Respex
Project Info
UI/UX, Product Design Research: 3 weeks
Visual Design: 2 weeks
Scope
Research, System Design, Visual Design, User TestingThe goal of this project is to design a trauma-informed sex education app that promotes inclusivity and positive attitudes towards sex and bodily autonomy. The app should provide a safe and supportive space for individuals to learn about healthy sexual practices and relationships. The app should take into consideration the potential impact of past trauma on an individual's sexual experience and provide appropriate resources and support.
The Challenge
There is no popular digitized educational mode for sex education. Majority of sex ed resources are either in book or video forms. In the digital age, an app could be more accessible for some people than other traditional medias. Furthermore, a lot of current sex ed resources, while they are useful and provide a lot of insight, are quite outdated in terms of gender inclusivity. Therefore, I want my product to center around inclusivity and respect.
How can we address this issue for being a trauma-informed, inclusive, sex-positive sex-ed resource, while also being accessible to individuals of all genders, sexual orientations, and cultural backgrounds?
The Approach
To better understand the gaps of current sex education resources or platforms out there, I started by conducting research with the following goals: →Understanding how people first learn about sex education and continue to learn about it afterwards
→Determine the role of sex ed in society and personal idenity/self love
→Understanding how to communicate sex, intimacy, and relationship with healthy attitudes
→Discover ways to be inclusive to all users of different of all genders, sexual orientations, and cultural identities.
Research Methods
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Competitive Analysis
Kama
Strength
→ Unique combination of educational content and community engagement
→ Sex-positive approach
→ Wide range of educational resources on sexual health, wellness, and relationships, including videos, articles, quizzes, and interactive features
→Has expert inputs
→ Unique combination of educational content and community engagement
→ Sex-positive approach
→ Wide range of educational resources on sexual health, wellness, and relationships, including videos, articles, quizzes, and interactive features
→Has expert inputs
Weakness
→ Lack queer-inclusive contents
→ Limited features for tracking progress
→Limited personalization
→ Lack queer-inclusive contents
→ Limited features for tracking progress
→Limited personalization
Amaze.org
Strength
→Accessible for people with different abilities, with features such as closed captions and alternative text for images.
→Inclusive of diverse identities and experiences, including LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, and people from different cultural backgrounds.
→Accessible for people with different abilities, with features such as closed captions and alternative text for images.
→Inclusive of diverse identities and experiences, including LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, and people from different cultural backgrounds.
Weakness
→Is designed for young people ages 10-14, so it may not be as useful for older teenagers or adults.
→Is designed for young people ages 10-14, so it may not be as useful for older teenagers or adults.
Other Research Methods
Outreach questionnaire
Gauged users’ experiences with sex-education in traditional form and digital form. I found that most users first approach sex-education informally, either through their parents or self-exploration.
Insights & Goals
Throughout my research, I have learned some of the pain points that users run into when engaging with sex education resources.
→Lack of community when it comes to sharing experiences due to stigma and shame
→Lack of inclusive content, especially for the queer community
→Dry and impersonal contents that make it hard to relate and learn
Therefore, I came up with these goals in mind before starting the design process.
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Throughout my research, I have learned some of the pain points that users run into when engaging with sex education resources.
→Lack of community when it comes to sharing experiences due to stigma and shame
→Lack of inclusive content, especially for the queer community
→Dry and impersonal contents that make it hard to relate and learn
Therefore, I came up with these goals in mind before starting the design process.
User Personas
With my research, I decided that the scope of demographic or audience that Respex would cover is 16+ and of all genders.
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Utilizing my Research, I Created Three User Personas Based on the Idea of the Teenager, the Young Adult, and the Mid-life adult. ![]()
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With my research, I decided that the scope of demographic or audience that Respex would cover is 16+ and of all genders.
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User Flow![]()
By creating a userflow, I want to show the distinction between a user that has an account and a guest user. Understanding that sex education might still be a stigma for a lot of people, I want to give users the option to opt out of having an account yet still being able to use Respex to learn about sex ed.
However, if they do create an account, they are able to have personalized content that is aware of their gender identity, sexual orientation, cultural or religious background, and past experiences or trauma.
By creating a userflow, I want to show the distinction between a user that has an account and a guest user. Understanding that sex education might still be a stigma for a lot of people, I want to give users the option to opt out of having an account yet still being able to use Respex to learn about sex ed.
However, if they do create an account, they are able to have personalized content that is aware of their gender identity, sexual orientation, cultural or religious background, and past experiences or trauma.
Visual Design
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To convey a sleak, clean appearance with a modern twist, I wanted the visual design of the app to spark interest, and a playful energy. I chose a pixel typeface, PP Mondwest, for the logotype for the modern, digitized look. The gradient colors/duos are used to as branding for the app.
To convey a sleak, clean appearance with a modern twist, I wanted the visual design of the app to spark interest, and a playful energy. I chose a pixel typeface, PP Mondwest, for the logotype for the modern, digitized look. The gradient colors/duos are used to as branding for the app. The Solution
Sign Up Page with Questionnaire
With my research, I felt that a survey to see how users identity is pertinent to suggesting lessons or contents that are best suited for them.
Reading on how to design for genderqueer people [1]↗, [2]↗ , I wanted to acknowledge the intersectionality of gender expression, therefore, I used typeaheads form to allow for infinite possibilities while retaining structured data.
Language is also important. Instead of saying “Others” for the pronouns that are not listed, I used “Self-Identify” instead, since the former might suggest alienation for some users.
Main Page
For the users to be able to keep track of their lessons, I wanted to use an indicator before each lessons to see how much of the lesson the user has read through.
Lesson Page
To make the content more engaging and up to date, I wanted the lesson to be story-based, or slidelike. This way the user can share to their social media or bookmark certain slide for future use.
Reflection
Designing for queer people
As a queer designer, I want to explore different ways that queer people are left out in the process of design. Small details could enhance an user experience and create a more inclusive enviroment. Future improvements
One aspects that I think can be added to improve the experience is adding forums functionality for users to find their community and likeminded individuals.