As part of an interaction design practicum in my graduate program, I worked with classmate Siyu (Steven) Xiao to design a digital emergency assistance feature within the Lollapalooza app. This feature enables festival-goers to quickly request EMS help, alert others nearby, and access real-time instructions for assisting in medical emergencies. Built as a companion to Steven’s original physical scooter design for EMS navigation, our digital extension included extensive research and iteration with event organizers, EMS professionals, emergency UX specialists, and attendees.
This project was not in association with the official Lollapalooza event.
Problem + Outcomes
Getting medical attention at large events is a nonlinear, high-stress process. MedDash aims to provide clarity.
MedDash Scooter: Originally developed by Steven in an undergraduate physical design course, the MedDash scooter was created to help EMS staff navigate crowded urban areas more efficiently. We built on that idea by exploring a digital companion tool to reimagine and improve the broader emergency response experience.
Problem: In crowded environments, EMS response times can be significantly delayed—potentially impacting medical outcomes. To keep our scope focused for a 10-week timeline, we centered our work on Lollapalooza, a large music festival where medical incidents like fainting, dehydration, and overheating are common.
Outcomes: Designed and prototyped 80+ screens covering both attendee and EMS user flows. Conducted user interviews and usability tests with over 18 participants. Delivered a business requirements document and annotated prototype to support potential handoff and future implementation.
UX Research
Learning what's most important when responding to the unexpected.
Secondary Research: We found that while some EMS departments (like in San Diego) use tools like golf carts and bikes to navigate events, there’s currently no clear way for attendees to digitally and directly reach on-site EMS staff.
Primary Research: Our early research goals included... - Understanding how it feels to face an emergency, both at events and elsewhere - Learning what responders and bystanders prioritize in urgent situations - Identifying principles for designing clear, intuitive emergency interfaces
Methodology: Conducted 30-45 minute interviews on Zoom & in-person with 2 event planners (Pitchfork, NU Athletics), 3 EMTs, 5 event-goers, 2 911 callers, 2 emergency UX designers
Research Insights We focused on tackling the insights below in our How Might We statement and subsequent design direction.
Process Work
Narrowing down to how a simplified help request process, alarm and instructions can empower emergency reporters.
Our problem statement to frame our focus:
How might we create a trustworthy, intuitive emergency tool that helps event-goers call for help, share accurate information, and stay calm in noisy, chaotic moments when they feel unsure?
After brainstorming from our HMW and insights, we ranked our ideas on a 2x2 of feasibility vs. impact and went with our most promising direction.
The thinking behind our direction: in-app feature = more trust among event-goers compared to a separate download, EMS staff already often use phones for push to talk apps (among others) = adoption shouldn't be a barrier, Lollapalooza focus = feasible scope due to area and event length
Design
Prototyping festival-ready reporting and alarm features for event-goers and EMS responders.
We designed and prototyped a complete in-app experience tailored for high- and low-network situations, EMS responder workflows, and bystander support. The following walkthroughs highlight key flows including emergency reporting, tutorial onboarding, attention alerts, and real-time responder coordination.
Additional deliverables including extra screens, BRD, annotations, and next steps.
Learnings + Next Steps
Setting up for success by scaling big ideas into focused, feasible outcomes.
This project taught us how to scale our vision to match our time and resources. While MedDash started as an ambitious mobility solution for large metropolitan areas, we narrowed our scope to Lollapalooza to create something actionable within 10 weeks. We interviewed over 18 stakeholders across EMS, UX, and event-goer perspectives, but had to prioritize a clear, focused user flow over more experimental ideas. As a two-person team, we learned to make strategic trade-offs—choosing depth over breadth and feasibility over scale.
.svg)
.svg)
.png)
.png)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.gif)
.gif)
%20(1).gif)
.gif)
.gif)
.gif)
.gif)
.gif)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
