Design Leader
Emma Li
Date
Bushfire-SafeNexus
System Design
For ABC Emergency Broadcasting
I designed, developed and launched a system that integrates ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) apps, transportation screens, and community networks to help post-bushfire trauma survivors avoid future bushfires, prevent secondary trauma, and enhance community resilience.
2024.08 - 2024.10
Tools
Figma, Ps, Ai
Emma Li: Research, System Design, Prototyping, Test, Interface Design
Overview
I led and contributed to the majority of the Bushfire-SafeNexus project end-to-end, from research to final design, pouring my passion into creating a thoughtful system that supports both practical needs and emotional resilience.
The Bushfire-SafeNexus system is an integrated solution combining the Online-ABC apps and website, Offline-Transportation Hub Digital Screens, and Local Community networks to support post-bushfire trauma survivors. This system includes 4 sections, offers personalized notifications, real-time AR evacuation maps, and synchronized location-based information and alerts displayed on digital screens and within the online community.
To provide emotional support, it includes family groups, a 24/7 AI chat, and offline community assistance. By synchronizing updates across platforms, the system ensures that users receive timely information and emotional support seamlessly across both online and offline environments.
Storyboard: How it works?
Background
This project was one of the most meaningful experiences of my university journey, created in collaboration with ABC, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Out of six design briefs, I was drawn to ‘Enhance Emergency Broadcasting’ because it aligned with my passion for supporting mental health and well-being through thoughtful design.
Driven by curiosity and empathy, I conducted independent research to understand the challenges faced by disaster-affected communities. This allowed me to design a system that not only tackled practical issues but also supported emotional resilience—showing me the true impact design can have on people’s lives.
Natural disasters are frequent in Australia, particularly bushfires, floods, and cyclones, which are highly destructive and have widespread impacts.
Project Objective
Strengthen ABC’s emergency broadcasting for helping bushfire trauma survivors to prepare for and avoid bushfire risks, while also preventing secondary psychological trauma.
Beyond just information, the system aims to offer emotional support, enhancing community resilience and well-being.
Project Process
01.Research
Background Research
Background research on ABC, emergency broadcasting, and Australian natural disasters defined the project’s design principles and disaster-focused scope, guiding further project research.
Project & Target Research
Based on project and target research, the target group and project direction were established.
Interview for Requirements
Building on the target group, interviews with psychologists provided deeper insights, informing specific user needs that the project aims to address.
Broadcasting Framework Research for Design
Framework research established the foundation for designing the system and defining its framework.
Research was the heart of this project, driving an empathetic and user-focused design. By exploring the challenges of emergency broadcasting and the psychological toll of bushfires, I uncovered gaps in existing systems and set clear, meaningful goals. From background research to insightful interviews with psychologists, each step shaped a solution that not only informs but also provides emotional support, ensuring every design decision was grounded in real human needs and fueled by my passion for making a positive impact.
1.1 Background Research
I approached background research with the goal of gaining a broad understanding of ABC’s mission, natural disasters, and emergency broadcasting. This helped me uncover key challenges, define the project’s focus, and establish clear design principles.
I conducted desk research to bridge my knowledge gap about ABC and emergency broadcasting, ensuring that my design decisions were well-informed and relevant. This analysis helped me identify ABC’s goals, challenges, and key focus areas to improve information accessibility and impact.
Desk Research for ABC Emergency Broadcasting
Stakeholders Map
I created the stakeholder map to deepen my understanding of ABC, users, and ABC’s role in this project. This helped me identify primary stakeholders like ABC, the public, and key partners, as well as secondary stakeholders such as educational institutions and media organizations.
Competitor Analysis
Examining systems like FEMA and Disaster Alert opened my eyes to the challenges of maintaining data accuracy in emergency broadcasting. It also revealed key opportunities for ABC—leveraging better technology integration, strengthening public trust with consistent updates, and making emergency alerts more accessible and precisely targeted to different regions.
I conducted a competitor analysis to understand industry standards and identify areas where ABC could improve. This helped me assess user satisfaction and market demand, ensuring the project aligned with industry best practices.
