Accessing Workplace Justice with Confidentiality
Imagine a world where employees feel safe, valued, and empowered. A world where they can speak up without fear of retaliation. Unfortunately, this is not always the reality. Sexual harassment continues to plague workplaces, leaving victims feeling isolated and afraid. At Vesta, we are committed to changing this.
Our mission is to create a safe and supportive environment where individuals can report incidents of sexual harassment without fear of reprisal. By providing a confidential and accessible platform, we empower victims to take control of their situation and seek justice.
By combining technology and empathy, we are revolutionizing the way workplaces address sexual harassment. Our solution offers a lifeline to those in need, providing a path to healing and justice
Summary & Client Brief
Out of the momentum of a global movement against sexual harassment, the Vesta journey began. Vesta aims to provide a safe space for those who have experienced sexual harassment, providing them with reporting options. Vesta’s approach to this issue was to have a platform that would help both the employee and the employer — a bridge between the two.
Vesta wanted to update and redesign their original website to incorporate a platform that would streamline the reporting process with a credible, trustworthy approach.
Challenge
Make the VESTA website informative and safe for employers and employees to streamline the sexual harassment reporting process in their workplace.
Solution
Creating a safe and secure platform with complete anonymity was paramount to building user trust. We recognized that without trust, users would be hesitant to report incidents, rendering the platform ineffective. Our design prioritized security measures to foster this crucial trust. Supplying engaging and resourceful information for employees and employers. Making the feature CTA button easily accessible and using calming colours for a safe yet professional tone.
Research
Our research subjects were based on HR, CEOs, Managers and employees, of which we interviewed and conducted surveys to determine how employees generally feel about sexual harassment in the workplace. We wanted to identify what sexual harassment policies and procedures were in place already in workplaces. We wanted to learn more about who is responsible for resolving workplace harassment issues and understand how and what issues employees and employers have dealt with regarding this issue. We also needed to determine users feelings regarding using an online reporting platform for such issues, specifically focusing on their comfort level with security and anonymity.
Our research prioritized understanding the needs of users who might be hesitant to report sensitive information. We explored their concerns about anonymity, data security, and the potential for retaliation. We sought to identify the key factors that would empower them to come forward and report incidents with confidence.
Insights
Based on our survey responses and interviews, we found that most people were either not happy with the policies in place at their workplaces or were just unsure of what the policies are. It was also found that they would be more comfortable with an online reporting platform. A key insight was the importance of trust and anonymity in such a platform. Users expressed concerns about data security and the potential for their identities to be revealed.
Other information gathered from the analysis pertaining to employees was that they would like to know that they can trust reporting any incidents of sexual harassment without worry of repercussions while company’s HR, Managers, and CEOs would like to stop any issues before they become liabilities for the company. Users emphasized the need for end-to-end encryption and secure data deletion policies.
From our insights we were able to create personas that helped us sketch our low-fidelity mockups of the information architecture needed.
Information Architecture
From our research we were able to determine that Vesta would need a website platform to showcase the following:
01. On the ‘Home’ page, (a.) a video that would speak directly to the problem and the risks and costs involved in a credible complaint. (b.) A section for factual numbers regarding sexual harassment. (c.) A ‘What we offer’ Call to Action, (CTA) button that would take the user to the a page explaining what Vesta’s solution is to the problem. (d.) A ‘Trusted Partners’ section to show validity of partnerships. (e.) A ‘Customer Stories’ section providing a platform for the voices of all its customers. (f.) A ‘Subscribe’ section so users can stay informed. (g.) A ‘Book a Demo’ CTA button in the navigation bar so that users can quickly access a demo for more information about the platform.
02. An ‘About Us’ page identifying Vesta’s ‘Vision and Mission’ statements as well as an ‘Our Approach’ and ‘Why Vesta’ placement on the ‘About’ page to help inform users why they can trust and feel safe using the Vesta platform. This section highlights our commitment to data security and user privacy.
03. A ‘What We Offer’ page that would showcase privacy, trust, confidentiality, security, and educational resources, as well as an ‘How it works’ section for both employee and employer. This page details the specific security measures implemented, including end-to-end encryption for all data transmissions and storage, multi-factor authentication for user accounts, and secure data deletion policies. It also explains how we minimize the collection of PII and use tokenization to anonymize user data.
04. A ‘Resources’ page that would have various information for both employee and employer.
05. A ‘Contact Us’ page for easy accessibility for additional inquiries about the company or demo.
06. A ‘Faq’ page that shows Vesta’s fraud and security policies so that users would feel comfortable and be able to obtain answers to most commonly asked questions. This page addresses common security concerns and explains our data retention policies.
08. A ‘Book A Demo’ page for users to know more about how Vesta would tackle the problems of both employee and employer to help the streamlining process for companies.
With the solutions laid out in our our information architecture we were able to go forward with the final version using UI to bring everything to life.
A Secure and Confidential Platform
For Vesta's confidential reporting platform, anonymity and data protection were paramount. I worked closely with the development team to ensure that user data was handled securely and that the platform met the client's strict confidentiality requirements.
Throughout the design process, I participated in threat modeling exercises with security experts to identify potential vulnerabilities related to user interactions with the platform. Specifically, we considered threats such as phishing, social engineering, and unauthorized access. These exercises directly informed my design decisions, leading to the implementation of security measures I designed, e.g., multi-factor authentication, clear warnings for sensitive actions, etc. I collaborated closely with the development team to ensure these security measures were implemented effectively and conducted usability testing to validate their effectiveness and user-friendliness. I collaborated with security experts to conduct penetration testing and vulnerability assessments. Secure APIs were designed to protect user data from unauthorized access and ensure the integrity of the platform. This was crucial for maintaining user confidence and encouraging them to use the system without fear.. I provided clear error messages to the user ensuring error messages were informative to the user but did not reveal sensitive information about the system. I considered secure coding practices and worked with developers to minimize vulnerabilities. We ensured compliance with relevant data privacy regulations (e.g., PIPEDA, CCPA). Audit logs and reporting capabilities were designed to provide transparency and accountability. Users can access these logs to verify that their reports have been handled securely and that the system has not been tampered with. This transparency is essential for building trust in the platform and ensuring that users feel confident that their reports are being taken seriously. I designed the user interface for accessing and viewing audit logs such as:
• Search and Filtering: Designed a way for users to search and filter logs based on various criteria (e.g., date range, user, event type).
• Data Display: Designed how the log data is displayed, considering readability and clarity.
(tables, charts, or other visualizations).
• Export Options: Designed the interface for exporting logs in different formats.
• Data Display: Designed how the log data is displayed, considering readability and clarity.
(tables, charts, or other visualizations).
• Export Options: Designed the interface for exporting logs in different formats.
This section details the ethical considerations addressed in the design of the Vesta platform, focusing on data privacy, anonymity, and potential misuse. To protect user data, the design incorporated data minimization, end-to-end encryption, secure storage, and clear data retention policies. Anonymity was prioritized through anonymous reporting, tokenization, and secure communication channels. To mitigate potential misuse, the design included processes for verifying reports, ensuring data integrity, and conducting regular security audits. The overall goal was to create a safe and trusted platform for reporting sensitive information, prioritizing user well-being and responsible use.
To see the current website for Vesta please click here.
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