Design and development of the 'SHE' mobile application: a comprehensive approach to enhancing women's safety and well-being in public spaces

Abstract

Alarming figures show that a large percentage of women suffer harassment in metropolitan areas, thus women's safety in public places is still a major worldwide issue. Recent polls in Sri Lanka show that more than 70% of women experience some kind of public space harassment, therefore stressing the need of efficient safety measures. The "SHE" mobile app aims to solve this problem by providing women with quick access to safety elements on their smartphones. To enable quick reactions in emergencies, the app includes real-time GPS tracking, one-tap SOS notifications, and ongoing location sharing with trusted contacts. SHE also offers a variety of features meant to improve personal safety and situational awareness, such as instant incident reporting (by text, audio, or video), live streaming, a carefully selected map of women-friendly areas, and a danger zone identification tool. SHE includes health-oriented elements like a safe digital diary, menstrual cycle tracker, and goal-setting tools to help women even more. SHE was created using a user centered design method that included input from Sri Lankan women via surveys, focus groups, and interviews to grasp their particular safety issues. The design and functionality of the app came from data analysis of these sources. This mix of safety and wellness features provides a complete platform to empower women's autonomy, confidence, and security in negotiating public spaces.