Empowering campus safety through wearable tech and real-time mapping—transforming fear into fast, informed action.
GuardianMap addresses the urgent issue of school shootings by integrating wearable technology, spatial computing, and real-time emergency response. The system enables students to trigger alerts, be located instantly, and follow escape routes via smart wearables, enhancing both safety and response coordination on campus.
Role
Product Designer, System Architect, Researcher
Methodologies
User Scenario Mapping, Rapid Prototyping, UX/UI Design, System Simulation, Feedback Iteration
Plantform
IOS and Android
School shootings in the United States continue to rise, leaving students and parents with a constant sense of insecurity. Existing campus safety systems often suffer from delayed information and unclear location tracking, resulting in insufficient emergency response.
GuardianMap was created to address this urgent social issue: how to leverage technology to strengthen the cycle of protection—prevention—response, ensuring students receive immediate support in times of crisis.
Building on the urgent need for faster and clearer campus emergency responses, GuardianMap was conceptualized as a wearable-based safety and tracking system supported by cloud infrastructure and real-time visualization.
Device Layer: Smartwatches act as the primary data collection and alert initiation point, ensuring accessibility in high-stress scenarios.
User Flow: Students wear and activate the device, move freely while being continuously tracked, and can trigger an alert with one tap or through an anomaly detection algorithm.
Backend & Visualization: Alerts are routed to a cloud server, which calculates escape routes, updates an interactive map, and synchronizes signals with visual/voice cues to guide students to safety.
Communication Module: Administrators, staff, and guardians receive real-time updates, enabling rapid coordination and support.
This design balances real-time positioning, seamless communication, and user-centered accessibility, ensuring that even in moments of fear and confusion, students can act quickly and receive immediate assistance.
The development of GuardianMap followed a function-driven roadmap, with each stage supported by iterative UI design and prototype testing.
An Alert Trigger Mechanism for fast activation, Escape Route Generation to provide real-time safe paths, a Map Marking System for situational awareness, and an Information Dispatch Module to notify staff and guardians.
Together, these prototypes were refined through multiple design sprints, integrating both front-end user experience and back-end reliability to ensure a seamless emergency response flow.
Advanced to Round 2 of the Diamond Challenge, affirming the solution’s innovation and relevance to youth-driven social impact.
Began drafting a research manuscript, reflecting the project’s academic rigor and long-term potential for publication.
This journey transformed me from a problem observer into a responsible builder, deepening my sense of civic responsibility through technology.