Best Design Award at Design X Social Challenge | 2022
8 min read
Context
Urban flooding is a persistent crisis in India, devastating communities year after year. Between January and July 2022 alone, floods affected over 1 million lives and claimed 1,256 lives across the nation.
Floods cause power outages and network failures. They cut off vital communication. This makes rescue and relief efforts difficult and costs lives.
Challenge
As part of the global Design X Social 2022 challenge theme 'Design for Crisis', we tackled emergency communication during floods. The prompt challenged us to create robust and resilient systems responsive to emergencies, focusing on how immediate communities can receive proper resources during such crises.
Responsibilities
Interviews
Journey Mapping & User Flows
Wireframing
High-fidelity mockups and prototyping
Storyboarding and script for explanatory video
Outcome
My team and I won the Best Design Award at Design X Social 2022, in the Citizens & Professionals category. The jury praised our comprehensive approach and implementation potential. Since then, I've worked with a small group to improve the digital experience and secure grants for development.
For Alertera, success is ultimately measured in lives, not profits. This principle drives us to transform an award-winning idea into a life-saving tool for communities facing disaster situations.
Can flood rescue work when every network fails?
0.1 Walkthrough demonstrating how Alertera maintains critical communication during floods through its resilient mesh network connecting victims, dispatchers, and responders
A growing crisis and its impacts
Every monsoon, many Indian cities face devastating floods.
Between January and July 2022 alone,
Floods affected over
1 million lives
Floods claimed atleast
1,256 lives
Property and crop damage amounted to nearly
$2 billion
A first look at what might be going wrong
Seeing these devastating numbers, we wondered why rescue efforts had failed. We hypothesized several potential factors:
Were advance warning systems inadequate?
Were emergency services short-staffed?
Did they have trouble tracking who needed assistance?
Was the distribution of resources ineffective?
Was it hard to access the affected areas?
Each possibility offered insight into the disaster's scope and complexity. But which of these challenges could we meaningfully address? To move beyond speculation, we needed to hear from those who had lived through these crises firsthand.
Stories that helped connect the dots
Patterns began to emerge through conversations with 5 flood victims and 3 first responders across India. Each interview revealed how our initial hypotheses were not separate issues, but symptoms of a deeper problem.
The interviews revealed three key roles in emergency response during floods. Each role has its own unique challenges.
Malti, a flood victim, had difficulty finding medical help for her child.
Shashi, a volunteer first responder, dealt with coordination problems during rescues.
Rajesh, a dispatcher, tried to manage and allocate limited resources in a chaotic environment.
flood victim
"When my son contracted malaria during the floods, we were completely stranded. With no electricity to charge my phone and overwhelmed networks, I couldn't reach anyone for help. We waited 4 days before volunteer first responders could finally take us to a hospital."
Malti, victim of floods
Malti's story showed that tracking who needed help was not just about having a system. Without power and working networks, even the best systems fail.
First responder
"With unreliable networks, we sent many volunteers to the same spot while other areas got no help. Our response time was over 4 hours because of the lack of coordination."
Shashi, volunteer first responder
What seemed like a problem with resource distribution was, in fact, a deeper issue. Floods can disable the traditional communication system, resulting in delays and disruptions.
dispatcher
"Hundreds of people across India formed online groups to coordinate rescue efforts. These digital volunteers collected distress signals and verified information. They tagged locations and connected victims with nearby rescue teams. They were a crucial link in rescue efforts."
Rajesh, rescue coordinator
Rescue ops need humans in the loop to create order from chaos. These dispatchers were vital in matching victims with the nearest help. They ensured that the affected areas used resources well.
Where existing solutions miss the mark
To understand how individuals like Malti, Rajesh and Shashi find, coordinate and enable help during such emergencies, we studied 33 available disaster management apps on Google Play Store in India.
We found 2 troubling trends within existing apps:
1.1 Disaster management mobile apps available in India (2022), none designed for real-time emergency communication
Static information over active tools
A majority of these apps serve as educational resources rather than interactive emergency tools, offering little practical utility during actual crises.
For victims like Malti, educational content about flood safety provids no means to signal her location or specific medical needs when her child needs immediate care.
For first responders like Shashi, educational content cannot help with rescue or relief efforts in real-time.
For dispatchers like Rajesh, static information cannot help track changing situations or make informed decisions about resource allocation.
Fragile communication infrastructure
When traditional networks fail, there's no alternative communication pathway built into existing apps.
For victims like Malti, this can create complete isolation, with no way to share their location or needs with potential rescuers.
For first responders like Shashi, this prevents coordination with team members, leading to duplicated efforts and wasted time trying to reach victims without clear location data.
For dispatchers like Rajesh, this results in a fragmented view of the emergency situation, making it difficult to coordinate rescue or relief efforts.
The real problem emerges
Communication disruption prevents victims from calling for help and sharing their location, while rescuers can't receive distress calls or coordinate their response. We need a communication system that can stay resilient as other systems fail.
With this understanding, our challenge became clear:
challenge
How might we effectively connect first responders with victims during a flood?
North Star Design Principles
Resilient
Communication systems that work when power grids and cell towers fail.
Immediate
Direct channels to coordinate rescue efforts and eliminate delays.
Accessible
Interfaces requiring minimal battery and technical knowledge for crises.
Expand to see how we went from problem to possibility
A network that reaches beyond flood zones
We knew the communication challenge well. So, we researched resilient communication systems - everything from satellite phones to traditional radios. After evaluating various resilient systems, we chose mesh networks using LoRa (Long Range) technology because:
Resilience: The network maintains multiple connection paths, automatically rerouting if nodes are damaged or submerged.
Mobility: First-responder boats can carry nodes, expanding coverage during operations.
Power Efficiency: Low-power requirements mean devices can operate for days on minimal battery.
