I released a survey on the internet that has garnered 32 total answers. Here are the results for the questions:
1. Would a panic alarm on your phone make you feel safe?
Yes it would – 71.88%
Not it would not – 28.12%
2. Are you aware of police campaigns put on by your local police service?
Yes I am – 6.25%
No I am not – 93.75%
3. Would putting police campaigns into an app be a better alternative than accessing them from a web browser?
Yes it would – 84.38%
Not it would not – 15.63%
4. Would you be comfortable with video and audio being recorded to protect you ONLY when the alarm is activated?
Yes I would – 90.63%
No I would not – 9.38%
5. Do you think a timer that would set off the panic alarm, which you could choose to continue or cancel be of use when you may not be in immediate danger but you think you could be?
Yes it would – 75%
No it would not – 15.63%
Other – 9.38% (Will be reviewed later on in the post.)
6. What would be your main concern with this app?
Privacy/data – 25%
Police response time – 28.13%
Not being able to set the alarm off – 37.50%
Other – 9.38%
7. What is your age?
13 – 16: 0
18 – 27: 27.59%
28 – 39: 10.34%
40+: 62.07%
8. What is your gender?
Female – 44.83%
Male – 55.17%
Despite my main demographic being young women between the ages of 16 – 27, it appears the largest number of respondents were men over the age of 40. Individuals between the ages of 18 – 27 were the second largest age group to respond with 27.59%. The second to last popular being 28-39 year olds making up 10.34%. The least popular being 13-16 year olds as they have access to smartphones as well, making up 0%.
But it appears that there is a market for a smartphone panic alarm as 71.88% of respondents felt it would make them feel safe. As a result, I am going to go ahead with making the product.
Only 6.25% of respondents were already aware of their local police campaigns, so that will be a feature introduced into the app. 84.38% Also said that they would prefer to view these police campaigns in an app than at a web browser.
My main concern when making this app was that people would not use it because there is a privacy and data risk. However, 90.63% of respondents said that they felt comfortable with video and audio being recorded when alarm is activated.
I wanted to add multiple methods to activating the alarm, one of them would be a feature where you could activate the alarm on a timer you set. 75% of respondents said it would be a good idea, but I had some qualitative feedback saying that “It may be difficult to use in some situations.” or “I might as well just start streaming to a friend before entering the potential danger.” Whilst these are valid arguments, the majority of people said that they would like to use it, so it shall be implemented.
I asked what the biggest concern would users have, and according to 37.50% of the respondents said that setting off the alarm would be their main concern. So I will add a feature that will activate the alarm if they press the lock button a few times, or however many times the user decides.