Inner City Visions
OVERVIEW
Inner City Visions (ICV) is the only nonprofit in Florence-Firestone dedicated to supporting at-risk youth and combating human trafficking. With the rise of domestic sex trafficking — especially involving minors — existing systems failed to deliver timely, coordinated support for survivors.
We partnered with ICV through Code the Change at USC to design a mobile tool that could intervene in moments of crisis and help survivors stay connected to resources and case managers over time.
TEAM
1 PM
1 Tech Lead
2 Designers
8 Developers
TIMELINE
8 weeks
Spring 2024
TOOLS
Figma
SKILLS
Product Design
Design System
Prototyping
01
Understanding the Setting
RESEARCH AND INSIGHTS
Domestic sex trafficking in the U.S. is alarmingly widespread — most cases are pimp-controlled and disproportionately involve minors. Survivors often face gaps in care, leading to high recidivism and poor long-term outcomes.
To understand the local impact, we spoke with the head of Inner City Visions and reviewed national datasets on trafficking and survivor support.
Survivors delay reporting due to fear, mistrust, or being monitored.
Case managers lack tools for fast response and ongoing support.
Tracking incident history is key to long-term care and legal follow-up.
02
Laying the Foundation
We mapped the full user journey for both clients and case managers. While the structure worked in theory, wire-framing surfaced breakdowns in two critical places:
WHERE IT BROKE DOWN
Chat was too deeply nested:
Survivors had to navigate multiple screens to message their case manager
Dropdown tags were overwhelming:
The report screen surfaced nearly 100 pre-set tags, creating cognitive overload and slowing down the process at the very first step.
UPDATED USER FLOW
We restructured the flow to reduce friction and surface key actions. Chat is now accessible from the homepage, and incident reporting would require fewer steps and less context-switching.
03
Designing Solutions
WIREFRAMING FOR FUNCTION, NOT STYLE (YET)
I focused on the client-side experience. Once the flows were mapped, I translated them into wireframes to test navigation and interaction logic. We kept fidelity low to move quickly, stress-test usability, and adapt the design to real-world constraints survivors might face.
HOW MIGHT WE ...
Be invisible when needed
I first explored a stealth “Game Mode,” triggered by gestures like tap sequences or pull-downs. However, requiring users to learn those patterns introduced friction. I pivoted and mapped stealth patterns from banking apps, hidden photo folders, and Snapchat.
The final interaction was simple: when minimized, the app auto-switches to a neutral cover screen — no gestures, no learning curve, just instant discretion.
Reduce friction and ensure a fast response
We replaced a static dropdown of 100+ tags with a natural language input that maps free text to structured categories. This reduced cognitive load and made reporting faster.
On submit, the system auto-routed the report to a case manager and, if needed, an emergency contact — enabling fast, reliable response.
Create support that lasts
Each report was logged and timestamped, giving survivors a clear record of their experiences and helping case managers identify long-term patterns. Users could also save trusted resources to revisit later, whether they were navigating a similar situation or simply needed a quick refresh.
These systems weren’t just built to function; they were designed to feel calm, accessible, and dependable. That foundation directly shaped the visual language in the next phase.
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This page is sill under construction, check in soon for updates!