Puberty: Pick Your Path
An interactive educational resource with gender-affirming content for youth
Project Overview
Problem Definition
There is a stigma surrounding non-traditional gender identities that creates a barrier for gender-diverse youth to reach out for resources. As such, there is currently a lack of resources to educate and assist growing children who are going through their early adolescence.
Solution
The site is intended to be a safe space for children and youth (ages 9 to 17) as a resource that provides gender-affirming content, allowing them to find information about gender identities in an affirming manner. It will be presented in the context of an engaging, participatory learning experience.
My Role
UX Designer
Time Duration
4 months: Sept 2021 - Dec 2021
Research
Secondary User Research
I started with secondary research by analyzing resources available online such as interviews of trans youth on news channel websites, parents' discussion forums, and more.
Comparative Analysis
I conducted an analysis of competitor websites to identify the gaps between users' needs and their products. I researched other online resources that provided puberty and gender-related content for youth. These competitors included websites such as Brook.org, Scarleteen.com, Amaze.org, PlannedParenthood.org, and ActionCanada. I analyzed each of these resources to identify their strengths that can be adopted in the implementation of my own project. This analysis also helped me to identify the areas of improvement that my project can fulfill.
Research Findings
Based on the secondary research and comparative analysis research, I made the following findings:
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There is a lack of trigger warnings under some sensitive stories and content.
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The information related to puberty is written in medical and common terms and it can be triggering for certain users.
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The information related to sexual health and surgeries is not easily available and the language used needs to be suitable for the young audience.
Synthesis
Persona
Based on the research findings, I developed a Proto-Persona for whom we would create the design. Lucy, who identifies herself as trans, often feels left out as the school curriculum is not inclusive enough. She wants to be exposed to more trans-inclusive stories, games and resources. She wants to use this resource with her dads as a fun family activity.
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Proto-persona named Lucy who identifies herself as a transgender
User Flow
Lucy loves playing games and dressing up as Wonder Woman for Halloween. She goes through the avatar builder before she even starts navigating the resource. She enters the avatar builder when prompted and creates an avatar that looks like her favourite superhero.
User journey path designed for persona Lucy
Design
Wireframes
Based on the user flow, I developed various wireframes after multiple iterations. Once I was confident that I have included the necessary elements for my persona, I moved on to high-fidelity wireframes.
