Location Check-In - Thryvia
From tracking to trust: a compliant, user-first location redesign
Location Check-In
A user-controlled location sharing feature that replaces passive tracking with intentional check-ins to support trust, safety, and app store compliance.
Overview
Location Check-In is a feature within a teen-focused support app that allows teens to voluntarily share their location with a parent or trusted supporter at specific moments.
Instead of continuous background tracking, the feature enables teens to actively check in, sending their current location through a simple, transparent interaction. Parents receive a notification and can respond with acknowledgment or encouragement, creating a lightweight feedback loop that reinforces positive behavior and connection.
This approach transforms location sharing from passive monitoring into a more intentional, trust-based interaction that aligns with both user needs and platform expectations.
This case study is a portfolio-safe adaptation of a real mental health product protected by an NDA.
The feature has been reframed to focus on general family support rather than specific clinical use cases, and all branding and proprietary details have been removed or altered. The design decisions, constraints, and interaction patterns reflect the real project, while compliance considerations and outcomes are representative of current app store policies and best practices.
My Role
Lead UX/UI Designer
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Synthesizing clinical research and psychological insights
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Defining the experience architecture
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Designing the full interaction flow
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Creating wireframes and prototypes
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Collaborating with clinicians, engineering, and leadership
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Preparing the experience for development
Team
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CEO / Product Lead
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Clinical psychologists
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Engineering team
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Additional UX designers
Tools
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Figma
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FigJam
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Journey mapping
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Interaction flow modeling
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Collaborative design workshops
Problem
The app originally included always-on location sharing for teens, with parents receiving continuous updates and notifications. While this created a strong sense of visibility and reassurance, it also, as app stores tightened their restrictions on location sharing practices, created a platform compliance problem.
As Google Play and Apple tightened their location-sharing expectations, the original experience no longer fit the standards needed for app store approval.
The team needed to redesign the feature so it would meet platform requirements without losing the core value of family connection and accountability.
Solution
The constant location-sharing model was redesigned into a voluntary location check-in feature. Instead of continuously sharing a teen’s location, the teen now initiates sharing at specific moments.
This approach accomplished two things at once:
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It brought the product into alignment with app store expectations around location permissions and transparency.
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It turned location sharing into a more intentional, supportive feature with clearer user value.
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The check-in experience also became a natural extension of the app’s existing challenge and reinforcement structure, making it more useful than a standalone tracking tool.
Design Principles
The constant location-sharing model was redesigned into a voluntary location check-in feature. Instead of continuously sharing a teen’s location, the teen now initiates sharing at specific moments.
This approach accomplished two things at once:
It brought the product into alignment with app store expectations around location permissions and transparency.
It turned location sharing into a more intentional, supportive feature with clearer user value.
The check-in experience also became a natural extension of the app’s existing challenge and reinforcement structure, making it more useful than a standalone tracking tool.
Impact
The redesign transformed a compliance risk into a more thoughtful product experience. The app was able to move from always-on location sharing to a model that better matched platform expectations while still giving families a useful way to stay connected.
Rather than simply removing functionality, the team reworked the feature so it supported user autonomy, reduced privacy concerns, and created a more positive interaction between teen and parent.
What I Learned
This project reinforced that constraints like app store policies can lead to stronger, more intentional design decisions when handled thoughtfully.
A key takeaway was designing for trust over control. Moving away from passive location tracking initially felt like a loss, but it created a more appropriate experience for a teen-focused product. Giving users clear agency over when their data is shared improved both compliance and the emotional tone of the feature.
I also learned how important transparency and permission design are when working with sensitive data like location. Using foreground-only permissions and clearly signaling when sharing occurs made the experience feel safer and easier to understand.
Finally, this work showed the value of reframing constraints as opportunities. Instead of removing location sharing, we reshaped it into a feature that better supports user engagement and aligns with the app’s core goals.
