Federico Trucchia, Max Fischer, Juhyun Nam, and Minju Park
Drink spiking prevention is typically framed as an issue of individual vigilance. Existing solutions focus on detection tools, personal testing kits, and behavioural advice that place responsibility on potential victims. This paper argues that such approaches misunderstand the structural nature of the problem.
Safe All Night is a systemic design project that reframes drink spiking as an environmental vulnerability embedded within nightlife infrastructures. Rather than attempting to perfect detection technologies, the project shifts operational responsibility from potential victims alone towards venues and surrounding support systems. The work emerged from an initial investigation into Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) as a potential detection method. Laboratory testing revealed significant limitations: inconsistent detectability across substances, beverage interference, and technological sensitivity constraints. These findings exposed the fragility of purely technical solutions.
The project pivoted from technological detection to infrastructural redesign. Through desk research, laboratory testing, behavioural analysis, and iterative prototyping, Safe All Night developed a multi-layered intervention system operating across awareness, risk mitigation, and reporting. Visible awareness campaigns challenge the common misconception that spiking effects are indistinguishable from alcohol intoxication. Physical drink covers serve as standardised, non-stigmatizing barriers to opportunistic tampering. Parallel reporting pathways integrate discreet signaling and digital communication within familiar messaging platforms.
The core contribution of this work is a redistribution model of safety. Instead of equipping individuals to defend themselves, the system embeds protection within service rituals, spatial communication, and venue policy. The outcome is not a product but a coordinated ecosystem that connects venue staff, non-profit organisations, and digital infrastructure.
This report contributes to discussions on systemic design and public safety by demonstrating how reframing responsibility can reshape prevention strategies in socially complex environments. It questions the assumption that innovation must be technological and proposes infrastructural design as a more resilient form of intervention.
Keywords: systemic design, drink spiking prevention, nightlife safety infrastructure, responsibility redistribution, public safety innovation