End-to-end redesign and launch of high-stakes UX
Organization: accesSOS, emergency response startup
Role: UX/UI Designer
Timeline: 1 year
Contributions:
Redesigned mobile web and native apps end-to-end
Integrated a new mental crisis feature
Reduced time to report an emergency by 31 seconds
Managed 3 UX team projects
Conducted usability testing with accessibility focus
31 seconds faster to report an emergency
Cognitive load reduced through simplified screens and guiding language
Mental crisis integrated as an official emergency pathway
Improved navigation with editing, back buttons, and progress bars
Designs supported $50K in funding for further development
Users described the new design as “empowering”
Original emergency reporting page
The original page had all questions on one page, leading to a long scroll. If user clicked back, all progress would be lost.
Design Drivers
From insights, I defined principles that shaped the redesign:
Clarity in crisis: Large visuals, clear hierarchy, minimal text.
Speed first: One-tap shortcuts for the most urgent actions.
Intuitive interactions: Familiar gestures like map zooming.
Trust through transparency: Explicitly show which service is contacted and when.
I redesigned both the mobile web and native apps end-to-end:
Increased image-to-text ratio and introduced stronger information hierarchy.
Added a mental crisis pathway to route emergencies to 988 as needed.
Eliminated scrolling by moving to one question per screen, reducing cognitive load.
Expanded map size with interactive features.
Added progress bar and clearer back/forward navigation.
Prevented errors by disabling CTAs until required inputs were complete.
Emergency service selection
Users can choose between Medical, Police, Mental, and FIre emergencies.
Confirm location
The location is automatically determined via GPS.
Describe location
Users give more description on their whereabouts to help first responders find them.
I conducted user research and competitor analysis to uncover pain points:
Key Insights
Users want to de-escalate emergencies quickly.
Mental crisis must be treated as an emergency (not an afterthought).
Scrolling was confusing and slowed responses.
Users want to feel like they are connecting to a person, not just a system.
Competitor Analysis
SirenGPS: Quick call button was useful, but tiny text and cluttered UI created confusion.
TapSOS: Simple, icon-heavy design improved clarity, but lacked guidance for nuanced emergencies.
Since trust is critical in emergencies, I validated designs with 6 emergency responders and crisis experts (including 2 who were deaf).
Methods
Usability testing on new flows and mental crisis feature
Closed card sort to validate emergency category taxonomy
Affinity mapping of pain points and opportunities
Findings
New flow reduced confusion and was described as empowering and comforting
Users wanted more transparency on which service was contacted
Some category labels needed refinement (“breakdown” = car vs mental health)
Additional input methods (typing details) were requested alongside button choices
This project taught me how to design for trust in high-stakes scenarios. I learned:
Accessibility is not an add-on — it must be the foundation of design.
Building trust requires transparency and clarity, especially when lives are at risk.
Leading multiple UX teams showed me the value of mentorship and cross-team alignment.
If I were to continue, I’d explore personalized crisis protocols — tailoring the experience further to specific user needs and integrating additional responder feedback loops.