Project Overview
For this concept, I explored how to develop User Interfaces and design User Experiences by creating an interactive mock-up of an app using Adobe XD. The app was developed with the feedback and support of several rape survivors and victim advocates from the Julie Valentine Center which is based in Greenville, South Carolina. The design is centered around empowering survivors of sexual assault on college campuses to report what happened to them in a way that would not shame or blame them and find resources specific to their location.
An Urgent Problem
Rape is an especially heinous crime, both in its prevalence and in the silence its victims are shackled in. One in five women and one in seventy-one men will be raped at some point in their lives [1], yet, rape is one of the most under-reported crimes. Sixty-three percent of sexual assaults are not reported to police [2]. Only 12% of child sexual abuse is reported to the authorities [3]. Contrary to popular myth, false reporting is extremely rare, ranging between 2% and 10% [4].
On college campuses, these trends are no better. One in 5 women and one in 16 men are sexually assaulted while in college [5], and more than 90% of sexual assault victims on college campuses do not report the assault [6].
For Christian colleges, these realities confront us, but religious communities are more apt to punish victims for “not behaving modestly” or shaming young people for being in morally ambiguous situations. Rather than take action and pursue justice, the experience of many Christians has been so shame-inducing that many victims stay silent.
My app seeks to solve the problem of under-reporting sexual assault by providing a platform that does not shame victims while giving law enforcement the information they require to pursue investigations.
Victims are often not believed if they delay reporting, and crucial evidence is lost within hours of an assault. Time is required to process trauma. By streamlining the reporting process while adhering to basic standards of due process and jurisprudence, this app will seek to empower survivors to tell the stories society would rather ignore.
Since technology cannot shame you, and the dizzying number of maze-like steps and people to talk to can be intimidating for victims, our app seeks to consolidate the reporting all in one place, where victims can go at their own pace instead of being barraged by the litany of questions like the Stanford Rape Victim’s letter so poignantly demonstrated.
From the Stanford Rape Victim's letter to her rapist, Brock Turner. Found here: http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2857846-Stanford-Rape-Victim-Letter.html
Research
What I wanted to do was create a safe and supportive platform for sexual assault survivors to process what happened to them, make decisions without pressure or judgment, and provide the resources they need based on their state.
Since my school is located in South Carolina, I decided to focus my research on the laws of this state. If this concept has merit, I can foresee expanding this to encompass all states and provinces.
In terms of the name, according to some sources, I found that Sibyl is the name of Lady Justice.
In terms of the name, according to some sources, I found that Sibyl is the name of Lady Justice.
Development
Sibyl was developed with the input of several rape survivors victim advocates from the Julie Valentine Center based in Greenville, South Carolina. Months of research into law, trauma, trigger words, and how various colleges process reports of assault went into designing a survivor-centered tool that is sensitive to the needs of victims, creates a safe environment to learn and report traumatic events, and helps connect people to the valuable resources at their disposal without pressures or judgement.
Sibyl operates with the assumption that survivors want to be empowered to make the decisions that are right for them if they know their options, understand the process, and have agency over how their story is shared. Every survivor is different, and Sibyl honors that.
Features
To that end, we sought to make Sibyl a platform that allowed survivors to:
—Explore customized content about reporting options and support services.
—Confidentially save time-stamped details of what happened.
—Electronically report details of an assault directly to their school’s Title IX Coordinator.
Wireframes
I used the wireframing stage to establish the organization of the content and the interaction strategy for the survivors who used this app.
Visual Design
Using gradients to evoke a sunrise/sunset, the colors are intended to convey there is hope on the horizon. Keeping the user flow as simple as possible, I combined months of research into law, trauma, and the needs of survivors into a series of text, images, and a navigation system that seeks to empower survivors to utilize their agency, have a choice, and reclaim their voice in a variety of ways.
Prototype
A working prototype of this app was made using Adobe XD, which you can interact with by following this link:
BIBLIOGRAPHY
[1] Black, M. C., Basile, K. C., Breiding, M. J., Smith, S .G., Walters, M. L., Merrick, M. T., … Stevens, M. R. (2011). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2010 summary report. Retrieved from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control:
[2] Rennison, C. A. (2002). Rape and sexual assault: Reporting to police and medical attention, 1992-2000 [NCJ 194530]. Retrieved from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics:
https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/rsarp00.pdf
https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/rsarp00.pdf
[3] Hanson, R. F., Resnick, H. S., Saunders, B. E., Kilpatrick, D. G., & Best, C. (1999). Factors related to the reporting of childhood rape. Child Abuse and Neglect, 23, 559–569. doi:10.1016/S0145-2134(99)00028-9
[4] Lonsway, K. A., Archambault, J., & Lisak, D. (2009). False reports: Moving beyond the issue to successfully investigate and prosecute non-stranger sexual assault. The Voice, 3(1), 1-11. Retrieved from the National District Attorneys Association: http://www.ndaa.org/pdf/the_voice_vol_3_no_1_2009.pdf
[5] Miller, T. R., Cohen, M. A., & Wiersema, B. (1996). Victim costs and consequences: A new look (NCJ 155282). Retrieved from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles/victcost.pdf
[6] Fisher, B., Cullen, F., & Turner, M. (2000). The sexual victimization of college women (NCJ 182369). Retrieved from the National Criminal Justice
Reference Service: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/182369.pdf
