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UX Design Case study

Cyberthreat Intelligence Sharing, Prevention & Reporting

Cybersecurity

Kawach: Cyberthreat Intelligence Sharing, Prevention & Reporting Application

Empowering Seniors for Safer Digital Experiences

Project Overview

This project addresses the growing vulnerability of senior citizens in India to cybercrime, the project identifies key challenges such as low digital literacy, lack of awareness, and poor accessibility to cybercrime reporting systems. The final outcome is a user-friendly digital platform that simplifies cybercrime education, enhances digital confidence, and enables secure and easy reporting of threats. The solution combines accessibility principles with intuitive design to ensure inclusivity, safety, and empowerment.

Problem Statement

Senior citizens in India, increasingly dependent on digital platforms post-pandemic, face high risks of cybercrime due to low digital literacy and complex app interfaces. There’s a lack of awareness, training, and accessible reporting systems. A simplified, secure solution is needed to educate, empower, and protect them in the digital space.

Industry

Cybersecurity

Client

Self Initiated

My Role

UX-UI designer

Platforms

Android Application

Timeline

January - May 2021

Download Case Study

Process

01 Empathize & Research

Did extensive secondary research on cybercrime trends, government policies, and digital adoption patterns in India

Primary reseach was conducted through interviews with police officials, cybersecurity experts, and elderly users to uncover challenges

Additional data from both elderly users and service vendors helped triangulate the research, highlighting a widespread lack of digital literacy

01 Empathize & Research

Did extensive secondary research on cybercrime trends, government policies, and digital adoption patterns in India

Primary reseach was conducted through interviews with police officials, cybersecurity experts, and elderly users to uncover challenges

Additional data from both elderly users and service vendors helped triangulate the research, highlighting a widespread lack of digital literacy

01 Empathize & Research

Did extensive secondary research on cybercrime trends, government policies, and digital adoption patterns in India

Primary reseach was conducted through interviews with police officials, cybersecurity experts, and elderly users to uncover challenges

Additional data from both elderly users and service vendors helped triangulate the research, highlighting a widespread lack of digital literacy

02 Define & Synthesize User Insights

Five personas were created to reflect varying levels of digital literacy, exposure to cybercrime, and everyday needs

Empathy maps & user journeys tools were used to visualize emotional and behavioral patterns, showing how seniors interact with digital devices and where pain points lie

Need, wants & desires matrix framework clarified what users truly value, safety, connection, simplicity, and trust.

02 Define & Synthesize User Insights

Five personas were created to reflect varying levels of digital literacy, exposure to cybercrime, and everyday needs

Empathy maps & user journeys tools were used to visualize emotional and behavioral patterns, showing how seniors interact with digital devices and where pain points lie

Need, wants & desires matrix framework clarified what users truly value, safety, connection, simplicity, and trust.

02 Define & Synthesize User Insights

Five personas were created to reflect varying levels of digital literacy, exposure to cybercrime, and everyday needs

Empathy maps & user journeys tools were used to visualize emotional and behavioral patterns, showing how seniors interact with digital devices and where pain points lie

Need, wants & desires matrix framework clarified what users truly value, safety, connection, simplicity, and trust.

03 Ideate & Conceptualize Solutions

Several ideas were brainstormed from awareness campaigns to detection tools:

Final concept was a hybrid of two top ideas: A user-friendly, accessible application and portal where seniors can learn about, detect, and report cyber threats, validated by the Indian cyber cell.

Added features like autofill suggestions, 2 step sign in and real-time error detection with AI overlay on other apps

03 Ideate & Conceptualize Solutions

Several ideas were brainstormed from awareness campaigns to detection tools:

Final concept was a hybrid of two top ideas: A user-friendly, accessible application and portal where seniors can learn about, detect, and report cyber threats, validated by the Indian cyber cell.

