07 Jun Can an App Help Save Lives on Australian Beaches?

In response to the increasing number of drowning deaths on Australian beaches each year, the team at Surf Life Saving Australia (SLS) looked towards an online solution – Beachsafe.

The Beachsafe website and app were created with education at the fore. With the implementation of intuitive programming, modern design, and user experience (UX) strategies, the end product has the ability to give real-time information, therefore warning users of changing ocean conditions and dangerous swim spots.

Breadbox Marketing and PR joined the Surf Life Saving Australia team and programmers Nano Solutions to scope the Beachsafe website and app development and also design the front-end of both platforms, while refreshing the brand’s dated visual presence.

“Our role on this project was all about bringing the brand and the user experience together with the innovative programming from Nano,” says Emma. “We were really able to work to our strengths and give a comprehensive blueprint as to how the app would work best for the user.” She says.

The Beachsafe platforms integrate push notifications based on geo location tagging. This enables a user to sign-up for notifications that ping to their phone in the event of dangerous beach conditions such as a shark sighting or strong rip currents. It is also a way for users to search beaches and ensure that a SLS patrol is active. This knowledge can mean the difference between life and death.
“This project was certainly about locals and regular beach goers, but it was also developed with the traveller in mind,” says Potter. “The website and app have been translated into over 100 different languages so we needed make sure that the front-end was intuitive and easy to navigate.” She says.

“When it came to branding, our creative team had to work within the existing SLS brand guidelines, which can be creatively restricting. However, we managed to develop an identity that kept the integrity of the umbrella brand while incorporating a fresh approach with saturated photography, sharp lines, illustrated iconography, and gridded patterns.”

The Beachsafe website and app launched on November 2016 and since that time there have been up to 96,000 page views and 50,000 users per week. “People are clearly engaging with the platform; the bounce rate is staying low and people are coming back to the site. We are looking forward to seeing more users and repeat users as awareness increases.”