Citymapper: Safer Navigation Feature
A feature allowing users to customise their navigation routes based on safety preferences to boost their confidence and sense of security when traveling through the city.
What are the gaps between existing solutions and the actual safety precautions women takes while navigating London?
I begin the project by analysing the existing solutions to my topic to identify gaps and patterns in those solutions, by identifying opportunities for intervention to develop a tailored solution for my users.
Existing Solutions
Competitive Analysis
My analysis of existing solutions and interviews with women living in London revealed critical gaps in current night navigation approaches.
Lack of Preventive Options Existing safety solutions focus on reacting to risky situations rather than preventing them, offering support only when users are already vulnerable
Precautionary Gaps Women often rely on precautionary actions to stay safe, yet few tools cater to these proactive measures, leaving a gap in preventive solutions.
User Interview
Using the analysis from the research on existing solutions, I conducted an informal interview with 15 women living in London to find out what are some current measures taken by women to ensure their personal safety while navigating at night.
User Interviews
Mind-Mapping
I used mind-mapping as an organisation tool as well as to clarify relationships between safety elements identified in the datasets from The Office for National Statistics and National Police Chiefs’s Council as well as from the user interviews conducted.
Mind Map
I discovered that safety perception is highly subjective and personal—no universal solution exists. Hence, to achieve a safer route would necessitates personalisation, tailored to each individual's perception of safety.
Environmental Elements (geographical features like lighting, foot traffic, and urban layout)
Situational Context (temporary, context-dependent factors that vary by circumstance)
Leveraging Existing vs. Building New
I decided to conduct an online ethnography to find out if there is a real need to create a navigation app from scratch or might it be more beneficial to build upon what is already available and widely used in London.
Online Ethnography
Through online ethnography, I found that Citymapper dominates London's navigation landscape. Rather than building from scratch and asking users to adopt yet another app, leveraging Citymapper's established user base and trusted platform proves far more strategic.
This approach allows for:
Seamless integration of safety features within familiar navigation workflows
Eliminating adoption barriers
Ensuring immediate accessibility for London's existing Citymapper users.
A Prevention-First Navigation Solution
An integrated Citymapper feature allowing users to customise their navigation routes based on safety preferences to boost their confidence and sense of security when traveling through the city.
Safer Feature
Real-World Application
To demonstrate how this integrated Citymapper safety feature works in practice, consider Sarah's journey home from a networking event in South Kensington at 10 PM. She needs to travel back to her apartment in East London. While she could take the shortest route home, she prefers a safer option with well-lit streets and busy foot traffic to feel more secure.
User Persona
Sarah's Journey
Impact & Validation
Testing revealed the solution's immediate impact on both usability and user confidence. With 95% user satisfaction and 100% expressing desire for the feature, the personalised safety approach proved that prevention-focused navigation isn't just needed—it's essential. By prioritising proactive safety within familiar workflows, this solution transforms how women navigate urban spaces with confidence.