Nature Disaster Focus
Design Principles
1.2 Project & Target Research
Building on research around natural disasters in NSW, their impact, emergency broadcasting factors, and the affected populations—especially those with psychological trauma—I created a loopy system diagram to map the connections and interactions between key findings. This helped me clearly define the target user group, emergency stages, and disaster types, shaping a more focused and effective project direction.
I took a deep dive into how natural disasters, especially bushfires in NSW, impact communities—focusing on the psychological toll and the challenges people face in accessing emergency broadcasts. Understanding these real human experiences was key to shaping a design that truly supports those in crisis.
Desk Research for NSW Nature Disaster & Psychology Trauma
I created this diagram to untangle the complex interactions and contributing factors around psychological trauma in disaster-affected populations and emergency broadcasting. It helped me pinpoint key focus areas for the project and reinforced the importance of designing a trauma-sensitive emergency communication system.
Through my research, I realized how crucial trauma-sensitive emergency broadcasting is for post-disaster survivors. The lack of preventive support stood out, reinforcing the urgent need to not only provide clear information during bushfires but also prevent secondary trauma and avoid worsening existing conditions.
Since this project wasn’t aimed at creating a one-size-fits-all solution, I focused on crafting a targeted approach—one that directly addresses the unique needs of bushfire trauma survivors, ensuring support that truly resonates with their experiences.
Loopy System Diagram
Through desk research and the Loopy System Diagram, I uncovered key insights that led me to focus on individuals with post-disaster psychological trauma—especially those affected by bushfires. This discovery shaped the project brief, ensuring the design directly addressed their unique challenges and needs.
Project Brief
HMW design a system that helps post-bushfire trauma survivors in NSW prepare for and avoid bushfire disasters before they occur?
HMW prevent secondary trauma among post-bushfire trauma survivors in NSW during the dissemination of emergency information?
1.3 Interviews for Requirements
I sat down with psychologists for in-depth interviews, eager to better understand the needs of individuals experiencing post-bushfire psychological trauma. These conversations gave me invaluable insights into the specific informational and emotional support they require.
No Survey
Ethical Considerations
Questionnaires could unintentionally cause secondary trauma
Interviews with Psychologists
Revised Approach
Only use in-depth interviews with psychologists to indirectly gather insights, ensuring ethical data collection
Wanting to better understand the symptoms, needs, and coping strategies of individuals with post-bushfire psychological trauma—both before and during a bushfire—I conducted in-depth interviews with two psychologists. Afterward, I carefully analyzed the gathered data.
This analysis helped me break down key insights from the interviews, turning them into clear user needs. It highlighted the crucial informational and psychological support that individuals with post-bushfire trauma rely on during emergencies.
Affinity Graph Analysis
Through my research, I discovered that individuals with post-bushfire psychological trauma have two essential needs in emergency broadcasting: informational needs and psychological support.
User Needs
1.4 Broadcasting Framework Research for Design
To create a system that truly supports bushfire trauma survivors, I wanted to understand how online and offline platforms could work together effectively. This research phase laid the groundwork for an integrated system tailored to NSW’s emergency broadcasting needs. By analyzing ABC platforms, conducting field research on city screens, and exploring trauma prevention strategies, I identified key design opportunities to bridge critical information gaps and provide more supportive emergency communication.
The project establishes a multimedia matrix that combines both online and offline platforms, relying solely on an app or website won’t suffice.
I explored online platforms, including ABC’s products and trauma prevention strategies, to find the best design approach for delivering emergency information. This research helped me identify suitable design directions and platforms for effectively disseminating emergency information online.
Desk Research for Online Platform
Exploring digital and non-digital screens across Sydney’s transportation hubs, I discovered six common screen types at train stations and bus stops. By analyzing their locations, content, user interactions, usage rates, and network connectivity—and weighing their strengths and weaknesses—I identified three digital screen types best suited for the project.
Advantages:
I dove into researching offline platforms, especially city screens, to figure out how they could play a bigger role in emergency broadcasting. This helped me determine which screens to use and how to seamlessly connect them with online platforms to create a more effective and accessible emergency communication system.
The project uses city screens as offline platform, specifically selecting screens within the transportation hub network.
