SeaClear
Human computer interaction project focused on making beach water quality information easier to access, understand, and act on.
Overview
SeaClear is a group-built HCI system designed to support beachgoers by improving the clarity and usability of water quality information. The project focuses on communicating environmental health content in a user-friendly way and providing tools for engagement through reporting and education.
My contributions
My work focused on page design, information structure, and improving user flows through heuristic-guided iteration.
HCI approach
Because SeaClear is an HCI-focused project, I helped keep the experience consistent by ensuring design decisions followed usability principles and heuristic guidelines. I prioritised clear navigation, meaningful feedback, readable information structure, and predictable user flows across pages.
Homepage revamp + map integration
I improved the home page layout and information structure, including beach card layout improvements, better placement of the map widget, and homepage carousel enhancements to support a smoother entry experience for users.
News page + carousel
I designed and implemented the News page structure and contributed to the homepage News carousel. I also sourced relevant news content to support credibility and create a clearer narrative around water safety and environmental context.
Education page content and structure
I helped design and structure the Education page into clearer sections and sourced content that explained water quality impact in a practical way, including waterborne illnesses, public health risks, and economic impact. I also supported multimedia through video links.
About page
I contributed to the design and structure of the About page to improve credibility and help users understand the motivation and goals of the platform.
Community reporting feature
I built the user-facing community report flow, including the reporting form and beach selection dropdown, and connected submissions to backend handling so reports could be saved correctly.
Base UI and navigation improvements
I improved general navigation and UI consistency across the site, including navbar updates, clearer navigation controls, and improved flash messages to reduce user confusion during key actions.
Documentation and QA
I authored test cases to validate key user flows and contributed to project documentation, including parts of the report and a user manual. This improved evaluation quality and strengthened maintainability.
What I learned
SeaClear strengthened my HCI approach to software. I learned how to translate usability thinking into concrete changes across navigation, information structure, and interface flows. I also learned the value of content design and credibility in systems that communicate public health information.