Talk Taboo

Empowering fearless discussions on SRH by breaking the stigma for women of color with the help of AI

Primary role:

Product Designer

Time frame:

2 Weeks Hackathon

Industry:

Healthcare and Wellness

Responsibilities:

Team managemet, Idea generation, Idea proposal, Final product demo, Final presentation

Project Overview

Talk Taboo is a digital platform designed to break the stigma surrounding Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) for women of color by creating a safe, engaging, and customizable online community. This project was created as part of the Women’s Rights Buildathon, hosted by Baddies in Tech. My role as the sole product designer involved leading the design process from ideation to high-fidelity wireframes while working closely with a team of passionate individuals. The goal was to leverage AI to provide trustworthy resources, expert advice, and facilitate open discussions on SRH topics that are often taboo.

Overview

Challenge

Hackathon Challenge:

To find solutions to challenges like gender-based violence, reproductive rights, pay equity, digital and financial literacy, and more to help women of color or non binary individuals by harnessing cutting-edge technologies like AI, blockchain, and 5G.

The Women's Rights Buildathon, hosted by Baddies in Tech, was a virtual hackathon aimed at addressing critical issues affecting women globally. This buildathon was a 2 week project and needs to be done in teams. I was the only product designer on my team.

Problem Statement

83% of women in the United States spend more time trying to search for legitimate information about their sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and less time becoming educated, informed, and obtaining a sense of empowerment. Women also do not have a trustworthy and safe space to learn, discuss and converse about SRH without inhibitions

Stigma around women's sexual health hinders discussions for women of color. We need an AI-driven, safe community to address this.

Research

We surveyed 20 women to understand their needs around SRH

We surveyed 20 women to understand what do women need most to feel supported and their thoughts on AI related platform for SRH and the survey response and insights are as:

women feel uncomfortable and hesitant to discuss SRH concerns with their healthcare professionals

women use online platforms to learn about SRH related concerns

women show interest in discussing SRH related questions anonymously with AI based chatbot or gpt application

I’ve heard a lot of information about how not a lot of studies have been done on women of color and frankly on women in general. So its hard to trust that the information that’s being provided is true.

Survey Participant

Insights

Breaking down the problem into fragments

#1

Data Privacy and Security

A common concern among participants, highlighting the need for secure and confidential handling of personal information

#2

Accessibility and Inclusivity

A common concern, highlighting the need for SRH information in multiple languages, with inclusive imagery, and diverse cultural platforms.

#3

Reliability of Information

Participants seek credible, reliable SRH information and express frustration with misinformation and commercial bias

#4

Preference for Digital Platforms

A common concern, highlighting the preference for specialized, convenient apps and videos, and the need for personalized experiences and community support.

The Solution

We designed to build a platform that

Empower women and non-binary individuals by providing accessible, reliable sexual and reproductive health information and support, fostering a supportive community for open discussions, and prioritizing user privacy. We ensure easy access to these resources, regardless of background or location.

Empower

Empowers women and non-binary individuals to overcome inhibitions, speak about taboo topics of contraception, and normalize discussions of stigmatized topics related to SRH.

Title 3

Encourage women to overcome inhibitions, speak about Taboo topics of Contraception and normalise discussions of stigmatised topics.

Title 2

Enables connection of women with other women who belong to similar communities, have faced similar challenges, and most importantly, experienced and educated doctors and experts.

Title 4

Build a trustworthy community platform for women of color to discuss taboos and stigmas around sexual and reproductive health, and improve accessibility to legitimate information

Title 1

Empowers women with information and resources about Contraception, its methods, the latest research and development in the field from legitimate sources, All in One Place

Community

Enables connection of women with other women who belong to similar communities, have faced similar challenges, and most importantly, experienced and educated doctors and experts.

Title 2

Enables connection of women with other women who belong to similar communities, have faced similar challenges, and most importantly, experienced and educated doctors and experts.

Title 4

Build a trustworthy community platform for women of color to discuss taboos and stigmas around sexual and reproductive health, and improve accessibility to legitimate information

Title 1

Empowers women with information and resources about Contraception, its methods, the latest research and development in the field from legitimate sources, All in One Place

Title 3

Encourage women to overcome inhibitions, speak about Taboo topics of Contraception and normalise discussions of stigmatised topics.

Accessibility

Provides women with information and resources about contraception, its methods, and the latest research and development in the field from legitimate sources in one place.

Title 4

Build a trustworthy community platform for women of color to discuss taboos and stigmas around sexual and reproductive health, and improve accessibility to legitimate information

Title 1

Empowers women with information and resources about Contraception, its methods, the latest research and development in the field from legitimate sources, All in One Place

Title 3

Encourage women to overcome inhibitions, speak about Taboo topics of Contraception and normalise discussions of stigmatised topics.

Title 2

Enables connection of women with other women who belong to similar communities, have faced similar challenges, and most importantly, experienced and educated doctors and experts.

Privacy

Build a trustworthy platform for women of color to discuss taboos and stigmas around sexual and reproductive health, and improve accessibility to legitimate information.

Design Rationals

What set’s TalkTaboo apart?

Anonymous AI Consultation

Users can ask the AI about their symptoms and concerns without revealing their identity, ensuring a confidential and judgment-free experience

Cultural Sensitivity

The AI is trained to understand and respect diverse cultural backgrounds, ensuring that responses and suggestions are sensitive to the unique experiences of women of color.

Resource Recommendations

In addition to providing information, the AI can recommend relevant resources such as articles, community forums, and support groups tailored to the user's situation.

Community Support

Users can connect with a supportive community of peers facing similar issues, fostering a sense of solidarity and shared experiences

Key Metrics

User's needs for the anonymous AI consultation

A clear understanding of what the purpose of Talktaboo (our platform) is.

Style Guide

Hope

Anticipation of positive outcomes and the resilience of the human spirit. Keywords: Light, airy, radiant, new beginnings.

Font

Cabin

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

Raleway

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

Colors

#EBE8FF

#402353

#CBF4E1

Inclusivity

Embracing diversity and providing equal opportunities for everyone, regardless of their background.

Connection

Fostering strength, confidence and independence. Keywords: bold, dynamic, energy, determination.

Final Designs

Engaging in a collaborative brainstorm session with research and strategy team

Breaking down the problem into fragments, focusing on family health insurance, family plan quotes, and quote comparison, we conducted a competitive analysis.

Reflections

Key takeaways and lessons

Challenges

We had so many causes we were passionate about it was challenging to narrow down where to place our focus.

Building a digital product that uses a specific form of technology.

So many products already exist that address so many issues! Inspiring and also a challenge as we think about what we want to specifically contribute to this space

Learning how to code a full stack project. As well as learning new coding languages like React and Python and new tech (ai).

Connecting the ai to the backend then to the frontend. And not being able to finish the code because of such.

learnings

We learned the importance of diverse team perspectives, empathy for user needs, and effective communication. Regular check-ins ensured alignment and decision-making clarity throughout the project.

The culture we were able to create as a team within a short amount of time. We all felt supported, heard and encouraged. Not to mention we laughed a lot.

We navigated the three different time zones (PST, EST, CET) and held efficient and productive meetings.

Our Story!

The four of us virtually met during the Buildathon and instantly clicked! We bonded over shared experiences as women, discovered common passions, and united in envisioning a powerful outcome for women. Working on this Hackathon was an absolute blast!