Decisions in Uncertainty Self Check Symptoms

An action for Actions on Google that allows users to quickly check whether to get tested, seek medical help, or stay at home in these challenging times.

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Inspiration

The inspiration for this project stems from some news I've been reading about the lack of test and medical supplies around the nation and world. Many individuals have realized that testing and going to the hospital is not necessary in most COVID-19 situations. One such person is Nyle DiMarco, who made a point to tell people that testing is not needed unless that information protects yourself and others. After watching Nyle's video about testing and then watching the local news, it was clear by the statistics that many people testing are wasting the time and resources of our country. This is a problem of misinformation and lack of education on the topic, as well as panic, and this is the root of what my project is trying to solve.

What it does

My project is an action built on the Actions on Google platform. The action acts users a series of ten questions and gives users a result about whether they should get tested, seek professional medical help, or just stay safe at home. Using voice, touch, or type, users are able to interact with the actions in numerous ways to provide yes/no answers. With the quiz being so short, the user is can quickly get a result to inform a decision and or simply to perform a self check. While basic and simple, this action would steer people in the right direction to preventing the spread of the virus and to help with the effort to combat COVID-19.

How I built it

"Decisions in Uncertainty Self Check Symptoms" is built on the Actions on Google platform, which means that it is only available for use through the Google Assistant. I utilized Google's pre-built quiz template as a foundation to my work. Using Google Sheets, I was able to input information, responses, change the interface, and customize how the user interacts with the action. To build this action, I also used information from the CDC. This information was used to creates the questions and results for users. The quiz style is familiar to most people, but offers challenges in development. In the end, the results are calculated by positive/negative scores for three categories instead of an overall score. In the results, the user gets one or two results, depending on how they answered the questions.

Challenges I ran into

While working on this project, I had a few challenges along the way. The first was developing a style. At first, I was going to completely development the action from scratch, but after trial and error, found that using the template would save me a lot of unnecessary work. Another obstacle was formulating questions to ask the user. While the CDC has detailed information about COVID-19, it was hard to decipher the important questions from interesting facts and general precautions. Finally, the last issue I ran into was trivial but proved to be challenging. Using this platform, the name of my project must meet certain requirements as outlined by the Actions on Google team. The quirks of the name system meant that any certain combinations would meet the requirements and register with the assistant as unique from search queries. In the end, I had to settle on "Decisions in Uncertainty Self Check Symptoms."

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

As a new person to the coding and development scene, I do not have many accomplishments in the realm of Hackathons and technology. However, I recently received the 2020 Greater San Antonio Affiliate Honorable Mention Award for Aspirations in Computing from the National Center for Women & Information Technology. As my first tech-related award in high school, I am most proud of it as an accomplishment in technology. In school, I'm proud to be the Marketing Co-Captain for my FRC robotics team and a part of STEM Ambassadors, my magnet program's outreach initiative to involve more kids in STEM.

What I learned

In the process of creating this project, I've learned a lot about the development process and Actions on Google. Through trial and error, I can proudly say that I stand behind my action and what it does for the world. I'd always known that the process to a final product is long and sometimes annoying, but realized in the creation of "Decisions in Uncertainty" that the process makes for a better project and product. While I'd only dabbled in the Actions on Google platform before, this was the first time I was committed to making an action, and had to learn a lot "on the job." From name formalities to templates, I've become familiar with only a sliver of everything the platform has to offer.

What's next for "Decisions in Uncertainty Self Check Symptoms"

The "Decisions in Uncertainty Self Check Symptoms" action is currently in review for beta testing and was recently submitted to have a production release for the Google Assistant. The next step is for the action to be approved by the Actions on Google team. With its approval, the action will be made available on over 1 billion devices internationally. With beta testing in review and eventually occurring, I will improve the action and smooth any kinks so that the final product is the best it can be. If the action not approved, I will work even harder to make sure that "Decisions in Uncertainty" will be made available as soon as possible. For now, the action will be staying home and staying safe while waiting for deployment.

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