Safe Escape is a secure platform for Operation Safe Escape (OSE), a nonprofit supporting survivors of domestic violence, stalking, and harassment. It replaces OSE’s email-and-spreadsheet workflow with a structured intake and case-management system designed for privacy, safety, and scale.
Safe Escape
OVERVIEW
Safe Escape is a secure platform for Operation Safe Escape (OSE), a nonprofit supporting survivors of domestic violence, stalking, and harassment. It replaces OSE’s email-and-spreadsheet workflow with a structured intake and case-management system designed for privacy, safety, and scale.
Safe Escape
OVERVIEW
Safe Escape is a secure platform for Operation Safe Escape (OSE), a nonprofit supporting survivors of domestic violence, stalking, and harassment. It replaces OSE’s email-and-spreadsheet workflow with a structured intake and case-management system designed for privacy, safety, and scale.
YEAR
Fall 2025
TOOLS
Figma
ROLE
Product Designer
CLIENT
OSE
The Problem
How might we streamline survivor intake and case management while maintaining the strictest safety and privacy controls?
In 2024, OSE assisted over 750 survivors. At that scale, relying on email threads and spreadsheets made intake and case management inefficient, fragmented, and difficult to maintain.
Design Considerations
Survivor Safety
Because survivors may be using the platform in unsafe or high-stress situations, privacy had to be treated as a core part of the experience. The intake flow needed to feel discreet, quick, and easy to exit, while also giving users more control over how follow-up communication happened.
Access and Organization
Because survivors may be using the platform in unsafe or high-stress situations, privacy had to be treated as a core part of the experience. The intake flow needed to feel discreet, quick, and easy to exit, while also giving users more control over how follow-up communication happened.
Access and Organization
Because survivors may be using the platform in unsafe or high-stress situations, privacy had to be treated as a core part of the experience. The intake flow needed to feel discreet, quick, and easy to exit, while also giving users more control over how follow-up communication happened.
Platform & Usability
Since survivors would most likely access the platform on their phones, the experience needed to be mobile-first, responsive, and easy to navigate on a small screen. It was also important to keep the intake process simple and manageable so users could complete it without feeling overwhelmed.
Primary Users
Survivor
Survivor
Needs a safe, private way to request support
Needs a safe, private way to request support
Pain Points
No structured, private way to request help; email was insufficient
Had no control over follow-up communication
Could not easily access resources or secure support
Pain Points
No structured, private way to request help; email was insufficient
Had no control over follow-up communication
Could not easily access resources or secure support
Needs
Complete a quick, discreet intake form to share situation details safely
Choose how OSE contacts them
Access safety resources without revealing identity
Needs
Complete a quick, discreet intake form to share situation details safely
Choose how OSE contacts them
Access safety resources without revealing identity
Admin
Admin
Needs a safe, private way to request support
Needs a safe, private way to request support
Pain Points
Cases were scattered across inboxes and spreadsheets
Logs were inconsistent and hard to rely on
Volunteer assignment and case handoff were unclear
Pain Points
Cases were scattered across inboxes and spreadsheets
Logs were inconsistent and hard to rely on
Volunteer assignment and case handoff were unclear
Needs
Review and filter incoming cases efficiently
Assign volunteers and track case progress
Maintain accurate records and exports
Needs
Review and filter incoming cases efficiently
Assign volunteers and track case progress
Maintain accurate records and exports
Volunteer
Volunteer
Supports assigned cases with limited, focused access
Supports assigned cases with limited, focused access
Pain Points
Had little visibility into assigned responsibilities
Communication happened outside a tracked system
Progress updates were hard to document consistently
Pain Points
Had little visibility into assigned responsibilities
Communication happened outside a tracked system
Progress updates were hard to document consistently
Needs
View only assigned cases
Communicate securely with survivors
Log progress notes clearly for admin review
Needs
View only assigned cases
Communicate securely with survivors
Log progress notes clearly for admin review
Goals
Design a secure, intuitive mobile-first experience for survivor intake and case management
Design a secure, intuitive mobile-first experience for survivor intake and case management
Create a centralized workflow for collecting, reviewing, organizing, and updating survivor information
Create a centralized workflow for collecting, reviewing, organizing, and updating survivor information
Support accurate automated logging and record-keeping for scale and compliance needs
Support accurate automated logging and record-keeping for scale and compliance needs
Improve coordination between survivors, admins, and volunteers while preserving strict privacy and safety controls
Improve coordination between survivors, admins, and volunteers while preserving strict privacy and safety controls
Design Considerations
Survivor Safety
Because survivors may be using the platform in unsafe or high-stress situations, privacy had to be treated as a core part of the experience. The intake flow needed to feel discreet, quick, and easy to exit, while also giving users more control over how follow-up communication happened.
