I got the idea after watching “City of Ghosts” - a short I worked on in the spring of 2022.
In it, one of the characters - a victim of human trafficking themselves, stumbles upon a flyer from A21 detailing ways you can find help if you or someone you know is in a bad situation.
Click here to test out the prototype. (And here to see the full redesign).
For the past few years, I’ve worked on a few short films for A21.
I recently took a look at the Bulgarian version of the website, and decided to re-design it, adding an important little piece to help victims of human trafficking visiting the website.
And so...
The current version of the website encourages people to participate and educates the reader on how to spot human trafficking, why it’s dangerous, and what they (the reader) can do to fight this inhumane practice.
Ok, but how would a victim of human trafficking get access to a computer?
I did some brainstorming, and came up with three possible scenarios that would allow for a victim to acquire access to a computer.
1.The victim is not allowed
access to a computer, but
sneaks to operate it.
access to a computer, but
sneaks to operate it.
2.The victim is allowed regular
access to a computer as part
of the operation.
access to a computer as part
of the operation.
3.The victim is allowed very
limited computer access
as a reward or incentive.
limited computer access
as a reward or incentive.
Some might say my solution fixes a very improbable set of circumstances, but when it comes to human life, every person counts, and if a solution similar to this ends up being used in the real world and saves at least one person - then it would have been worth it.
Now that I had the possible scenarios laid out, I did a round of How-Might-We’s to ensure a safe versatile solution for the end user. Here’s the key points.
1
Add a “ping” interaction that alerts law enforcement, A21, Interpol or other
parties.
parties.
2
Make the “ping” interaction very distinctive and easy for the user to access.
Allow for optional messaging.
Allow for optional messaging.
3
Add an interaction that immediately hides the A21 website and switches it for
a different less suspicious one. Make it distinct. Fitt’s Law.
a different less suspicious one. Make it distinct. Fitt’s Law.
From the very beginning my goal for this solution has been to ensure the safety of the user during the navigation.
The “HELP ME” CTA button uses orange, and is spread throughout various points of the interface, for easе of access. It leads to a special page that would allow the user to send either a “ping” or a quick message from the device they’re accessing the website on. This message or “ping” alert, would send the necessary information to the authorities, alerting them quickly.
Here’s the cherry on top - the camouflage feature. If the user is in danger of someone discovering their activity, there’s a button that would instantly change the page’s design to that of a famous website, in this case CNN.
That would mitigate suspicion caused by the user, allowing them to claim they “just wanted to read the news...” or a different faux explanation of why they were accessing the internet.
Having the alert interaction, along with the main educational flow of the website would allow people to empathize with the issue, and understand it a lot more intimately, because it lets them put themselves in the shoes of a victim of human trafficking.
1
The user enters the homepage, and clicks the “Help Me”
button.
button.
2
The user can send a message for help, their location or
hide the page to mask their activity.
hide the page to mask their activity.
3
Success! The authorities have been notified. All that’s
left is to wait.
left is to wait.
4
If the user chooses the “Hide This Page” option the
design switches to an inconspicuous page.
design switches to an inconspicuous page.
In Conclusion
Thank you for scrolling so far!
radytsenov@gmail.com