The challenge:To inform and protect Irish citizens when travelling in a foreign country
Background
In 2015, The Department of Foreign Affairs was in the process of redesigning its mobile app. The idea was to inform and educate Irish citizens as they prepared to travel and while they were abroad.
Specifically, the app needed to alert citizens of dangerous events that might arise during their stay. If a natural disaster, viruses or civil unrest were to break out, Irish travellers would be informed and better protected.
The problem
A major issue was around the cost of data roaming, especially in countries outside the EU. A citizen could find themselves in trouble abroad with no access to the internet.
Being unaware of diseases and cultural differences, less prepared travellers could be more vulnerable. The challenge was to make a lightweight app with utility that outweighed the onboarding effort.
The solution
We wanted to test the hypothesis that travellers would download, configure, and use an app whilst abroad. To customise the experience, we asked the traveller to add their destination and journey dates.
This provided the DFA with an understanding of what alerts should be sent to which users. The app would suggest checklists and considerations for travel, specifically in relation to their destination.
The user feedback from the focus groups provided the DFA team to make a more confident next move.
