We began by researching and analyzing multiple existing applications and brand references, ranging from pet care services to Stone Island’s brand ecosystem. However, we found these topics had overly limited scope to support a complete, impactful project. We then pivoted our focus to the California wildfire crisis, and identified notable gaps and unmet needs within the existing wildfire safety app Watch Duty. This led us to define our core project scope: enhancing Watch Duty with targeted new features to better protect local residents during wildfire emergencies.

We conducted one-on-one interviews with over 20 users based in California to understand their wildfire preparedness behaviors and pain points. Key findings included:

• 15 out of 20 users had never downloaded any wildfire safety mobile application

• 18 users lacked a pre-prepared emergency evacuation or shelter plan

• 5 users did not have saved up-to-date emergency contact information for their household members

• 16 users expressed major anxiety and uncertainty about their family’s safety during an active wildfire event

Based on our user research conclusions, we moved into the design phase. We created hand-drawn wireframe sketches first, then built detailed Figma mockups to establish the full app architecture, layout logic, and user flow for our newly designed supplementary features.

We refined our full-function interactive mockups, then conducted live usability testing sessions with our target users. We walked testers through our new feature designs, collected direct feedback on usability, clarity, and real-world practicality, and iterated our design based on their input.

In the final stage of the project, we finalized the complete webpage and interactive showcase, and produced a polished introduction and promotional video that demonstrates our upgraded app functions, design solutions, and real-life wildfire safety value.