed

Student Status: Where the homeowner can view the current status of the students staying at his place showing there type of payment or tasks and the duration of their stay.

Adding more Listings: The owner can add or edit his listing information and add more additional spots for students to explore. ​ ​

Student: Can view their personal profile along with others registered to the app and can see her status and can sent messages to connect with other students dealing with the same situation. ​

Tasks List: Students who choose and select task lists can have to complete their duties in order to stay at the spot. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Payment Plan: Students have the option to pay a small monthly payment instead of doing tasks as spot of the contract of staying there. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Homeowner Calendar: The owner can see on his calendar which students are stay at his place and monitor their status.

Student Calendar: Students can see their own calendar and view the weekly tasks or payments they have to make along with the duration of their stay.

Rating: A way to see the past and current performance of a user. Leaving a review or comment about the person.

Outcome

Top

Many homeless students park or stay in unsolicited areas to be safe.

Neighborhoods are not aware of who's car it belongs to and end up calling the police.

Homeless students are stress when looking for shelter.

Not a lot of options to sleep comfortably and stay in a safe areas at night.

Homeless students will be able to search nearby neighbors who are offering temporary parking spots or tent in their backyard.

Create a community of homeless students where they can communicate and help each other.

Offer alternative solutions to stay at a designated spot or pay a small monthly fee.

Homeowner can view a students profile and offer them a place to stay.

Issue a temporary permit so for the stay, so they don't have to worry about getting in called by nearby neighbors.

Homeowner Contacts List: Homeowners can save their favorite students interest in his spots and also provide information to other students.

Adding more Listings: The owner can add or edit his listing information and add more additional spots for students to explore.

Student: Can view their personal profile along with others registered to the app and can see her status and can sent messages to connect with other students dealing with the same situation.

Tasks List: Students who choose and select task lists can have to complete their duties in order to stay at the spot.

Payment Plan: Students have the option to pay a small monthly payment instead of doing tasks as spot of the contract of staying there.