Role
User experience and interaction design, UX writing
Context
I was one of three designers for this student project. This project was done over the span of 24 hours at the 2025 UC Davis Designathon. My team and I made the top two finalist and were awarded runner-up Best Overall Design among 200+ designers and 30+ teams.
The prompt this year was to design a digital experience that demonstrates the transformative power of design by creating moments of insight, connection, or growth. Focus on challenging perspectives, fostering meaningful interactions, or driving lasting emotional impact.
The Problem
My team chose to focus on a sensitive demographic—domestic abuse survivors—aiming to create a design that is empathetic, empowering, and attentive to their unique needs.
Our problem statement was: how can we design a secure and supportive app that empowers individuals experiencing domestic abuse?
Team
Juan Alvarez / Designer
Nanette Ta / Designer
Timeline
24 hours
Tools
Figma, Notion
Research
📚 Academic Papers
Before touching the visual elements of design, my team and I started off with white paper research.
With limited direct access to users, I had to think creatively about gathering actionable insights, a challenge that strengthened our adaptability and problem-solving skills. We couldn’t conduct traditional interviews. Instead, I reviewed academic papers and psychological research on the impacts of abuse and help-seeking behavior.
🤝 Resources
I analyzed public materials from shelters, hotlines, and legal services—particularly around escape planning and assessment tools. What caught my eye during this research were tools like the Danger Assessment and the Lethality Assessment Program provided frameworks for understanding risk.
🗣️ Testomonies
I sourced testimonies from survivors published by support organizations and online campaigns.
👩🏻💻 Competitive Analysis
I conducted a competitive review of platforms like: LoveisRespect, MyPlan, The UK Hotline, ShelterSafe (Canada), & One Love Foundation.
What I found was that most of these platforms are resource-heavy, but few offer customized experiences based on risk or background. Few have stealth features or anonymous communities.
Instead, areas of focus my team and I considered were:
Holistic support: including mental health, legal, emotional, and safety tools.
User empowerment: not just help, but clarity
Community connection by healing through shared experience
Synthesis
Affinity Mapping
Through affinity mapping, I synthesized user pain points—such as fear of discovery, dependency, and post-abuse trauma—alongside insights showing that many survivors don’t label their experiences as abuse or know help is available.
User Personas
To ground our design in a real, relatable story, I developed two different user personas- Anna a gentle and timid teacher who seeks safety, understanding, and supportive resources, and Marcus, a defensive and outspoken professional who masks his vulnerability with toughness.
Together, these personas demonstrate the diverse ways survivors experience and cope with abuse—whether through silence or defensive posturing. Including both perspectives in research is essential to designing interventions that address stigma, provide tailored resources, and reach survivors who may not fit stereotypical narratives.
Ideation
Workflows
To establish a rough outline, I developed a guiding framework for the app, envisioning the registration, accessibility to resources, threads, and discreet exiting processes.
Lo-fidelity
I began envisioning the structure and features for the home, resources, and threads.
Design System
Creating the Design System
When designing Sanctuary’s interface, I paid close attention to the emotional state of our users. Survivors of domestic abuse often experience anxiety, fear, and are overwhelm—so I knew our visual design had to be soothing, intuitive, and non-triggering.
I chose a cool-toned color palette. These colors evoke calmness, trust, and stability, helping to ease users into a state where they can explore their options without feeling overstimulated or on edge.
I avoided clutter by using consistent typography and structured content to reduce cognitive load. This way, users can quickly find critical resources, like emergency plans or local shelters, even if they’re only able to engage with the app for a few minutes at a time.
Our design system is intentional and trauma-informed. It isn’t just about looking good—it’s about creating a quiet, safe, and empowering experience, where users can feel in control again, even in moments of crisis.
Solution
Resources
FINAL PROTOTYPE
Our Resources tab which acts as a reliable, easy-to-navigate hub where users can learn about their rights, understand types of abuse, and explore options for legal aid, shelter, counseling, and more.
Danger Assessment
FINAL PROTOTYPE
Take the AI-powered risk test based on the John Hopkin’s danger assessment used by first responders and domestic violence professionals to assess if the survivor is in danger
Complete a 5-step escape plan drawn from organizations like domesticshelter.org, the national domestic abuse hotline, and womensaid.org
Survivor Discussion Forums & Threads
FINAL PROTOTYPE
Unlike traditional social platforms, Threads emphasizes privacy and emotional safety, using filters and moderation practices that prioritize survivors’ mental health. Users can create and view forums without having to sign in, and they will be randomly assigned a generated user and profile picture.
Exit Safely & Discreetly
FINAL PROTOTYPE
Lets users quickly and discreetly exit the app, instantly redirecting them to a neutral screen—like a calendar or homepage—to avoid suspicion if someone walks in or checks their phone unexpectedly.
Takeaways
🤲 Working with what you have
I learned the importance of working with what you have. Since my team and I couldn’t safely interview users face-to-face, we had to get creative—pulling insights from survivor stories, academic research, and real-world tools like the Danger Assessment. It pushed us to be resourceful and thoughtful with every choice. We kept our research limitations in mind every step of the process.
❤️ Intentionality
I kept coming back to the idea of designing with intention. In a project like this, where safety, privacy, and emotional care are at the core, every design choice—whether it's a color, a button label, or a feature—has to be made on purpose.
