My _Dare to challenge_experience
Through this semester ,in Ms Betty Tsakarestou’s lab “Dare to Challenge” we had to create a startapp , an application in order to provide solutions to a social issue of our choice. The subject of this project has to do with the SDGs.
For that reason we choose as issue which has to do with the rape culture and the need of women ,in most, arriving safe to their destination.My team’s (Charis Zarbalas, Christos Daniilidis, Asimina Christodoulatou, Danai Lyratzi, Martha Davari, Frossini Drakouli) project is called “Safe n Sound”. The map shows the brightest and most crowded way for the user to get to their destination. There is also the “Red Button” service in case of emergency.
First of all, we started by analysing the problem. We looking for the term “rape” and the whole “culture” around this which is known as “rape culture”. Because you can’t fix something if first you don’t know about it and face with it.
We learned,as i said, about SDGs(Substainable Development Goals) that our project is realevant with and set by UN & their goal to rebuilt a peaceful and united world. “The goals we decided to deal with are the two following: Goal 5 has to do with achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls and Goal 16 is about promoting just, peaceful and inclusive societies”(as Danai Lyratzi mentioned).
In our meetings we had a lot of brainstormings , ‘ifs’, ‘dos&donts’, alternative senarios and of course different opinions.
But in the end of the day, great collaboration was the only way to make our app come true. With the correct guidance and necessary soil improvers and feedbacks by our mentor and cordinator ,Ms Betty Tsakarestou, we improved day by day ourselves and our work. We learned how to “deliver and receive a feedback like a gift” because accept the good or bad feedback with open mind is the real key to success.
Of course our client-user opinion counts the most and for that reason we made a quastionnaire in order to understand and indulge user’s needs. To make a long story short, our questionnaire turned out helpful enough to focus to certain facts and specific issues.
Our team, after studying this research, created the user’s experience map and then meet up with a developper, just to be sure that our plan is achievable. And that’s it.The time for our prototype had come.
This whole semester was a huge oppurtinity for me to get known myself as part of a team under pressure, deadlines and significant rules. It gave us the chance to be creative and invetive. The paths of tecnology and inniciative ideas for social issues was the challenge and i think that “we made it” !
Follow my teammates’ Medium stories about Safe n’ Sound:
-“Safe and Sound” app project., Our Dare to challenge team at Web Summit 2016, Safe n’ Sound app prototype by Danai Lyratzi
- “safe n’ sound”Our Client-User by Martha Davari
-“She asked for it’’ An article about Rape Culture, A meeting with a developer for Safe&Sound. by Charis Zarbalas
-Safe and Sound in the Microscope, The Safe and Sound’s experience through Dare to Challenge lab., by Christos Daniilidis
-“Safe n’ Sound” user experience by Asimina Christodoulatou
