To create a solution that genuinely meets the needs of protesters, a thorough research process was undertaken. This involved understanding the environment, user behavior, and the specific challenges faced by protesters. The research methods included:

Cultural Probes: I deployed cultural probes to gain insights into the everyday experiences and emotional states of protesters. Participants, who were Belarusian citizens involved in the protests, were asked to document their daily lives over a week. They used journals, photos, and voice notes to capture their feelings, safety concerns, and interactions during protest activities. This method allowed me to gather qualitative data on the psychological and emotional landscape of protestors, providing a deep understanding of their fears, motivations, and trust issues.

Interviews: In-depth interviews were conducted with a select group of protesters, technology experts, and human rights activists. The semi-structured format allowed for open-ended questions, enabling participants to share detailed personal experiences and opinions. Topics covered included their motivations for protesting, communication methods used during protests, and perceptions of safety and trust in digital tools. These interviews provided valuable insights into the specific needs and challenges faced by users, informing the design and functionality of the app.

Affinity Mapping: The qualitative data collected from the cultural probes and interviews were analyzed using affinity mapping. This method involved categorizing and grouping related ideas to identify common themes and insights. Key themes that emerged included the need for trustworthy communication channels, real-time safety updates, and features that support anonymity. Affinity mapping helped to prioritize these needs and translate them into actionable design features for SafePal.

Persona: A persona named “Elena” was created to represent a typical user of the SafePal app. Elena is a young professional, actively involved in peaceful protests, who values safety, community support, and trustworthy information. Developing this persona helped humanize the user experience, ensuring that the app’s features aligned with the real-world needs and behaviors of its intended users.

Empathy Mapping: Empathy maps were developed to delve deeper into the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of the persona. This method focused on what Elena says, thinks, feels, and does in various protest scenarios. The empathy map revealed fears about safety, concerns about misinformation, and a strong desire for reliable communication. These insights informed the app’s design to better address users' emotional and psychological needs.

"How Might We" Approach: To ideate solutions that addressed the key insights from my research, the “How Might We” approach was used. This method involved framing user needs and challenges into actionable questions. Examples included:

• How might we help users organize different forms of protests?

• How might we raise trust within the application?

• How might we help users feel safe and keep them away from police forces?

• How might we strengthen mutual support among protestors?

• How might we make the application work without relying on internet connectivity?

Competitor Analysis: A comparative analysis of existing protest-support and safety apps, such as Signal, Citizen, and OYAN, was conducted. This analysis focused on understanding the strengths and weaknesses of these platforms, their user experience, and their security features. By studying these apps, I identified best practices and potential gaps in the market that SafePal could address, ensuring that the app offered a unique and valuable solution.