Design Process
Research & Discovery
Canadian and Ontario statistics
Maggies Toronto helped to gain more insight to the scope of the problem.
Secondary Research
Hypothesis
I believe that Sex workers struggle with safety, especially when going to police is often not an option. I will know I am right when I see the following feedback from my interviews.
Assumptions
Sex workers do not always have enough resources to ensure their safety
Participants interviewed are Sex Workers who are operating independently in Toronto and that are currently working and between the ages of 20-35
Why This Criteria?
Some workers start in the industry at a young age, and others come into the space later in life. Most independent workers have post secondary education, started out at agencies, then moved fully independent. It is important to note that most sex workers (53%) are caucasian and the average age of sex workers are between 30-40 years who operate independently.
My interviewees started out in the industry in their 20s and are now fully independent in their 30s, so it is important to note this within the age range
Interview Guide
A series of unbiased and open ended questions
NOTE: The issue is addressing safety - this can be done through examining how someone operates VS asking about potential traumatic situations
Synthesis
Affinity Mapping
How Might We
How Might We How might we increase safety for independent female Sex Workers in Toronto, regarding vetting their clientele?
Persona
Experience Mapping
User Flow
Ideation
User Stories and Epics
Priority Matrix
UI Library and Logo
UI Inspiration
Next Steps
Key Learnings
Tarot Card of Tech
One major consideration was reflected upon when creating this product - Gender. When narrowing down the target audience the user base was decidedly female. Although women make up a large portion of the Sex Worker demographic, transgendered females also operate in this space, as well as male providers. This matters because the app was initially going to be predominantly red, and it is known that males experience red colour blindness (1 in 12). This would have made the interface less user friendly for those who experience this condition.
Continuing forward with this product, developing more features for the users:
chat rooms and direct messaging
would be helpful for users to have more avenues of communication with one another
Implementing how moderators would effectively monitor the app is also important
Being able to have this app operate in more cities
Sex Workers who tour would have assurance that they are supported and are able to upkeep their booking standards. This would also encourage other cities/countries to have better practices
Legality:
Most importantly when creating an app of this nature, one must reflect on the capacity of this app being able to operate legally. Such concerns may arise surround a users privacy, or the potentially defamation type of posts within the platform. Although Canada does not have such legislation, “Section 230 of the U.S. Communications Decency Act (CDA 230) bars online platforms from being considered a “publisher or speaker” of third-party content and establishes that a platform can absolve itself from liability by moderating its content in good faith.” Deciding how the app is developed and under which laws it is able to be protected by would be prudent as a next step if moving into the building of this app and being able to market it