Ridesharing, reimagined.

It’s not all men, but it’s enough.

In 2024, Lyft reported a 185% increase of fatal physical assaults, and a 21% increase in sexual assaults within their rideshare users. 

Sexual assault is a gendered crime. In 97% of cases, the accused are men and boys. 

Ridesharing is for everyone. And everyone should feel safe. Period. 
Why aren’t we acting like it? 

PROJECT TYPE
Branding, Web Design, Editorial


PROJECT YEAR
2025

We can do better.

Aura is a women-only rideshare service, rooted in increasing safety, comfort, and confidence. Women and non-binary people, 18 years or older, can use this app to ride or drive with a female or non-binary person. Every. Single. Time. 

Aura’s here to create an environment where women can stress less and explore more. Men cannot use the app.

Let’s take it from the top

Every day, women experience harassment while commuting. There are so many variables that can contribute to making a dangerous situation, many of which are out of our control. For my research project, I decided to choose something I could have control over, and create a solution based on preliminary prevention, rather than subsequent response. In other words, my goal was to address the core of the issue and stop incidents before they ever had a chance to happen.

My role was to research, design, and develop a solution, ultimately transforming it into a fully branded and functional system. 

Here’s how I did it:

Discovery

My research included articles and reports focused on harassment in ridesharing and interviews with drivers - I wanted to hear from them because no one would know how to solve the problem better.

I learned drivers wanted a better sense of security, but dash cams are expensive. Incidents escalate quickly in small spaces, but they are mostly left with few other options than to carry a taser (or a firearm in the US, which is not allowed by Lyft - but in a matter of safety, drivers do it anyway.) And although the leading companies in ridesharing have made their mark, it was not creating very
much change.

"Both Uber and Lyft have been extremely innovative when it comes to transforming the rideshare and mobility industry, but there have been areas like safety where they have been a lot more reactive. They should put their brainpower and innovation towards safety."

— Harry Campbell, The Dark Realities Women Face Driving for Uber and Lyft

Inspiration

When designing Aura, I set out to create an app that introduced stronger safety features while feeling familiar and easy to use. It had to be seamless—something drivers could switch to effortlessly—so strong UI patterns and clear language were essential.

To understand the landscape, I analyzed Uber and Lyft, identifying interface patterns and listening to what drivers actually wanted. That research shaped Aura’s features, filling in gaps where other platforms fell short.

The brand identity also had to strike a balance: soft and inviting, yet bold and empowering—reflecting the strength of the women it was built for. I looked to women-owned brands for inspiration, learning how they built trust and community, and used that to shape Aura into something that truly resonates.

Exploration

As I developed the website and poster campaign, I landed on a “point A to point B” line graphic. This graphic is simple, extremely versatile, easy to make and is a strong and recognizable flourish throughout the brand. 
From there, I refined the logo and layout to complement this direction, and things started coming together.

THE FINAL

Hello, Aura.

Strong UI patterns and clear language, combined with insights from drivers, shaped Aura’s features to fill in the gaps where other platforms fell short.

The website itself offers information about the company and mainly acts as a marketing device for the app.

This “where to?” campaign is meant to be used for visibility on streets and billboards, highlighting women going about their everyday life, using Aura to get from place to place.

This second campaign is something that would be found in a bar or club, meant to advertise toward those needing a ride home while intoxicated, and uses a free first ride to entice a user to try our app.

Coming together to make a difference.

Harassment and assault are not easy things to talk about, and difficult things to find some kind of solution for. It’s even harder to translate such a heavy topic into a visual form that is light and empowering. However, I am so glad I got the opportunity to take on this project - it takes a step in the right direction to improve safety for women, so they can feel safe and comfortable when commuting alone, day or night.