Physical Security Intelligence
Physical Security Intelligence, a responsive app (mobile / desktop) used by agencies such as the FBI and Army CID, is designed to enhance situational awareness and physical security for law enforcement and security teams. This advanced tool provides near real-time alerts and comprehensive data on various threats, including localized protests, natural disasters, and violent incidents
Outcome:
Physical Security Intelligence was successfully adopted by the F.B.I, Army C.I.D and many other corporate security teams on a global scale. With 40 million unique assets monitored daily, 52 countries, 500 dark web forums monitored and over 21,000 VIPs and executives protected world wide.
Situation
Multiple clients expressed a need for near-realtime data of physical security threats that could be utilitzed by field agents in various industries. The solution had to include mobile and desktop modes. I was put in charge of this product as it was the first project ZeroFox East had built from the ground up with responsive design in mind.
Role: Lead Designer
-
Lead design strategy and vision
-
UI and UX Design
-
Conducted User Research
-
Created Personas
-
Created Wireframes & Hi-fidelity Prototypes
-
Production Ready Designs
-
Developer Support
Task
Create a clear, concise and accurate map application that allowed users to find, assess and navigate threats as they appear.
"
Given the magnitude of social media, we view ZeroFox as a natural extension of our security technology stack. They’re covering a critical blindspot for us.
"
- Current Physical Security Intelligence Customer
Who is using Physical Security Intelligence?
In order to understand the problem, I first had to understand who would be using this product. A wide range of organizations had expressed interest in a physical security application, but it was important to determine if those users had similar goals, pain points, or perceptions about what might make their job easier and those in their charge, ultimately safer.
How does it work?
The security teams indicated a need for near real-time data to be accurately displayed within their desired parameters. Our systems would scan for information across social media, radio, television, dark web and official government channels like police and fire reports to find threats. These threats were then sent directly to our analyst teams and accessed for accuracy. Once confirmed those are then pushed to the application where they are easily accessed by the user.
A security team for a prominent sportswear brand has just landed with their VIP Athlete in the Charles DeGaulle airport in Paris, France. They must safely find their way to the Paris Saint-Germain stadium for a special event. A situation arises when the security team is informed of widespread protests throughout the city. Normally, this kind of situation could be a nightmare for security teams, but with PSI the user simply opens the app, finds the desired location and updates the map to show the danger areas. This gives the security personnel the tools they need to make sense of a chaotic situation. Ultimately the route is planned around the protestors and the event at Paris Saint-Germain goes smoothly.
User Scenario:
Mobility and flexibility in the field
One thing that we consistently heard from our interviews with potential users and stakeholders was the emphasis on the ability to access this information in a field setting where information and situations can change rapidly. For this reason I emphasized a mobile first design strategy with top notch front end developers. This resulted in the ability to rapidly generate and test designs with potential users.
Users could toggle their location on/off or search for a location manually using the search function. A set of filters and a performant map experience ensured that information was easily accessed in an efficient and timely manner. Users could also share these incidents with others team members, either in the field or at the command center. All of these elements were important to help security teams build a full picture of the situation.
"We're gonna need a bigger screen"
While testing the mobile prototype we consistently heard feedback from office-based security teams that they wanted more screen real-estate in order to get the full picture. While the mobile option was nice to have, it was imperative to ship MVP with a Desktop counterpart. Having anticipated such a request, the designs were built with both platforms in mind from the get go.
Some situations could take place over a large area, such as a natural disaster, mass protests or even geo-political reports for war-torn regions. The desktop retained all the same functionality as the mobile application but allowed security teams to get a bigger picture of the situation.
Outcome & Retrospective
As stated earlier, Physical Security Intelligence was successfully adopted by the F.B.I, Army C.I.D and many other corporate security teams on a global scale. With 40 million unique assets monitored daily, 52 countries, 500 dark web forums monitored and over 21,000 VIPs and executives protected world wide.
What would I have done differently?
The earliest stages of the product development process began without any input or guidance from the design team. There was a lot of pressure from Sales, Marketing and various executives for a speedy development time. Many 'wireframes' were passed down from non-design sources and their implimentation began with incorrect assumptions based upon previous products.
When I came onto the project, after conducting interviews and seeing users struggle with the early builds it became apparent that the application needed to be redesigned. Moving quickly, I redesigned the application based upon interviews and user feedback. Luckily we did not lose much development time but I think it would have been time better spent if we had conducted the exploration phase properly at the beginning, allowing us more time for polish and testing in the end.