WyldFire
An app to stay safe and informed about wildfires
Having to quickly flee the Bay Area for Southern California in Summer 2020 because wildfires made the air too unhealthy for my pregnant wife, I found myself scrambling between Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and various news sites trying to stay updated on what was happening.
After taking shelter with my dad, we couldn't escape danger for long as a wildfire broke out right behind his house as well. Seeing the information gap my father experienced in trying to get accurate updates on whether we needed to evacuate, I knew there were others who were experiencing the same thing.
This project was the result of that experience. I developed and researched the concept and designed the branding, wireframes, mockups and prototype myself.
Project type
Personal design project
Role
Product Designer
What is the problem?
Climate change has accelerated the frequency and devastation of wildfires throughout the country. As more and more wildfires wreak havoc on our cities, having accurate and easily accessible information about what is happening outside could be the difference between life and death.
For those at higher risk and who live busy lives, trying to keep up with various news sources to find wildfire information can be unreliable or unrealistic.
To protect lives and keep people accurately informed, there needs to be an easy to use and readily available place for all wildfire updates in a given area as these dangerous events become more widespread.
User Research
Hearing From Those Affected By Wildfires
As I began dreaming up this concept, it was important to take into account not only my experience but to empathize with others who have experienced the reality of wildfires as well.
I surveyed and interviewed people who went through 2020's record Summer wildfires, as well as others who went through devastating fires in past years to collect data on what would have helped them feel more prepared and informed in those uncertain moments.
Research summary
The current social features inside Spotify are lacking in depth, buried in the settings menu and are occurring primarily outside the product on other social platforms. To create a social experience that is both intentional and useful, it would require a reimagining of the profile page and how audio is shared inside the app.
Designing the user experience
Onboarding
Users are greeted with the WyldFire splash screen and are then prompted to sign up or log in. Users have the convenient options to access WyldFire with their email address or associated Google, Facebook or Apple login info. After signing up for the first time, users are prompted to enter a location to start tracking wildfires near that area.Users can choose their current location, a city or specific address to look up.
Home page
The home page is the hub of data about current wildfires. Based on the location users select, this page will display any active fires close to that location and display vital information about the wildfire they select.
If users select their current location or specific address, the evacuation status for that area will be displayed based on local emergency service recommendations.
For all locations, the Air Quality Index will also be displayed.
Evacuation Status & Air Quality Index
Clicking on the Evacuation Status or AQI containers on the homepage will pull up a helpful explanation of the Evacuation Status Levels and Air Quality Index spectrum for quick referencing.
One of the biggest things I heard from users I surveyed was that accurate AQI was a very important issue. Some said they were checking it just as religiously as social media during the wildfires in the Summer of 2020.
This informed my decision to include AQI on the home page in a prominent way. I also decided to color code the levels in hopes that as users continue to frequent the app they intuitively begin to correlate the color with the current conditions outside.
Wildfire Map
The map will gives users a visual display of where wildfires are located. Users are able to select the toggle layers button to access public evacuation boundaries, shelter locations, or show all information at once.
News At A Glance
The news page will give users previews of local articles, Twitter hashtags, and the Twitter account most relevant to the location and wildfire they've selected.
Selecting a piece of news content or a hashtag will give users a quick preview of that content and offer them the option to be redirected to continue reading it on the corresponding source.
Saved Locations
By keeping track of locations important to users, whether that's their home or a loved one's, they will have quick access to check the status of what is happening near them.
Any chance to reduce the time spent searching is important when taking into account that through my research, time is one of users biggest hinderances to staying informed.
Adapting To Our Future
As our world is being transformed by the realities of climate change and the resulting environmental effects, adapting to this new normal is becoming even more pressing and important every year.
We need innovative ways to not only slow the wheels of catastrophic change happening in our world but to also equip ourselves to survive an environment that is becoming harsher and more destructive right before our eyes.