euphoria
Euphoria is a modern transition tool and database. It is an iOS mobile app geared towards transgender and gender non-conforming people and its goal is to make transition a little easier by building community and providing resources. Users are able to search for and privately message board-certified healthcare providers and get answers to their pressing questions, all while keeping sensitive information 100% confidential.
Euphoria educates and strengthens comradery through curated, peer-reviewed resource libraries and public, moderated forums where users can find answers from people who have been where they are.
background
Conversations surrounding healthcare rarely include trans and gender non-conforming folks. As a trans person, I and many of my trans friends have struggled finding providers who respectfully and confidently address my concerns. I wanted to explore ways that I could accessibly and safely connect the trans community to the resources we need, and thus Euphoria was born.
the problem
It's not only a question of accessing gender-affirming hormones and procedures: trans healthcare disparities extend into things like regular check-ups and emergency room visits. According to a study by the National LGBT Health Education Center, nearly 50% of trans-identified people surveyed said they'd avoided seeking medical care, 30% of which said was due to poor access to safe, trans-informed providers.
These are ridiculously high numbers. Euphoria aims to bridge this gap and bring providers directly to users' pockets.
goals
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To educate users about the possibilities for medical and social transition
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To connect a community of people with similar identities and experiences
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To have medical questions answered thoroughly and confidentially, whether they're specific to gender-affirming care or not
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To provide a companion and tool whose job is to help navigate the uncharted waters of trans identity
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To benefit trans lives and bodies in the long term
competitive research
There are very few available apps that cater specifically to my target demographic. Additionally, regardless of demographic, there are no live apps that 100% encompass my project's features and goals. Many apps offered similar features and worked very well for their intended uses, but I was unable to find anything that successfully served my community.
The two trans-focused apps I did find, Solace and TransTracks, were both underdeveloped and difficult to navigate. Conceptually they were strong ideas— Solace being a transition resource and goal tool and TransTracks offering photo galleries to track progress— but neither pulled together the level of interactivity and output I desired.
Clue
Clue is a strong contender for period trackers and menstrual education apps.
Strengths
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Thorough analysis of inputted data, offers strong health insights
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Customizable to individual goals/needs
Weaknesses
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Not trans-inclusive in its features or language
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Paywall greatly limits access to resources
Solace
A transition companion app, offering resources, news and goal checklists for newly-out trans folks.
Strengths
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Offers solid info on the different aspects of transition (legal, social, medical)
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Parent mode for parents of trans kids
Weaknesses
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Hasn't been updated in over a year
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Simple settings changes require complete wipe of data
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Very little custom user input
Apple Health
Default iPhone health tracking app that offers in-depth features and Apple Watch data.
Strengths
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Diverse range of categories
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Able to share health data with contacts
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Strong automatic tracking systems built into iPhone
Weaknesses
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No trans-inclusive tracking categories
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No community or news-based features
TransTracks
Transition companion app that tracks progress through photos and quickly displays dummy screen for privacy.
Strengths
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Photo albums structured to be viewed over time, highlighting progress
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Toggle on/off password protection
Weaknesses
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Main "jump out" feature is inaccessible
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Only allows input through photos and "milestones", thus offering no original insights to the user
Ovia
Period and fertility tracker also supporting nutrition and substance use insights.
Strengths
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Extremely in-depth user input system, allowing for specific health insights
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Can connect with other users through posts and comments
Weaknesses
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Not trans-inclusive in its features or language
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UI is a little clunky
Clue, Apple Health, and Ovia all boast inclusivity and thoroughness in their messaging, yet...
none of these health apps even accidentally acknowledge trans existence.
When creating a user persona for this project, I thought about my own experience as a trans person and the experiences of friends. I drew upon trans medical research and community forums such as Reddit to gather data on where people's frustrations and goals lie.
Trans experiences are incredibly varied and rely on many factors, such as race, ethnicity, economic background, and disability status. My ultimate goal is to remove roadblocks and provide access to life-saving resources for all.
After figuring out who my audience is and what hasn't worked for them, I went forward and created a roadmap for the features that do.
branding
From here, I began to develop UI elements and a visual identity for the app.
I divided the app into four main tabs along the bottom, with the "Jump out" privacy button position-locked in the middle. Up top are Profile and Notification tabs, with a Settings window accessible through the Profile.
Users can set and complete time-based goals, save transition photos and look back on their progress, chat with providers and other users, track their hormone and period schedules, and connect with local LGBTQ+ organizations, and more, all in one app.
marketing
Euphoria is advertised analog mainly in cities and digitally on social media and LGBTQ+-centered sites.
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takeaways
While working on this project, I learned about the importance and presence of accessibility. As my main goal was to make Euphoria's resource library available to all, I had to navigate things like paywall restrictions and visual contrast guidelines to ensure my product was truly accessible.
In the future, I'd like to make even further improvements to the UI and task flow to ensure this goal remains met.