Enhancing student safety during late night commutes

Enhancing student safety during late night commutes

Role

UX/UI Designer

Duration

5 weeks

Client

University Studio Project — UTS


Brief


Luna was a 5-week postgraduate UX design project at the University of Technology Sydney. Our challenge was to identify a real problem faced by students and design a user-centered digital solution. Through our research, we discovered that a large number of students , especially international and female students , often face discomfort, anxiety, and safety concerns when commuting alone late at night. Many of them actively avoid nighttime classes or social events simply because the journey home feels unsafe.

The goal of this project was to design a mobile experience that empowers students to feel safer, less isolated, and more informed during their nighttime commutes. This was an end-to-end UX project where I was responsible for research, journey mapping, information architecture, interface design, usability testing, and iterative refinement. I worked closely with two teammates to conceptualize and validate Luna, with an emphasis on emotional design and social impact.


The Problem


Many students, especially international students, first-years, or those living far from campus , often travel late at night due to classes, library sessions, or part-time jobs. Public transport schedules are limited during these hours, and areas near campus can feel deserted or unsafe.Despite having access to navigation apps like Google Maps, most students said they felt anxious or hyper-aware during their late commutes.

The lack of real-time information, company, or university-led safety services added to their stress. As a result, students would avoid attending evening events or work late, which impacted both their academic and social participation.

The Solution


The mobile platform helps students travel safely and confidently after dark by connecting them with verified peers from their own university heading the same way. It guides users along safer, well-trafficked routes and provides real-time alerts about nearby risks to keep them informed and secure. The platform centralizes key safety tools like emergency access, live location sharing, and incident reporting, making safety management simple and accessible.

It also builds trust by showing where travel companions will part ways, reducing uncertainty during shared trips. With added community insights and subtle safety guidance, Luna creates a connected and supportive commuting experience—helping students feel reassured and in control every time they travel at night

The Problem


Many students, especially international students, first-years, or those living far from campus , often travel late at night due to classes, library sessions, or part-time jobs. Public transport schedules are limited during these hours, and areas near campus can feel deserted or unsafe.Despite having access to navigation apps like Google Maps, most students said they felt anxious or hyper-aware during their late commutes.

The lack of real-time information, company, or university-led safety services added to their stress. As a result, students would avoid attending evening events or work late, which impacted both their academic and social participation.

The Solution


The mobile platform helps students travel safely and confidently after dark by connecting them with verified peers from their own university heading the same way. It guides users along safer, well-trafficked routes and provides real-time alerts about nearby risks to keep them informed and secure. The platform centralizes key safety tools like emergency access, live location sharing, and incident reporting, making safety management simple and accessible.

It also builds trust by showing where travel companions will part ways, reducing uncertainty during shared trips. With added community insights and subtle safety guidance, Luna creates a connected and supportive commuting experience—helping students feel reassured and in control every time they travel at night

The Process

The project was structured over five weeks, with a focus on rapid research, design, and testing cycles. I worked alongside two other designers, with individual responsibilities across UX research, visual design, and usability testing.

Week 1 — Discovery

  • Conducted 1:1 interviews with 10+ students who regularly commuted at night

  • Designed and distributed a survey that gathered 35+ responses

  • Created affinity maps to synthesise qualitative and quantitative insights

  • Defined key personas and mapped the end-to-end user journey

Outcome: Identified core user needs — safety reassurance, trusted companionship, and clearer route visibility during late-night travel.

Week 2 — Definition & Ideation

  • Created detailed task flows and “How Might We” problem statements

  • Defined MVP feature set based on emotional pain points and user priorities

  • Facilitated brainstorming sessions to align features with safety goals

Outcome: Prioritised 5 core features — Buddy matching, Safe routes, Hazard alerts, SOS, and Peer reviews.

Week 3 — Prototyping

  • Designed low-fidelity wireframes and mapped navigation structure

  • Created high-fidelity screens in Figma focusing on clarity, simplicity, and emotional comfort

  • Developed interactive prototype with key flows including onboarding, route selection, and safety tools

Outcome: Built a fully testable mobile prototype that covered all critical user flows.

Week 4 — Usability Testing

  • Ran 1 pilot and 4 moderated usability tests with students

  • Focused on real-world scenarios such as finding a buddy or reporting an incident

  • Conducted a heuristic evaluation using Nielsen’s principles

Outcome: Identified key issues in terminology, navigation, and system feedback — all used to inform redesigns.

Week 5 — Iteration & Experience Testing

  • Refined UI components and task flows based on test feedback

  • Consolidated safety features into a single collapsible “Safety Center”

  • Introduced drop-off point indicators and push notifications for real-time hazards

  • Conducted an emotional experience test via scenario-based roleplay on campus

Outcome: Improved usability and created an experience that 89% of survey participants said made them feel safer and more confident commuting at night.

