Driving user engagement and relevance of an earthquake app through an end-to-end overhaul, transforming it into an authoritative, yet friendly all-in-one earthquake care package.
PROJECT DETAILS
ROLE
Product Designer – led dashboard & Pinned Location
TIMELINE
Feb 2024 - Aug 2025
TEAM
1 PM
3 Engineers
6 Designers
DISCIPLINE
Product Strategy
UX/UI Design
0→1 Design
PROJECT SUMMARY
As part of the efforts to transform MyShake into an all-in-one earthquake care package, I led the end-to-end design of a feature called Pinned Locations, which protects and informs users of themselves and their loved ones.
Key insights from user research and an audit of the app revealed that MyShake's core features weren't meeting users breadth of needs, which Pinned Locations aims to address.
WHAT ARE EARLY EARTHQUAKE WARNINGS?
Early Earthquake Warnings are alerts sent out seconds before intense shaking begins.
These warnings penetrate any notification silencers, urging users to take immediate protective action (Drop, Cover, and Hold On), maximizing the amount of time to evacuate.
MYSHAKE IS AN EARTHQUAKE APP
This feature is potentially life-saving, and MyShake is the only app that can issue these warnings.
MyShake is a government-sponsored earthquake app that serves to inform and protect as many people as possible through these warnings.
THE PROBLEM
Despite this, MyShake only captured around 5% of the top earthquake app users.
With 4 million users, MyShake only had ~5% of the users of the top earthquake app.
Furthermore, of those users, only a fraction of them were actively using the app, indicating low engagement and retention.
UNDERSTANDING GOALS
Inform and protect as many people as possible by expanding the user base and improving engagement.
The developers of MyShake wanted to target a more global audience as opposed to its current West-coast based audience and boost user retention.
BREAKING DOWN THE PROBLEM
MyShake certainly had the edge to become a top earthquake app – So why wasn't it?
User research revealed that users have a breadth of needs from an earthquake app, including personal and family safety, as well as information on property damage. Along with an audit of the existing app, I uncovered a fundamental issue:
MyShake's core features didn't support users both functionally and emotionally.
MYSHAKES CORE FEATURES
MyShake’s core features are its ability to issue warnings and notifications.
Early Earthquake Warnings are currently only available in California, Oregon, and Washington.
MyShake can also issue notifications, which inform users of any earthquake after it hits.
CONTEXT
MyShake separated these features into Homebase and Custom Earthquake Notifications.
MyShake issues EEWs under a feature called Homebase, which allows users to set ONE location within the eligible regions to receive these warnings for.
Notifications are a feature called Custom Earthquake Notifications (CENs).
DIVING DEEPER INTO THE PROBLEM
Homebase alienated global users, limited emotional reassurance, and lacked visibility within the app.
Despite Homebase's appeal, it was ineffectively designed and promoted, leading to it not meeting users functional and emotional needs.
Target Users
Homebase's regional restrictions to the 3 states limited the apps relevance and inclusivity to national and global uers.
Limited Functionality
Users lacked the emotional reassurance needed from an earthquake app as Homebase only supported one location.
Visibility
Homebase was buried deep within the settings, limiting both the discoverability and personalization MyShake could offer.
DEFINING SCOPE
Make MyShake more relevant, supportive, and personal to users.
After recognizing the underlying problems, I revisiting the scope to address those by defining this goal.
BIRTH OF PINNED LOCATIONS
Merging Homebase and Custom Earthquake Notifications into Pinned Locations for viability and simplicity.
Ultimately, both Homebase and Custom Earthquake Notifications allow users to stay updated on their locations of interest.
Given this, along with the goal of making MyShake more relevant, supportive, and personal to users, I decided to merge the two features into an umbrella term and feature, Pinned Locations.
HOW IT WORKS
Pinned Locations allow users to receive a warning or a notification, based on eligibility.
If the location they are interested in is eligible to receive warnings for, the user may choose to do so, however, if not, they will receive notifications instead.
WHY IT WORKS
Pinned Locations addresses the core issues and their corresponding goals.
Expands Access
Pinned Locations broadens access to MyShake’s essential safety features, supporting the app’s growth and user needs.
Enhanced Visibility
Seamless integration into the app increases visibility and personalization, helping MyShake stand out from competitors.
Easy to Understand
The simple, supportive concept of Pinned Locations makes it easier for users to engage and feel confident using the app.
FINAL SOLUTION
Designing for peace of mind – Users can quickly and easily check up on themselves and loved ones.
As part of the larger overhaul, our team introduced a dashboard interface that acts as a one-stop shop for all earthquake needs.
Here, right when users open the app, they are able to access all their Pinned with the swipe of a finger.
FINAL SOLUTION
The dashboard interface allows for banners, used to highlight crucial and time-sensitive information.
Banners in the MyShake dashboard highlight vital information and guide users during critical moments.
They welcome first-time users, prompt key setup actions like setting a Pinned Location, and deliver safety tips such as earthquake response guidance through infographics.
IMPACT
The redesign evolved MyShake into a trustworthy companion, empowering users to feel informed and prepared in moments of crisis.
Our redesign is currently being developed for a 2026 launch.
Pinned Locations supports MyShake by surfacing its key features that meet users emotional and functional needs from an earthquake app. Usability testing yielded positive results, with the majority of our users preferring the redesign significantly compared to the existing version.
4.5/5
Overall satisfaction from users with the redesign.