IGAQ (I Got A Queery)
“IGAQ (I Got A Queery) provides a safe space for the members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community to ask questions, share stories, and read resources about all things 2SLGBTQIA+.”
Introduction
For this project, I worked in a team of 7 comprised of 3 designers and 4 developers during the course of 13 weeks where we collaborated to create IGAQ which focused on an underrepresented community – 2SLGBTQIA+.
It was important the we fostered a community where 2LGBTQIA+ members could feel safe and welcomed in an environment that was away from hate speech, so that they could express themselves freely. One of the main demographics we focused on were questioning users who may not have a safe space to discover themselves, so IGAQ was designed with those users in mind to provide an intuitive experience as they interact with the web app.
Timeline
September - December 2022
Role
UI/UX Designer
Graphic Designer
Jr. Frontend Developer
Skills
User Research, Design, Wireframing, Prototyping, User Flow, User Persona, Usability Testing, Web App Development
Tools
Figma, Illustrator, Next.js, Storybook, Jira
Problem Statement
The theme for the application was Online Digital Solutions for Under-Represented or Disadvantaged Business, Communities, & Societies. As you know, not every community, business, and society gets the same equal technological treatment in our world. To be part of the solution, we decided to focus on the LGBTQIA+ community. Thus the question became, how can we create a safe space for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community?
User Journey
Styleguide
User Personas
Wireframe & Hi-fi Prototype
Usability Testing
Solution
We created a web app called IGAQ (I Got a Queery) where I conducted user research and competitive analysis into how to create a safe space and foster a community for 2SLGBTQIA+ users who may be questioning and users who act as mentors that share their experiences. To better understand our audience, we created an online survey where we shared with members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. With the results of the survey, we defined major pain points as users finding that there are limited online 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, users who have not come out and don’t have support in their environment, and users who struggle to find others who share similar experiences and feelings as them. Based on this, we created user personas that reflect those users and pinpointed their pain points to help us create the web app.
We researched ways to prevent hate speech and implemented an API that prevented hate speech from being posted and flagged that user. To engage our users, we decided to create a prompt styled card known as “Queery of the Day” and “Story of the Day” to help foster that community through highlighting low interaction posts, this gives experienced 2SLGBTQIA+ members to share their thoughts with users who may be questioning their sexualities.
Using a lo-fi prototype and hi-fi prototype, we performed usability testing and improved on each iteration, taking in account of usability heuristics, design principles, and accessibility with IGAQ. The art style and design were vibrant yet soft and abstract in nature, so users don’t feel stereotyped. We wanted to ensure a design that was familiar and intuitive to our users, but unique enough that it became a special and safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Challenges and Takeaways
What started off to be simple ended up being a design that had many pages and aspects, as a team we underestimated the amount of work this project would take to complete. Another important aspect that we had thought about was how do we make it unique? How is it different from any other type of online community forums?
Working in an IDSP team between two different BCIT programs (D3 and FSWD) was a rewarding experience as we tackled on team-building exercises and effective communication as IGAQ. Growing together as individuals and a team, we all created a space of understanding and playing to our strengths and worked on improving our weaknesses.
Overall, we overcame out challenges through extensively researching, brainstorming with the team, and taking advantages of consultations with our instructors. In the end, we managed to pull through and presented proudly in front of an audience of 100+ students, alumni, instructors, and industry experts and via Zoom.
