FLOOD PREPAREDNESS PLATFORM
Flood preparedness experience for at-risk communities
A flood preparedness platform that helps at-risk communities understand local risks, prepare ahead of emergencies, and make safer decisions when action is needed.
Timeline
From background research and concept exploration to final interface design in 11 weeks, while balancing multiple design projects.
Background
This was a University of Sydney interface design project focused on weather emergency management in Australian communities. The brief challenged students to explore how digital interfaces could improve community resilience and emergency response beyond standard weather apps or basic alert systems.
Australia faces increasingly frequent and severe weather emergencies. Based on our research, flood is one of the costliest extreme weather events in Australia, so our team chose to focus on flooding.
Problem Statement
Problem Statement
Australian communities are increasingly affected by severe weather emergencies that require both early preparation and rapid response. However, many digital tools still focus on weather updates or basic alerts, rather than helping residents understand risks, prepare resources, plan actions, and coordinate with their community.
This project focuses on flood-prone communities and explores how interface design can support a more proactive, accessible, and community-centred preparedness experience.
Image source: IDEA9105 Interface Design brief, University of Sydney.rience.
Design Challenge
How might we help flood-prone communities prepare earlier, understand local risks more clearly, and coordinate support before and during emergency situations?
Research
This category details the step-by-step approach taken during the project, including research, planning, design, development, testing, and optimization phases.
Research Focus
Flood-prone community contexts
Understanding the challenges faced by Australian communities affected by floods, including local risk awareness, evacuation planning, and access to emergency resources.
Preparedness behaviours and pain points
Exploring how residents currently prepare for flood events, what information they look for, and where they may feel uncertain or overwhelmed.
Different user groups and information needs
Identifying how residents with different backgrounds, ages, mobility levels, and community roles may require different types of support.
Existing emergency information platforms
Reviewing current flood warning, emergency service, and disaster preparedness platforms to understand common limitations in information structure, clarity, and actionability.
Device and usage scenarios
Considering how mobile apps and desktop websites can support different moments of use, from quick alerts and on-the-go guidance to more detailed planning at home.
Key Research Insights
Many residents may be aware that floods are a risk in their area, but they may not clearly understand how that risk applies to their own home, family, or daily routine.
Flood preparation involves many tasks, such as packing emergency kits, preparing documents, planning routes, and checking on family members. Without a clear structure, users may not know where to begin.
A new migrant family, an elderly resident, and a community volunteer may all experience the same flood event differently. Their needs, confidence levels, and responsibilities can vary significantly.
Because rescue forces are limited, people in floodplain areas often rely on local residents to help each other.
When disaster happens, emotional support and comfort are very important for the community.
Many people do not have strong safety awareness. Some refuse to leave when there is a flood warning, and some even try to drive through floodwaters, which often leads to them getting stuck.
Personas
Chen Wang
34 · Male · Data Analyst
Chen is a new migrant living in outer-western Sydney with his wife and two children. He works mainly from home and occasionally commutes to the CBD, so he has limited involvement with local community networks.
Although Chen is confident using digital tools, he has never experienced a flood in Australia. He usually becomes aware of flood risks through social media, Reddit posts, or messages from family and friends. When he sees flood-related stories online, he wants to protect his family, but he is often unsure whether the risk applies to his own area or what actions he should take first.
Goals
Keep his family safe during severe weather events
Understand whether his home and local area are at flood risk
Know what to prepare before an emergency happens
Receive clear, trustworthy, and location-based guidance
Motivations
Feels more alert when seeing flood-related posts online
Relies on digital information because he has limited local experience
Wants simple steps he can follow without spending too much time researching
Prefers practical advice over general warnings
Frustrations
Unsure whether online flood information is relevant to his own location
Does not fully understand local emergency systems and warning levels
Lacks a strong local support network
Has limited time to search across multiple websites or community channels
Often delays preparation because the risk feels abstract until reminded
Yvonne Harris
82 · Female · Retired Librarian
Yvonne is an elderly resident living alone with her dog in a single-storey house near a creek in a low-lying area. She has mild mobility limitations and uses a walker, which makes physical preparation and evacuation more difficult.
Having experienced several floods in the past, Yvonne is aware of the risks and keeps some basic supplies at home. However, her preparedness still depends heavily on external support from SES volunteers, neighbours, and community members. When floodwaters rise, her main concern is whether help will arrive early enough for her, her dog, and her essential medications.
Goals
Receive help early before evacuation becomes urgent
Keep her dog, medications, and essential items safe
Understand what actions to take without complex digital steps
Stay connected with SES volunteers, neighbours, or family
Feel reassured that someone knows she may need assistance
Motivations
Past flood experience makes her take warnings seriously
Feels emotionally responsible for her pet dog
Trusts local volunteers and familiar community members
Values simple, direct instructions over detailed online information
Frustrations
Cannot easily place sandbags or move heavy belongings by herself
Finds digital-only emergency information difficult to access
Worries that help may not arrive in time
Feels anxious when instructions are unclear or change quickly
May miss important updates if they rely only on apps or websites
Sarah O’Connor
40 · Female · Secondary School Teacher
Sarah is a long-time local resident living on the floodplain with her husband and two children. Her home has been raised and adapted with basic flood protection measures, and she has learned from past flood experiences.
As a full-time secondary school teacher and parent, Sarah cares deeply about both her family and the wider community. Although she does not have time to complete formal SES volunteer training, she actively participates in local community groups, stores extra supplies, and shares flood preparedness advice with neighbours and students. Her main challenge is balancing work, family, and informal community support when emergency risks increase.
Goals
Protect her family and home before flood events
Encourage neighbours to prepare and evacuate early
Share practical flood safety knowledge with students and community members
Stay updated with SES reports, local alerts, and community messages
Contribute supplies or support without becoming overwhelmed
Motivations
Learned the importance of early preparation from past flood experience
Feels a strong sense of civic responsibility as a teacher and parent
Wants to turn her experience into useful advice for the community
Believes early action can reduce panic and prevent avoidable risks
Frustrations
Some neighbours ignore alerts or delay preparation
Hard to balance teaching, family responsibilities, and community support
Does not have enough time for formal volunteer training
Community updates are scattered across SES reports, apps, and local groups
Wants to help but needs clearer ways to coordinate resources and requests
The user journey revealed that flood preparedness is not a single action, but a sequence of decisions. Users first need to recognise the risk, then understand how it affects their own household, complete practical preparation tasks, and finally make decisions about evacuation or community support.
This helped me shift the design focus from simply displaying emergency information to guiding users through a step-by-step preparedness process.
UX Problem Framing / HMW Questions
HMW 1
How might we help residents quickly understand whether they are personally at risk before a flood occurs?
HMW 2
How might we turn complex preparedness information into clear, manageable steps for different household situations?
HMW 3
How might we support vulnerable residents and community helpers through a shared digital platform?
The final design translates research insights into a flood preparedness platform that helps users understand local risks, complete preparation tasks, plan evacuation actions, and connect with community support.
Rather than functioning as a standard weather app, the platform focuses on guiding different residents through practical actions before and during flood emergencies.
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