Field Research for Offline
Building on my research, I designed the final system framework to seamlessly blend online and offline platforms. The online component integrates with the ABC Emergency website and apps, ensuring critical information is easily accessible. Meanwhile, the offline component utilizes transportation hub screens—specifically, three key types of digital screens in train stations and bus stops across New South Wales—to extend emergency communication into public spaces where it’s needed most.
After analyzing the user journey map, I identified several design opportunities and began developing the detailed system framework and internal components.
Notable opportunities include:
Every step of my research was essential for the project’s success and my growth as a designer. Background research grounded the project in real-world challenges, while target group research connected me directly with the people affected, ensuring the design met their needs. Interviews with psychologists revealed emotional and psychological challenges, teaching me to design for both functionality and resilience. Finally, broadcasting framework research aligned the solution with industry standards. Each step built on the last, driving the project forward and fueling my passion for creating designs that truly make a difference.
Based on preliminary research, the project aims to improve emergency broadcasting for individuals with post-bushfire trauma by delivering clear, accessible, and non-triggering information to help them prepare for and avoid future bushfire risks while preventing secondary psychological trauma. The project determined the need for an integrated online and offline system, combining the ABC online platform with screens in transportation hubs to ensure wide and effective coverage.
To deeply understand the user experience, I mapped out the journey of individuals facing bushfires—tracking their behavior, emotions, psychological trauma, and pain points across different stages: daily life, the warning stage, during, and after a bushfire. This process uncovered key design opportunities, helping me craft tailored, user-centered solutions that truly address their needs before and during a crisis.
User Journey Map
02.Ideation
Through in-depth research, I identified key gaps in emergency broadcasting for bushfire trauma survivors—accessibility challenges, lack of emotional support, and unclear, non-triggering communication. Insights from desk research, user journey mapping, and psychologist interviews highlighted the need for a system that delivers timely, location-specific updates while fostering psychological resilience.
This led to the ideation phase, where insights turned into actionable design solutions. I explored ways to seamlessly integrate ABC’s apps, website, and transportation hub screens to ensure every element met real-world requirements. Through brainstorming and iterative ideation, I refined the system framework—leveraging technology to provide both critical information and emotional support in real-world emergencies.
Building on my research findings and design objectives, I developed the core concepts of the system to ensure it effectively meets user needs:
Iterations of Ideations:
Ideation of System Framework
I carefully designed tailored features for each of the four key sections of the system, ensuring they seamlessly address user needs and enhance the overall experience:
I designed this system to seamlessly connect the digital and physical worlds—integrating ABC platforms with transportation hub screens to create a more effective emergency broadcasting network. The system consists of four key sections: personalized emergency notifications, an AR interactive evacuation map, an online community platform on the ABC Emergency website, and offline digital screens at transportation hubs. Each section serves a unique purpose, functioning independently while working together by synchronizing updates and resources across platforms. This ensures timely, location-specific, and emotionally supportive information reaches people when they need it most, enhancing both preparedness and response in online and offline environments.
Define Feature
03.Prototyping
Prototyping was my way of turning abstract ideas into tangible solutions and connecting deeply with users. It allowed me to test and refine designs, ensuring they addressed both functional and emotional needs. By creating interactive visuals, I could gather real feedback, improve usability, and bring clarity to a complex system.
The prototype includes detailed flow charts for each of the four sections, illustrating the user journey and system logic. And includes key interface prototypes highlight essential interaction points and demonstrate the system's functionality.
During the prototyping phase, I tested the low-fidelity flowchart with four users to refine the system’s functionality and user experience. Their feedback helped me fine-tune the flow and features of all four sections, ensuring a smoother and more intuitive interaction. Key takeaways and iterations included:
Low-fi Flowchart
Mid-fi Flowchart
Taking the feedback and iterations into account, I refined the mid-fidelity flowchart to better capture the improved user flow and enhanced features in each section. This update provided a clearer, more intuitive visualization of how the system functions and how users interact with it.
Low-fi Interfaces of Online Community & AR Map:
Low-fi Interfaces of Transportation hub screen:
During the prototyping phase, I developed mid-fidelity flowcharts for all four sections of the system, along with low-fidelity interfaces highlighting key user interactions. These prototypes were essential for testing, gathering feedback, and refining the design—ensuring every interaction felt intuitive and meaningful.