Added features like autofill suggestions, 2 step sign in and real-time error detection with AI overlay on other apps

03 Ideate & Conceptualize Solutions

Several ideas were brainstormed from awareness campaigns to detection tools:

Final concept was a hybrid of two top ideas: A user-friendly, accessible application and portal where seniors can learn about, detect, and report cyber threats, validated by the Indian cyber cell.

Added features like autofill suggestions, 2 step sign in and real-time error detection with AI overlay on other apps

04 Design, Prototype & User Test

A high-fidelity prototype with touch-friendly buttons and simplified navigation was developed in Figma keeping visual lannguage defined for senior citizens

Testing was done with 4 elderly users, validating the ease of navigation and need for larger fonts, fewer screens, and visual clarity

Key learnings from feedback were incorporated into the final iteration

04 Design, Prototype & User Test

A high-fidelity prototype with touch-friendly buttons and simplified navigation was developed in Figma keeping visual lannguage defined for senior citizens

Testing was done with 4 elderly users, validating the ease of navigation and need for larger fonts, fewer screens, and visual clarity

Key learnings from feedback were incorporated into the final iteration

04 Design, Prototype & User Test

A high-fidelity prototype with touch-friendly buttons and simplified navigation was developed in Figma keeping visual lannguage defined for senior citizens

Testing was done with 4 elderly users, validating the ease of navigation and need for larger fonts, fewer screens, and visual clarity

Key learnings from feedback were incorporated into the final iteration

Data & Statistics

560

Million Internet
Users In India

2nd

Largest Internet
Base after China

60%

Increase in internet
users by the year 2022

136

Cybercrime cases reported everyday

Interviews

To gain a deeper understanding of the problem, initial interviews were conducted with police officials and cybersecurity experts, providing valuable insights into the current landscape and challenges faced in addressing cybercrime. These findings were further validated through 15 user interviews with individuals representing the target demographic, helping to uncover key pain points and user-specific difficulties.

Stakeholder Interview Findings

Increase in cybercrime cases in the last 3 months a lot of people reported crime in banking, UPI frauds

Less man power can’t handle all the cases at one time so a lot of cases are pending

Technology is out dated, equipments are not in a good state

People who do cybercrime are mostly youth, dropouts and they harm people who are not so tech proficient.They want to earn money at a faster rate

Less training facilities, so cant handle complex technology which takes along duration to solve cases

Stakeholder Interview Findings

Increase in cybercrime cases in the last 3 months a lot of people reported crime in banking, UPI frauds

Less man power can’t handle all the cases at one time so a lot of cases are pending

Technology is out dated, equipments are not in a good state

People who do cybercrime are mostly youth, dropouts and they harm people who are not so tech proficient.They want to earn money at a faster rate

Less training facilities, so cant handle complex technology which takes along duration to solve cases

Stakeholder Interview Findings

Increase in cybercrime cases in the last 3 months a lot of people reported crime in banking, UPI frauds

Less man power can’t handle all the cases at one time so a lot of cases are pending

Technology is out dated, equipments are not in a good state

People who do cybercrime are mostly youth, dropouts and they harm people who are not so tech proficient.They want to earn money at a faster rate

Less training facilities, so cant handle complex technology which takes along duration to solve cases

User Interview Findings

Difficulty in identification of application on playstore or applestore which is the original application

Random Advertisement popups when operate on browser and some applications.Difficult to identify if its part of the website or different whole together

Long and tiring process to report Cybercrime.No status updates on the FIR and investigation going on,Takes alot of time to investigate(3-4 months)

Easily trust people related to their financial and banking needs.Shares OTP with people very easily without hesitation at some times

Dislike tech products with new features and complex navigation.Takes time to learn and remember

User Interview Findings

Difficulty in identification of application on playstore or applestore which is the original application

Random Advertisement popups when operate on browser and some applications.Difficult to identify if its part of the website or different whole together

Long and tiring process to report Cybercrime.No status updates on the FIR and investigation going on,Takes alot of time to investigate(3-4 months)

