How to create an interface and experience that is useful to users in a crisis situation

Knowing your users

I have been contemplating the concept of designing for crisis this week. What implications could a situation of crisis have on a user and what considerations must be explored to create a user interface that will serve the users current state?
In my research I discovered an excellent ‘An Event About’ presentation on this exact topic. In the presentation, experienced web designer and author Eric A. Meyer discusses the topic of designing for crisis from his own professional and personal experience of being in a crisis situation. He offers many insights, drawing from his own experiences on how products are designed with the ideal user in mind, one who is technically savvy, calm and in a comfortable situation but that we must also consider the panicked, rushed user in a crisis situation that is thinking and interacting with a product in a different way.

Designing for Crisis by Eric Meyer—An Event Apart video from An Event Apart on Vimeo.

Considerations

Some of the main points that I felt were relevant to my application and to keep in mind as the project progresses:

When considering our users we assume they are in safe and comfortable scenarios when using our application. Users who are not thinking clearly as a result of heightened emotions must also be considered.
Empathetic design must be employed to understand and interact with our users.
The concept of a crisis situation doesn’t necessarily occur only from the users scenario or location. Crisis can be created as a result of technological failures with the application. What features can be implemented to reduce this possibility.