KAUSTUBH JANGAM
A New Era of Policing: Designing for Quick Response and Minimal Distraction
Brief
My Role
To redesign the existing MDT (Mobile Data Terminal) to increase the efficiency of the Police Force, especially the ERV (Emergency Response Vehicle) Driver.
I have done and planned the entire UX Research and Design Process. This is entirely a solo and fictional project.
Duration
Skills
2 Months Graduation Project at MIT ID.
User Interviews, Empathy Mapping, User Journey Mapping, UI Designs.
Problem Statement :
"How might we increase the efficiency of the Police Force by creating a quick response and distraction-free interaction system so that the police officials can have a better efficiency than before ?”
About the Project
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I believe that there is a gap between the user’s mental model, Designer's conceptual model and user's idea about the system image.
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Majority of the users are not Tech-savy and have a bit lower comfort with the technology and so solution has to be designed from that perspective.
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The present system has ignored that the user might be driving during its use. So a hassle-free, non-distraction interface is the need.
Quick peek - solution
Background
In the Indian Context, Mahindra Defence is looking after the present ERSS system.
Mahindra Defence in turn has collaborated with the Trinity an organization based in Bangalore. They in collaboration created software solutions and a highly detailed system specifically for handling the Emergency Response system.
Trinity has created Software solutions for all Emergency-related processes.
As per their classification, Users are classified into – Call Taker, Dispatcher, Supervisor, and ERV/ Driver Staff.
The System also has a well-listed SOP(Systematic Operating Procedure) where they have prioritized the crimes and mentioned the course of Investigation.
Present Scenario/ Understanding of the Present System:
Basically, people/the general public will have various ways to request help.
Mobile / Telephones, App Call, SMS, E-mail, Live Chat, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp.
Depending on the way the request is placed, the scenarios will take turns in procedures which are next.
• Call will be taken by a CallTaker who is also a type of user.
• If the language is known to the CallTaker, he will respond else he will forward the call to the CallTaker who knows this language.
• As per the System Configuration, the call will be recorded and has Automated Number Identification (ANI) and Automated Location Identification(ALI) which will fill out a form like thing automatically.
There are 4 people in the ERV(Emergency Response Vehicle). 1 Driver, 1 Tab-operator, 1 on Walkie-Talkie, and 1 Female. The one with either a walkie-talkie or a female is equipped with the rifle in the vehicle. For Beat Marshals, 2 police officers on a bike and generally male are deployed.
Why Redesign was the solution?
Why not training was effective?
The user's Mental Model is not in sync with their idea of the system image. Training the officers is not going to help the officers because there is a huge gap in thinking ways. It was seen that even after securing an "A" grade in tests, the officers are still confused about the use of Mobile Data terminal(MDT). Many officers whether the young generation or the old generation, have a consensus feeling that the MDT operating is hard, and even after a period of time, officers still hesitate about its usage.
Understanding the contemporary existing system is difficult even after being provided with 2-3 weeks of training. The major problem as per my observation was the present interface has many distractions and overcoming them is almost impossible. The Cognitive Load on the User's mind is high because of a larger number of choices. Thus, Redesign was essential and the righteous way in the present situation.
Research Methods
Users Interview
After determining the target audience, conducted one to one interaction with the probable users and with the stakeholders as well.
Field Studies
Conducted visits to local Police Stations. Observed the usage of the MDT(Mobile Data Terminal). Conducted conversation with all stakeholders and users.
Usability Testing
Asked Users to perform certain tasks with redesigned interface.
Desk/Secondary Research from around the globe:
Telematics = Telecommunications + Vehicular Technologies + Electrical Engineering+ Computer Science
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References:
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www.Wired.com – Article on LAPD goes large with Chrysler Uconnect.
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Wkipedia – MDTs – Mobile Data terminals in police vehicles.
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Google Scholar Article on modules of Infotainment system.
High-level Goals
The core focus of problem is to create a highly efficient system.
Efficiency = Time to complete a task.
Effectiveness = Reduction in Errors.
Satisfaction = Happiness with the system.
Insights
1. Basic text like SOS is understood. But text like En Route creates a special confusion when written like this: एन रौटे in Marathi.
2. When we reached the crime scene after our investigation, we need to create a report. In that we need to mention all the happenings. Upload Photographs, Sound, Video as per requirement. But typing sometimes becomes hectic especially for beat marshals. So maybe an improvised system for ATR(Action Taken Report) is needed.
3. Many times some contingencies surfaced up in the surrounding of ERV. So there is a feature known as Event Creation where an ERV can create and document an ATR. It is very lengthy process and one needs to manually type out longer reports.
" Hey dint really want to load you with the huge amount of data - questionnaire/ interview questions, responses on this page, do feel free to reach out to know more!! That's a story in itself !"
Empathy Maps
Personas
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User Journey Mapping
User Flows
Information Architecture
Wireframes
Final Screens
Before
After
Usability Testing
Conducted Usability Testing with 11 users. The users were able to complete their given tasks. Also, there was an improvement suggested by the users during testing.
1. The filter symbol in SOS Messages was not obvious. It needs text description, mere icon was not enough.
2. The Patrol Chart was always used to be empty. If the location of the vehicle is kept on, then the vehicle's misuse will be on a forefront.
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Key Takeaways
The design received a lot of positive feedback from users and stakeholders, especially when I went out on the field to test it out with the actual people out there.
" My biggest takeaway from this project was how to define scope and manage hypothetical brief with different data points from research, understanding the needs of the users to stakeholder input. Starting out with a white canvas, I went out to try to collect data from stakeholders and get resources with a pre-defined vision. Dealing with so many limitations and pain points at the beginning to reaching out to a goal, I have come a long way!!! I learned later on that listening to what stakeholders want helped me to set expectations early on and avoid me doing duplicated efforts. I know the UI can be better - will keep updating as I keep learning!!! "