SENA App
User Research · Service Design · Information Architecture · Systems Design · Product Design2022-Present | India → New York City
SENA App Website
Overview
SENA is a trauma-informed resource infrastructure designed to help women find, understand, and access legal, medical, emotional, and safety support after experiencing gender-based violence.
What began as my undergraduate thesis in Communication Design has evolved into an incorporated startup being developed across the United States and India.
The project sits at the intersection of systems design, information architecture, user research, and product strategy.
View the 2026 full project
(Contact me for the password)
The Challenge
Navigating support after gender-based violence often requires interacting with multiple disconnected systems at once:
- Legal services
- Medical care
- Mental health support
- Emergency resources
- Community organizations
- Government agencies
While these resources exist, they frequently operate independently, making it difficult for users to understand where to begin, what options are available, and what actions to take next.
The challenge wasn’t creating more support.
The challenge was making existing support systems easier to navigate.
Phase 1: Understanding the System (2022)
The project began as an undergraduate thesis called Safe & Secure (SAS).
Rather than immediately designing an interface, I focused first on understanding the ecosystem surrounding survivor support.
Research Activities
- 100+ participant interviews
- Survivor interviews
- NGO and government resource analysis
- Legal and medical ecosystem mapping
- User journey mapping
- Service blueprinting
- Information architecture development
- How do users currently find support?
- Where do they encounter friction?
- What information is missing?
- Which decisions create the most confusion?
- How do different support systems connect?
Research Activities
Qualitative ResearchConducted interviews with survivors to better understand the emotional, legal, and logistical challenges they faced while seeking support.
Primary research
(180 participants)
Mapping the Ecosystem
Through research, I documented the relationships between legal, medical, emotional, and community support systems.
This work included:
- Affinity mapping
- Ecosystem mapping
- User journey analysis
- Service mapping
- Information architecture frameworks
The goal was to understand how information moved between systems and where users became overwhelmed.
Information Architecture
Developed navigation frameworks and content structures designed specifically for users experiencing stress, uncertainty, and information overload.
The Insight
The most important discovery was unexpected.
I initially assumed survivors needed more tools.
The research revealed a different problem.
Most support resources already existed.
Users struggled because they didn’t know:
- Which organization applied to their situation
- What would happen after reaching out
- Whether a resource could be trusted
- How are different support systems connected
- Where to begin when overwhelmed
The problem wasn’t access.
It was navigation.
This insight fundamentally altered the project's direction.
Design Outcome
300+ Interface ScreensA comprehensive mobile ecosystem designed to support multiple user needs and crisis scenarios.
Multiple User Pathways
Different journeys based on whether users needed emergency help, legal guidance, medical information, mental health support, or community resources.
Information Architecture System
Content and navigation frameworks are designed specifically for users experiencing uncertainty, stress, and
information overload.
Trauma-Informed Design
Privacy-focused interaction patterns, simplified decision-making pathways, and content written to reduce cognitive load during moments of distress.
High Fidelity Prototype
Phase 2: Expanding the Framework (2023-2025)
After moving to New York to pursue an MFA in Communication Design at Pratt Institute, I continued exploring the project through systems thinking, transformation design, participatory research, and information architecture.
Rather than treating SENA as a standalone application, I began examining the broader relationships between institutions, policies, resources, and the people attempting to navigate them.
This shifted the project from a product challenge into a systems challenge.
Expanding Beyond India
While conducting research in New York City, I discovered that many of the same navigation challenges existed across different geographic and cultural contexts.
Although the resources differed, the underlying patterns remained remarkably similar:
- Users didn’t know where to begin
- Users didn’t know who to trust
- Users didn’t understand the available pathways
- Users struggled to predict outcomes
The challenge extended beyond a single country.
It was fundamentally an information architecture problem.
From Research to Product
Today, SENA is being developed as a resource navigation platform that helps users understand and access verified legal, medical, emotional, and safety support through a structured, trauma-informed experience.
Rather than replacing existing organizations, SENA is designed to help people navigate them.
View the 2026 full project
(Contact me for the password)