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A web application for high school and college-age LGBTQ+ members in Boston to easily access queer-friendly mental health resources based on preferences that matter to them.

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InRainbows LGBT

The Problem

Research has shown that LGBT students are 3x as likely as non-LGBT students to say that they do not feel safe at school, and 90% of LGBT teenagers have been harassed or assaulted during the past year. Mental health issues have become a major problem within this population, but there is still a lack of resources and accessibility for LGBT youth to find LGBT friendly mental health resources.

Solution

A web application for high school and college-age LGBTQ+ members in Boston to easily access queer-friendly mental health resources based on preferences that matter to them.

Unique Value Proposition

While there are plenty of therapist resources out there for college-age students, it is hard to pinpoint LGBT specialists. Our web application makes LGBTQ+ friendly mental health resources readily accessible to people who need them, whether they are actively looking or simply exploring; We are here for them no matter where they are in their mental health journey.

Primary Target

LGBTQ+ high school and college-age members in the Boston area

The Product

Technology Used:

Firebase, VueJS, and JavaScript.

Features Completed

  • Centralized Therapist List
    Aggregated therapist resources in Boston
  • Filter by preferences
    Implemented filter algorithms to help users personalize the therapist list based on their insurance, payment method, sexuality and identity, as well as their location.
  • Interactive Map View
    Populated all the therapist office locations on a Google Map with interactive markers.
  • Emergency Resources
    Provided users with emergency resources including suicide prevention, translife hotline, domestic violence hotline, etc.

Future Features

  • Give “LGBT approved” review to therapists
    Allows users to anonymously give the therapists “thumbs up” on our website, providing other LGBT users with firsthand feedback LGBT community and events
  • Another page aggregating LGBT community events in Boston, providing LGBT youth up-to-date resources to find like-minded and in-person connections and support.

Innovation Journey

Ideation

To solve the problem of social isolation, denial from the self and the family, we believe it is crucial for the LGBTQ+ youth to have an easy way of finding peer support and professional counselors to connect with.

Pivot and Insights

Originally, our MVP is to build a web app for LGBT youths to access nearby therapists that are LGBT specialized. From user testing and interviewing, we found out that finance is a crucial part of finding the therapist. Therefore, we added insurance, payment method, and other preferences filters to our website. We also found that peer support was vital to creating an overall positive experience and mental health journey.

User Login was another original feature we had planned to implement at first but decided not to. We found that the login feature could be a risk, as our audience is unique in that their personal information is particularly sensitive and might not feel entirely comfortable with providing personal information.

Ethics Audit

Potential risks in future implementation:
If we are planning to implement an optional login feature, we have to make sure the user’s personal information is under protection.
We will also need to have a Fair Processing Policy that explains why we will take data from our users and how we are going to be using it.

Project Member:

Tech: Hannah (Yunhan) Huang (CS 2021), Zhenghui Wang (CS 2022)
UX Design: Emme Enojado (Neuroscience & Visual Art 2021)

About

A web application for high school and college-age LGBTQ+ members in Boston to easily access queer-friendly mental health resources based on preferences that matter to them.

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