Easily trust people related to their financial and banking needs.Shares OTP with people very easily without hesitation at some times

Dislike tech products with new features and complex navigation.Takes time to learn and remember

User Interview Findings

Difficulty in identification of application on playstore or applestore which is the original application

Random Advertisement popups when operate on browser and some applications.Difficult to identify if its part of the website or different whole together

Long and tiring process to report Cybercrime.No status updates on the FIR and investigation going on,Takes alot of time to investigate(3-4 months)

Easily trust people related to their financial and banking needs.Shares OTP with people very easily without hesitation at some times

Dislike tech products with new features and complex navigation.Takes time to learn and remember

Persona

Archetypes were created from 4 types of people, one with advanced technological skills and knowledge, one with medium knowledge, one without knowledge and one with the knowledge and skill faced cybercrime. Here there are the once who have limited tech knowledge and have faced cybercrime.

Amitdas Gupta

Manager

I just want the checkout to be quick and painless—no surprises or unnecessary steps!

Age: 60

New Delhi , India

Tech Proficiency: Moderate

Gender: Male

Goals

Staying connected with family and friends

Entertainment, mails, online shopping, social media

Using spirtual applications, check status of bill payments and phone recharges, making payments online

Expermenting exploring new sectors of tech

Frustrations

A lot of time was taken to investigate the case.No status updates on investigations.(3-4 months)

A long process to report a cybercrime

Difficult to remember basic flow and steps in a applications like registerations. As is loosing his memory due to age

Problem in reading small text in some applications and operating between multiple screens

JP Jain

Middle school Teacher

Age: 70

New Delhi , India

Tech Proficiency: low

Gender: Male

Goals

Staying connected with family and friends.As they stay far away

Entertainment and Expermenting to learn new technology to become independent and self reliant

Clicking photos and making memories to remember

Using spirtual applications, check status of bill payments and phone recharges

Frustrations

Asking others for help

Problem in identifing the colours as loosing his vision

Face problem in picking up the phone due to health care issues (Parkinsons)

Difficult to remember basic flow and steps in a applications like registerations. As is loosing his memory due to age

Visual Language

Stylesheet & Wireframes

Stylesheet contain font , font size, colour scheme and layout/grid used in the application to design.

Mockups

Error: Invalid Youtube URL.

Key Learnings

Empathy-Driven Design is Essential

Designing for senior citizens highlighted the importance of accessibility, simplicity, and empathy in UX, especially when users have limited tech exposure and face real security threats.

Empathy-Driven Design is Essential

Designing for senior citizens highlighted the importance of accessibility, simplicity, and empathy in UX, especially when users have limited tech exposure and face real security threats.

Empathy-Driven Design is Essential

Designing for senior citizens highlighted the importance of accessibility, simplicity, and empathy in UX, especially when users have limited tech exposure and face real security threats.

Real-World Validation Strengthens Design Decisions

Engaging with both police professionals and elderly users through interviews provided grounded insights that shaped a more practical and relevant solution

Real-World Validation Strengthens Design Decisions

Engaging with both police professionals and elderly users through interviews provided grounded insights that shaped a more practical and relevant solution

Real-World Validation Strengthens Design Decisions

Engaging with both police professionals and elderly users through interviews provided grounded insights that shaped a more practical and relevant solution

Awareness Alone is Not Enough

While many seniors had heard of cybersecurity, the project revealed a critical gap between awareness and actionable understanding, pointing to the need for intuitive, educational digital tools

Awareness Alone is Not Enough

While many seniors had heard of cybersecurity, the project revealed a critical gap between awareness and actionable understanding, pointing to the need for intuitive, educational digital tools

Awareness Alone is Not Enough

While many seniors had heard of cybersecurity, the project revealed a critical gap between awareness and actionable understanding, pointing to the need for intuitive, educational digital tools

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