Ask HN: Dead Man Switch / Emergency Drill UX Best Practice?

5 points by c1sc0 7y ago ↗ HN

I'm working on an emergency / dead man switch type app & am wondering if I should hold "drills" or not.

Scenario: User A activates switch on his mobile phone, if not de-activated before time Z, User B (Guardian) gets notified that User A may be in an emergency.

Use Case: high risk sports, activists, etc ...

My Question: Should User B (the Guardian) receive emergency drills to score responsiveness or will this lead to fatigue and ignoring the real signals?

1 comment

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laurentl 7y ago ↗

I would say that regular drills are useful to develop reflexes and awareness in the guardian. See e.g. fire drills in office buildings to make sure everyone knows where the emergency exit is and knows to leave the building without panicking. Just make sure it’s obvious quickly enough that it’s a drill.