The Process

The project was structured over five weeks, with a focus on rapid research, design, and testing cycles. I worked alongside two other designers, with individual responsibilities across UX research, visual design, and usability testing.

Week 1 — Discovery

  • Conducted 1:1 interviews with 10+ students who regularly commuted at night

  • Designed and distributed a survey that gathered 35+ responses

  • Created affinity maps to synthesise qualitative and quantitative insights

  • Defined key personas and mapped the end-to-end user journey

Outcome: Identified core user needs — safety reassurance, trusted companionship, and clearer route visibility during late-night travel.

Week 2 — Definition & Ideation

  • Created detailed task flows and “How Might We” problem statements

  • Defined MVP feature set based on emotional pain points and user priorities

  • Facilitated brainstorming sessions to align features with safety goals

Outcome: Prioritised 5 core features — Buddy matching, Safe routes, Hazard alerts, SOS, and Peer reviews.

Week 3 — Prototyping

  • Designed low-fidelity wireframes and mapped navigation structure

  • Created high-fidelity screens in Figma focusing on clarity, simplicity, and emotional comfort

  • Developed interactive prototype with key flows including onboarding, route selection, and safety tools

Outcome: Built a fully testable mobile prototype that covered all critical user flows.

Week 4 — Usability Testing

  • Ran 1 pilot and 4 moderated usability tests with students

  • Focused on real-world scenarios such as finding a buddy or reporting an incident

  • Conducted a heuristic evaluation using Nielsen’s principles

Outcome: Identified key issues in terminology, navigation, and system feedback — all used to inform redesigns.

Week 5 — Iteration & Experience Testing

  • Refined UI components and task flows based on test feedback

  • Consolidated safety features into a single collapsible “Safety Center”

  • Introduced drop-off point indicators and push notifications for real-time hazards

  • Conducted an emotional experience test via scenario-based roleplay on campus

Outcome: Improved usability and created an experience that 89% of survey participants said made them feel safer and more confident commuting at night.

The Process

The project was structured over five weeks, with a focus on rapid research, design, and testing cycles. I worked alongside two other designers, with individual responsibilities across UX research, visual design, and usability testing.

Week 1 — Discovery

  • Conducted 1:1 interviews with 10+ students who regularly commuted at night

  • Designed and distributed a survey that gathered 35+ responses

  • Created affinity maps to synthesise qualitative and quantitative insights

  • Defined key personas and mapped the end-to-end user journey

Outcome: Identified core user needs — safety reassurance, trusted companionship, and clearer route visibility during late-night travel.

Week 2 — Definition & Ideation

  • Created detailed task flows and “How Might We” problem statements

  • Defined MVP feature set based on emotional pain points and user priorities

  • Facilitated brainstorming sessions to align features with safety goals

Outcome: Prioritised 5 core features — Buddy matching, Safe routes, Hazard alerts, SOS, and Peer reviews.

Week 3 — Prototyping

  • Designed low-fidelity wireframes and mapped navigation structure

  • Created high-fidelity screens in Figma focusing on clarity, simplicity, and emotional comfort

  • Developed interactive prototype with key flows including onboarding, route selection, and safety tools

Outcome: Built a fully testable mobile prototype that covered all critical user flows.

Week 4 — Usability Testing

  • Ran 1 pilot and 4 moderated usability tests with students

  • Focused on real-world scenarios such as finding a buddy or reporting an incident

  • Conducted a heuristic evaluation using Nielsen’s principles

Outcome: Identified key issues in terminology, navigation, and system feedback — all used to inform redesigns.

Week 5 — Iteration & Experience Testing

  • Refined UI components and task flows based on test feedback

  • Consolidated safety features into a single collapsible “Safety Center”

  • Introduced drop-off point indicators and push notifications for real-time hazards

  • Conducted an emotional experience test via scenario-based roleplay on campus

Outcome: Improved usability and created an experience that 89% of survey participants said made them feel safer and more confident commuting at night.

The Impact

  • Luna delivered a clear quantifiable outcome: 89% of users reported increased confidence while commuting at night, and 85% were able to complete core tasks like buddy matching without assistance. The experience felt intuitive and empowering, reducing cognitive load and emotional stress during vulnerable moments.

  • 87.8% of surveyed students said they would use an app like Luna if available. This strong market validation was further reinforced by suggestions for future features, such as smartwatch sync and university-sanctioned meet-up points, pointing to a clear demand and opportunity for real-world adoption.

  • Conducted an emotional experience test via scenario-based roleplay on campusTesters described Luna as calming and reassuring. Beyond functionality, it delivered true emotional impact — transforming late-night travel from an isolating experience into one that felt shared, supported, and safe.


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