Urban Alert Case Study | Fletcher Holdich

Project Overview

Urban Alert is a mobile application designed to empower residents to report and track issues in their local council areas. The app creates a direct line of communication between citizens and local authorities, leading to faster resolution of community problems.

This case study outlines our process from research and problem definition to final design solutions. The full project is downloadable at the bottom of the page

The Challenge

Create an intuitive platform for citizens to report local issues while providing transparency in the resolution process.

The Solution

A location-based reporting system with real-time updates and community engagement features.

Research & Discovery

Understanding the problem

Our secondary research revealed that Sydney ranked behind other major cities in infrastructure satisfaction, with 37% of residents feeling the government did not prioritise the right projects. To validate this, we conducted primary research through surveys (48 respondents), online ethnography (25+ posts from Reddit and X), and focus groups (12 participants). This helped us uncover a disconnect between residents and local councils, highlighting the need for a transparent reporting system. Key findings included:

Many users felt current reporting methods were cumbersome and outdated
Users wanted transparency in the issue resolution process
Community engagement was important to participants

Competitive Analysis

We analysed existing solutions to identify opportunities and gaps in the market.

The analysis revealed that while several apps offered reporting functionality, most lacked:

Real-time status updates
Community engagement features
User-friendly interfaces for non-technical users

Problem Definition

Based on the research, we identified the following key problems:

Existing reporting channels are fragmented and inefficient
Users lack visibility into the status of reported issues
Limited community awareness and engagement in local issues
Difficulty in prioritizing which issues to address first

Solution Approach

We then developed a comprehensive solution that addresses these problems through:

A streamlined, location-based reporting system
Real-time tracking and notifications for reported issues
Community upvoting and commenting to highlight important issues
Visual heat maps to identify problem hotspots

Design Process

User Personas

Three user personas were created based on interview data to guide the design process and ensure the solution addressed diverse user needs.

Wireframing

Starting with low-fidelity wireframes, key user flows and core functionality of the application were mapped out. These were iteratively refined based on feedback from potential users.

User Testing

We conducted usability testing with 9 participants using interactive prototypes. Key insights from these sessions led to several important refinements in the navigation and reporting flow.