Why Asuo?
Why Asuo?
Why Asuo?
I lived in Accra for most of my life growing up, and every rainy season brought the same fear. Streets would flood within minutes. People would wade through deep water with no idea which roads were safe. On June 3, 2015, severe flooding in Accra claimed 154 lives when floodwaters triggered an explosion at a gas station near Circle, a major commercial and transport area in Accra. That moment shaped the reason I built this app.
Asuo, which means "flowing water" in Akan or Twi, a language from Ghana, was built from that experience. It is an offline flood navigation app that uses pre-loaded historical flood data and available weather forecasts to guide users to safety through the safest walking routes, it also locates nearby shelters and includes a slide-to-call SOS button for emergency services.
I lived in Accra for most of my life growing up, and every rainy season brought the same fear. Streets would flood within minutes. People would wade through deep water with no idea which roads were safe. On June 3, 2015, severe flooding in Accra claimed 154 lives when floodwaters triggered an explosion at a gas station near Circle, a major commercial and transport area in Accra. That moment shaped the reason I built this app.
Asuo, which means "flowing water" in Akan or Twi, a language from Ghana, was built from that experience. It is an offline flood navigation app that uses pre-loaded historical flood data and available weather forecasts to guide users to safety through the safest walking routes, it also locates nearby shelters and includes a slide-to-call SOS button for emergency services.
I lived in Accra for most of my life growing up, and every rainy season brought the same fear. Streets would flood within minutes. People would wade through deep water with no idea which roads were safe. On June 3, 2015, severe flooding in Accra claimed 154 lives when floodwaters triggered an explosion at a gas station near Circle, a major commercial and transport area in Accra. That moment shaped the reason I built this app.
Asuo, which means "flowing water" in Akan or Twi, a language from Ghana, was built from that experience. It is an offline flood navigation app that uses pre-loaded historical flood data and available weather forecasts to guide users to safety through the safest walking routes, it also locates nearby shelters and includes a slide-to-call SOS button for emergency services.
Project Overview
Project Overview
Project Overview
What is Asuo? A mobile app that guides users through safe routes during flooding in real time, even without internet connection.
User problem: Flooding in cities like Accra causes lives to be lost because people have no reliable way to navigate danger zones or find safety quickly, especially when connectivity is unavailable.
My role: Product and interaction designer, research, concept, prototyping.
What I designed: The navigation system, alert dashboard, flood map interface, offline functionality, and SOS emergency feature.
Outcome or validation: Prototype built and refined through user feedback and research insights.
What is Asuo? A mobile app that guides users through safe routes during flooding in real time, even without internet connection.
User problem: Flooding in cities like Accra causes lives to be lost because people have no reliable way to navigate danger zones or find safety quickly, especially when connectivity is unavailable.
My role: Product and interaction designer, research, concept, prototyping.
What I designed: The navigation system, alert dashboard, flood map interface, offline functionality, and SOS emergency feature.
Outcome or validation: Prototype built and refined through user feedback and research insights.
What is Asuo? A mobile app that guides users through safe routes during flooding in real time, even without internet connection.
User problem: Flooding in cities like Accra causes lives to be lost because people have no reliable way to navigate danger zones or find safety quickly, especially when connectivity is unavailable.
My role: Product and interaction designer, research, concept, prototyping.
What I designed: The navigation system, alert dashboard, flood map interface, offline functionality, and SOS emergency feature.
Outcome or validation: Prototype built and refined through user feedback and research insights.
Available on TestFlight
Available on TestFlight
Available on TestFlight
Apple's beta testing platform, install and try the app.
Apple's beta testing platform, install and try the app.
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User Interaction Design
User Interaction Design
User Interaction Design
Designing for crisis means designing for someone who has no time to think. High contrast alerts, clear zone labels, and a map that speaks before you read it. Every decision was intentional.
Designing for crisis means designing for someone who has no time to think. High contrast alerts, clear zone labels, and a map that speaks before you read it. Every decision was intentional.
Designing for crisis means designing for someone who has no time to think. High contrast alerts, clear zone labels, and a map that speaks before you read it. Every decision was intentional.
Sketches and ideation
Sketches and ideation
Sketches and ideation
Designing for crisis means designing for someone who has no time to think. High contrast alerts, clear zone labels, and a map that speaks before you read it. Every decision was intentional.
Designing for crisis means designing for someone who has no time to think. High contrast alerts, clear zone labels, and a map that speaks before you read it. Every decision was intentional.
Designing for crisis means designing for someone who has no time to think. High contrast alerts, clear zone labels, and a map that speaks before you read it. Every decision was intentional.
Low Fidelity Wireframes
Low Fidelity Wireframes
Low Fidelity Wireframes
Before refining the visual design, I used lo fi wireframes to focus on structure and usability. This stage helped me test layout, navigation, and content priority, making sure the most important actions were easy to find and understand in a moment of crisis.
Before refining the visual design, I used lo fi wireframes to focus on structure and usability. This stage helped me test layout, navigation, and content priority, making sure the most important actions were easy to find and understand in a moment of crisis.
Before refining the visual design, I used lo fi wireframes to focus on structure and usability. This stage helped me test layout, navigation, and content priority, making sure the most important actions were easy to find and understand in a moment of crisis.
System Architecture
System Architecture
Building an offline flood navigation system means every decision has to work without internet. This is the architecture I designed to make that possible.
Building an offline flood navigation system means every decision has to work without internet. This is the architecture I designed to make that possible.
Next Steps
Next Steps
Conduct usability testing with real users in flood-prone communities in Accra to validate the experience
Integrate live weather and flood data to move the app from simulation to real-time prediction
Partner with local authorities in Ghana to expand flood zone data coverage and emergency response integration
Conduct usability testing with real users in flood-prone communities in Accra to validate the experience
Integrate live weather and flood data to move the app from simulation to real-time prediction
Partner with local authorities in Ghana to expand flood zone data coverage and emergency response integration
Conduct usability testing with real users in flood-prone communities in Accra to validate the experience
Integrate live weather and flood data to move the app from simulation to real-time prediction
Partner with local authorities in Ghana to expand flood zone data coverage and emergency response integration
Tools
Tools
Figma
Google Gemini
Claude Code
Xcode
SwiftUI