Access and Organization
Because survivors may be using the platform in unsafe or high-stress situations, privacy had to be treated as a core part of the experience. The intake flow needed to feel discreet, quick, and easy to exit, while also giving users more control over how follow-up communication happened.
Platform & Usability
Since survivors would most likely access the platform on their phones, the experience needed to be mobile-first, responsive, and easy to navigate on a small screen. It was also important to keep the intake process simple and manageable so users could complete it without feeling overwhelmed.
Design System
Using the client’s existing brand colors and logos as a foundation, my partner product designer and I created the following design system.
Design System
Using the client’s existing brand colors and logos as a foundation, my partner product designer and I created the following design system.
Design Improvements
Form Builder
The form builder gave admins a flexible way to create and update questionnaires without hardcoding each field. Different question types could be added within sections, and questions could be reordered as needed, making the intake flow easier to organize and adapt over time.
Questionnaire
A structured questionnaire gave survivors a safer, more private way to request help without relying on email. The flow prioritized low-friction completion, guided inputs, and a built-in Safety Exit to support more discreet use.
Case Dashboard
The dashboard replaced scattered inbox and spreadsheet workflows with a shared overview of case status, priority, and type. By surfacing the most important information at a glance, it made active cases easier for admins and volunteers to scan, monitor, and coordinate in one place.
Case Card
The case details view brought survivor information, case metadata, and internal notes into a single record. This made it easier to review submissions in full context, update case information, document progress, and export records when needed.
Authentication
Permission-based authentication helped protect sensitive information across admins, volunteers, and survivors. Survivors could begin the intake process without creating an account upfront, while staff used authenticated views for ongoing coordination and survivor accounts were later created through a secure invitation link.
Reflection
This redesign project taught me the significant impact that thoughtful navigation and well-implemented features have on user experience! By exploring pain points and iterating through my designs, I've grown an appreciation for the subtle details that make interfaces more user-friendly. If time allowed, I would explore micro‑interactions (e.g., subtle hover states, animations) and conduct quantitative metrics (task completion time) to validate improvements further.
Design Solutions
To replace OSE’s fragmented email-and-spreadsheet workflow, we designed a structured system that supported both survivor-facing discretion and internal case coordination. The solution included a mobile intake flow for survivors, a flexible form builder for admins, centralized case management for staff and volunteers, and role-based authentication to protect sensitive information.
Reflection
Designing Safe Escape pushed me to think beyond usability alone and focus on safety, trust, and context. I had to design for people in stressful, high-stakes situations while also supporting the internal teams responsible for reviewing, documenting, and responding to cases. I had to really consider all different users of this platform and how my goal was to unite them.This project strengthened how I think about privacy-first product design and role-based systems.
If time allowed, I would explore user testing with the target audience (both survivors and OSE admins) to validate the effectiveness of the safety features and the usability of the case management tools, while also delving deeper into accessibility considerations.
Questionnaire
A structured questionnaire gave survivors a safer, more private way to request help without relying on email. The flow prioritized low-friction completion, guided inputs, and a built-in Safety Exit to support more discreet use.
Form Builder
The form builder gave admins a flexible way to create and update questionnaires without hardcoding each field. Different question types could be added within sections, and questions could be reordered as needed, making the intake flow easier to organize and adapt over time.
Case Dashboard
The dashboard replaced scattered inbox and spreadsheet workflows with a shared overview of case status, priority, and type. By surfacing the most important information at a glance, it made active cases easier for admins and volunteers to scan, monitor, and coordinate in one place.
Case Card
The case details view brought survivor information, case metadata, and internal notes into a single record. This made it easier to review submissions in full context, update case information, document progress, and export records when needed.
Authentication
Permission-based authentication helped protect sensitive information across admins, volunteers, and survivors. Survivors could begin the intake process without creating an account upfront, while staff used authenticated views for ongoing coordination and survivor accounts were later created through a secure invitation link.
Reflection
Designing Safe Escape pushed me to think beyond usability alone and focus on safety, trust, and context. I had to design for people in stressful, high-stakes situations while also supporting the internal teams responsible for reviewing, documenting, and responding to cases. I had to really consider all different users of this platform and how my goal was to unite them.This project strengthened how I think about privacy-first product design and role-based systems.
If time allowed, I would explore user testing with the target audience (both survivors and OSE admins) to validate the effectiveness of the safety features and the usability of the case management tools, while also delving deeper into accessibility considerations.