"Hey, text me when you’re home"
Latch takes care of the “text-me-when-you’re-home” interaction. When a group of friends are together, Latch uses Bluetooth Low Energy to group the individuals, creating a “latch” between their devices.
Once a friend (let’s call him Tom) leaves, the BLE tether breaks and Latch alerts the users that Tom has left. Tom's friends are then able to request to be notified when Tom makes it home safely, which sends a request to Tom that can be pre-approved through in-app classifications.
Tom’s Latch knows where his home is (prompted to enter a home address, that will never be shared, during the on-boarding flow) and creates a precise geofence around the area. Once Tom breaks the plane of the geofence, his friends that requested to be alerted, are notified, no nagging necessary.
Latch makes it impossible to forget about asking and impossible to forget you were asked.
Once a friend (let’s call him Tom) leaves, the BLE tether breaks and Latch alerts the users that Tom has left. Tom's friends are then able to request to be notified when Tom makes it home safely, which sends a request to Tom that can be pre-approved through in-app classifications.
Tom’s Latch knows where his home is (prompted to enter a home address, that will never be shared, during the on-boarding flow) and creates a precise geofence around the area. Once Tom breaks the plane of the geofence, his friends that requested to be alerted, are notified, no nagging necessary.
Latch makes it impossible to forget about asking and impossible to forget you were asked.
Set a timer
Ever walked back to your car at night and felt a little nervous, but didn't want to worry all of your friends if it was nothing? Set a Latch timer!
Anytime you're alone and feel like something could happen, set a Latch timer. If the timer expires, Latch will share your location and your status with your best friends.
It could be anything from a sketchy walk home to a solo surf, go be independent, but know that your friends will be there when you need them.
Anytime you're alone and feel like something could happen, set a Latch timer. If the timer expires, Latch will share your location and your status with your best friends.
It could be anything from a sketchy walk home to a solo surf, go be independent, but know that your friends will be there when you need them.
If a user ever feels in immediate danger, say they're walking home alone and feel concerned, they can skip the timer and go straight into "Alert" mode. Triggering an alert will start a 10 second timer (in case the user becomes unable to reach their phone), once the timer expires or if it is skipped, the user's emergency contacts will be notified. They will all receive the user's location, their most recent status, and a link to chat with one another.
The distressed user is able to see a list of their friends that have viewed their location in realtime. This offers an immediate sense of security that they're no longer alone and their friends are there for them.
The distressed user is able to see a list of their friends that have viewed their location in realtime. This offers an immediate sense of security that they're no longer alone and their friends are there for them.
You okay?
Inspired by the Yo! craze, I wanted to build a super light weight way of asking if a friend was okay. A user could simply tap any of their friends to send a push notification making sure they're alright. This also worked as a great response to an alert. A simple call and response can go a long way.
What about a wearable?
One of our goals after building the app was to play with alternative input devices. It's not always easy to open an app and indicate that you feel unsafe, but what if there was a shortcut?
We did a ton of research into panic buttons and they all felt like sterile, "I've fallen and I can't get up" clones. So we set out to design something that represented safety and independence, but wasn't a sign of weakness. It needed to feel loud and cool.
I designed prototypes and we worked with industrial designers to build an initial prototype. The v1 was just a basic bluetooth button, but the goal was to prove viability with the MVP and scale features with demand.
We did a ton of research into panic buttons and they all felt like sterile, "I've fallen and I can't get up" clones. So we set out to design something that represented safety and independence, but wasn't a sign of weakness. It needed to feel loud and cool.
I designed prototypes and we worked with industrial designers to build an initial prototype. The v1 was just a basic bluetooth button, but the goal was to prove viability with the MVP and scale features with demand.
Safety doesn't have to suck
The whole branding message was to take the boring, sterile, embarrassing aspect out of safety tech. It needed to be a symbol of safety, but something that felt current and cool. The pillars for the brand design were simple, unobtrusive, trustworthy, and proud.
The logo was inspired by the "latch" or BLE connection between two friends.
The logo was inspired by the "latch" or BLE connection between two friends.
