Artemis
An education platform designed to empower women and challenge gender norms.
Role:
UX Designer, UX Researcher, Content Strategy, UI Motion, Business Strategy
Duration:
August 2019 - August 2020
What started out as a mission to keep women safe at night, turned into something much greater.
The Problem
Gender inequality is an obvious systemic issue in today’s society. It stems from the lessons we learn at a young age.
If you’re a girl (or were raised as if you were one), you learn to be on the defensive. If you’re a boy, you learn that you're the aggressor. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. These teachings impact our whole lives and the world we are living in.
25% of women experience sexual harassment at work
Women earn 20% less than men on average
Less than 5% of CEOs in S&P 500 are women
¼ of US Congressional seats are held by women
Solution
Artemis is an education platform to help women feel more confident and empowered throughout their daily lives. Its researched backed curriculum and easy-to-use design makes it an effective and approachable tool for women from all walks of life.
These techniques are proven to decrease completed rape attempts and increase confidence during interactions with strangers and known others.
Tackling gender inequality and norms wasn’t always our problem statement. This journey began by exploring public safety and ways to help people feel safer at night.
Research
User Interviews
We interviewed multiple women of varying age to tap into what makes people feel safe as well as unsafe. What do people do when they feel this way?
“I have a map with me at all costs and maybe protection, like paper spray. I also try to wear the right shoes in new places, opting for sports shoes rather than heels.”
- Leigh S.
We gathered countless quotes like this one. We knew things shouldn’t be this way. We started exploring how to make physical products (pepper spray, alarms, bodyguards, etc. better.
Physical Prototyping
A 3D printed ring that spins, and when spun, sets off an alarm or calls police or loved one
A bracelet that you put on your wrist and, if released, sets off an alarm or GPS tracker
Shocking gloves and AR glasses that can direct you to the safest route home
Krav Maga Self Defense Training
One of our team members, Gia, suggested that we should attend a self-defense class to see what we could learn from it. It was a great idea because after taking the class, we felt empowered and capable of defending ourselves against any attacker. Although that may not have been true, it was the feeling that we had been searching for.
Women shouldn’t live in fear when they’re walking down the street at night. They should feel empowered and confident. This is how they can feel safer at night.
Pivoting & Secondary Research
We discovered the work of Jocelyn Hollander, a women’s studies professor at the University of Oregon. Her work introduced us to a multitude of empowerment techniques that are proven to increase general confidence in women and boost their self-efficacy. An education platform that could teach women these tools and techniques would be the best route to take.
The platform would educate the user about topics like body language, situational awareness, assertive language, and setting boundaries.
My groupmate, Gia, researching and recording our findings after the pivot
IA & Content Strategy
Exploring lessons and their potential structure
The next was determining the teaching structure. We decided the core flow of the app would be a four-step process for each lesson.
1. Learn
User are taught an overview of the lesson.
2. Play
They build upon that knowledge by playing an interactive game.
3. Apply
User applies what they’ve learned into the real world.
4. Beyond
User unlocks further resources, tools, and a community aspect.
Mid-Fidelity Designs
Some of the lessons that we planning on incorporating into the app. Although we didn’t end up using the illustration shown above, they did inspire future iterations. The user would horizontally scroll through the lessons.
Motion Exploration
Clickable Prototype
Results
Although our platform never came to life, we tested the efficacy of our content and prototype with some potential users. The positive feedback we got was considerable.
“It felt bigger than me. Like I was part of a movement and community of empowerment. I started to have relationship with Artemis.”
- Yvonne D.
It would be a treat to continue to pursue the creation of this product. I hope to do so in the future.