2.1 Comparison showing communication collapse causing rescue delays (Before) vs. Alertera's mesh network enabling coordinated response (After)
While the resilient mesh network forms the backbone of Alertera, its true power comes from three integrated interfaces that connect victims, dispatchers, and responders:
Victim Portal: Offers quick help requests with easy options. It gives real-time status updates and safety info. All this works on low battery power in emergencies.
Dispatcher Hub: It helps coordinators plan situations. It also helps focus on urgent cases and send resources to where they’re needed.
First Responder Portal: Gives rescue teams clear mission details, navigation help, and status updates. This keeps communication seamless and ensures everyone stays safe.
This system creates emergency communication when traditional networks fail. It ensures urgent needs and otherwise overlooked issues get the right resources and support.
2.2 Interactive prototypes showing how victims request help, dispatchers coordinate resources, and first responders deliver assistance through Alertera's interfaces
The concept for this resilient communication system for victims, first responders, and dispatchers—won the Best Design Award at Design X Social 2022.
2.3 Our team accepting the Best Design Award for Alertera at the UX India Conference in November 2022
Our win proved that we were solving a real problem. But this marked a beginning and not an endpoint.
During the final round of presentation for the challenge, offered feedback to improve the app experience for all 3 segments of users. Inspired by the feedback and recognition, I sought to enhance our concept. I shared the idea with flood survivors and emergency response volunteers to gather more insights.
A need for certainty amidst urgency
The most critical perspective came from those who experienced floods firsthand. By sharing the initial app idea with survivors, I found six key gaps in experience that I should address to better support people during emergencies.
Critical information gaps for a victim
Unclear onboarding for a first-time user in an emergency
One-tap help missing options to add critical context
Anxiety-inducing news that consumes battery and data
Missing rescue or relief timeline and activity
Lack safety instructions to address change in situation
No means to leave feedback to improve service
A need for efficiency amidst confusion
Rescue and relief teams face their own challenges. Talking with these committed emergency workers, I found several gaps in their experience. If we address these gaps, they could save more lives during flood emergencies.
Decision-making hurdles for a dispatcher
Limited victim information visible at a glance
Lack of severity indicators
Lack of sufficient context for decision making
Field operation challenges for a first responder
Map view without detailed emergency information
Lack of a means to navigate to victim within the app
No status update mechanism for coordination
Purposeful evolution
While the core mesh network technology provided the essential infrastructure, the digital experience needed to evolve to address the human realities of flood emergencies.
I redesigned Alertera's digital experience with these key principles in mind:
Certainty in uncertainty: providing clear status updates and guidance when traditional communication fails.
Precision in chaos: enabling responders to coordinate with ease and efficiency.
Efficiency when time matters most: streamlining interfaces to prioritize life-saving information.
To know more about project nuances and my process, please reach out at bhuvana.ux@gmail.com
A lifeline in rising waters
The victim-side app allows Malti to connect to the LoRA network during the flood. Once connected, she can request help immediately, bypassing traditional steps like creating an account. The app gives her real-time status updates about her rescue request. After help arrives, the app offers a simple way to share feedback to enhance the service without being intrusive.
4.1 Prototype demonstrating how flood victims can communicate needs and location through Alertera's low-power emergency interface
Matching needs with available resources
Rajesh, the dispatcher, receives Malti's distress signal with her location and emergency details. He quickly assesses the situation and assigns the request to the nearest available first responder with the right capabilities. The dashboard gives him a complete view of all ongoing rescue operations, allowing him to prioritize and manage resources effectively.
4.2 Prototype demonstrating how dispatchers can view all ongoing rescue efforts and manage and allocate resources during flood emergencies
Bringing the rescue operation full circle
Shashi, the first responder, receives the assigned request with critical details about Malti's situation. He accepts the request and uses the responder-side app to navigate to her location. Throughout the rescue, he updates his status to keep both Malti and the dispatch center informed of progress. Once Malti is safe, he marks the operation complete and can view his history of completed rescues.
4.3 Prototype demonstrating how first responders can receive assignments, access victim information, and coordinate with dispatchers during flood emergencies
Impact measured in lives, not profits
For an emergency communication system like Alertera, success isn’t about engagement or retention. Instead, the true measures of impact would be lives saved and communities supported.
In crises that affect vulnerable populations, profit cannot be the main concern. Alertera is a public service designed to be accessible to all, with no cost barriers. Any implementation must prioritize:
Response Time
How quickly victims can send distress signals
How fast first responders can reach affected areas
Reduction in coordination delays
Coverage & Reliability
Number of areas where the mesh network functions
Percentage of uptime during flood conditions
Success rate of messages getting through
Lives Impacted
Number of successful rescues facilitated
Medical emergencies addressed
Families connected with relief resources
System Effectiveness
Reduction in duplicate rescue attempts
Improved resource distribution efficiency
Better coordination between rescue teams
Expanding vision as possibilities grow
We created this concept for the Design X Social challenge in 2022. In 2023, I refined the digital experience, focusing on closing the gaps identified through research.
The landscape of emergency communication continues to evolve with promising developments.
Satellite tech like StarLink could boost our LoRa network if made available in India. This might solve communication problems on a larger scale.
AI integration could potentially automate some dispatcher functions to make operations more efficient during crisis situations.
Funding opportunities remain a focus as we continue to apply for grants to move this project from concept to implementation.
Team
For Design X Social Global Challenge 2022:
Ankur Kalle
Ankita Chandavarkar
Gauri Mullerpattan
Aditya Nataraj
Bhuvana Shankar
Mentor - Prashanth Shanmugasundaram (Google)
TimelIne
Design X Social Global Innovation Challenge 2022: 3 weeks
Independent research and re-design: 4 weeks (June - July 2023)