Creating a safe space for all people to share their abortion experiences
HACKATHON 2017 GROUP PROJECT
Overview
Over the course of a weekend, around two hundred software engineers, designers, and activists gathered at the Github space to solve problems surrounding access to abortion caused by the recent administration using tech ideas.
One of those ideas came from the fact that abortion is often a very personal yet taboo topic that people feel like they can't express in public. This is because people who do so face judgement, harrassment, and violence.
I worked in collaboration with Queenie, Jamie, and Neha to figure out the user flow of the site as well as its look and feel.
As the de facto design team it was decided that the site should feel airy, light, and open.
Pro Talk was created as an online community that could provide a safe, open space for people to be able to talk about their personal experiences with abortion.
The entire system surrounding Pro Talk was focused on providing a platform that could allow people to speak freely about their experiences without being harrassed or judged. Users can enter the site through providing an access code; one they could receive easily from a clinic (such as Planned Parenthood) after their procedure. For people without this code, a vetting system was put into place to determine whether or not a new user could enter the site.
Along with the vetting system is a clear listing of rules expected of users on the site to further emphasize the importance of respecting other people who have access to Pro Talk.
One of the main facets of maintaining Pro Talk as a safe space was the anonymity of the users. Stories are shared but not ranked in any way. The only notations are for the users to be able to find someone in similar situations as them and be able to connect with them.
In this way, icons were designed to give some context to the stories but also make them searchable by related categories.
Users can write, edit, and submit their own stories, and they are given the option of letting others message them about the stories that they publish. They also have the option to delete the stories that they have already published.
After reading a submitted story, a user can offer their support with the "Send Love" Button. The amount of love received is only shown to the original poster of the story.
If the original poster indicates that they are interested, users can write responses to stories in form of direct messaging which will be sent through to the poster's inbox.
Thanks so much to the Abortion Access Hackathon!