Low-fi Interfaces
Building on the iterations from the updated mid-fi flowchart, I pinpointed key user interaction moments, which guided the creation of essential interface designs. I placed special emphasis on Section 3: Online Community Platform and Section 4: Transportation Hub Screens, where I developed detailed interfaces.
I focused the prototype on Section 3: Online Community Platform and Section 4: Transportation Hub Screen for the following reasons:
04.Test & Iteration
The project prototype generated from the concept needs to be tested and modified step by step through the Low-fi prototype, Mid-fi prototype, and High-fi prototype. In this phase, testers role-played as bushfire trauma survivors to complete task-based tests, assessing their experience within the system and interface usability. Valuable feedback was gathered, leading to targeted design iterations based on the insights obtained.
Test Feedback and Iterations for Mid-fi Flowchart
Test Feedback and Iterations for Low-fi Interfaces
I refined the system’s features and interaction flows based on feedback from the flowcharts, incorporating these updates into the high-fidelity flowchart. Using insights from the revised flowchart and user testing, I made targeted interface design improvements to address key issues—ultimately shaping the final high-fidelity prototype into a more seamless and user-centered experience.
05.Final Design Solution
After countless rounds of research, ideation, design, and testing, I brought the final system to life—carefully shaping its four key sections and their unique features to create a seamless and impactful experience.
Overall Design Highlights
Bushfire-SafeNexus Overview
The Integration System of Online-ABC App, Offline-Transportation Hub Digital Screen, and Local Community
The Bushfire-SafeNexus system is an integrated solution combining the Online-ABC apps and website, Offline-Transportation Hub Digital Screens, and Local Community networks to support post-bushfire trauma survivors. The system includes four sections, offers personalized notifications, real-time AR evacuation maps, and synchronized location-based educational information and alerts within the online community and displayed on digital screens. To provide emotional support, it includes family groups, a 24/7 AI chat, and offline community assistance. By synchronizing updates across platforms, the system ensures that users receive timely information and emotional support seamlessly across both online and offline environments.
High-fi Flowchart
Section 1 - Emergency Notification Setting - ABC App Full Line Design
Personalized Emergency Notifications – This system-wide feature across all ABC apps allows users to set and receive custom notifications tailored to their psychological needs and trauma triggers, ensuring they receive important updates at the times and locations most relevant to them. Users have full control over how they receive and manage emergency information, helping to reduce the risk of psychological stress or trauma.
Section 2 - AR Interactive Evacuation Map - ABC App Full Line Design
The AR Interactive Evacuation Map is seamlessly integrated across all ABC apps, allowing users to easily access it by clicking a floating AR map button. This feature offers real-time information and enhanced guidance during bushfire emergencies.The map syncs with transportation networks to display bushfire conditions along traffic routes.
Section 3 - Online Community Platform - New Section on ABC Emergency website
An online community feature designed in ABC emergency website to enhance bushfire preparedness and support through location-based information and personal group connections. By providing official, real-time updates and connecting users with local resources, this platform empowers users to take informed, timely actions and fosters a supportive network, both online and offline.
Section 4 Translation hub screen - NSW Train Stations and Bus Stop Electronic Screen
This part of our system aims to enhance bushfire preparedness and users safety through real-time digital displays in transportation hubs across New South Wales, including train stations and bus stops. By providing timely, location-based information, these screens ensure that users remain informed of local risks and resources as they move through their journeys.
My Reflection
Bushfire-SafeNexus was an incredibly meaningful project for me, as it gave me the chance to create an integrated emergency broadcasting system to support bushfire trauma survivors. By delivering timely, location-specific, and emotionally supportive information through online and offline channels, I aimed to design a system that truly helps people when they need it most.
With my background in psychology, I felt deeply connected to the mission of addressing the needs of vulnerable groups, especially those experiencing psychological trauma during natural disasters. Step by step, through user research and feedback analysis, I was able to identify not only their need for clear information but also the importance of emotional support and psychological care.
One of the most valuable lessons I took from this project was the importance of combining regional specificity with broad scalability—leveraging online platforms for reach and offline systems for accessibility. This approach ensured that the design wasn’t just functional during emergencies but also encouraged daily preparedness and resilience.
For me, this project was a reminder of how design can solve real-world problems while making a positive impact on people’s lives.