Inspiration
Depression is the leading cause of disability. During the pandemic one of the most effective forms of self-care was connecting with people over video and playing games. The goal with our project was to create an app that allows for integrated video chats and simple fun games like Pictionary, while also providing resources for mental health and suicide prevention.
Studies have shown that anonymous chats can offer a helpful alternative for those looking to get help. “The beauty of being anonymous is that no one knows you, which means you can have a fresh start. No one will judge you or see you. They will only hear what you have to say and respond with advice and encouragement. The best part of joining an anonymous chat room is that you will have someone to talk to, someone who is invested in you and can act as a listener and as a healer. With free anonymous chat rooms, you can start chatting with people online, anyone from random strangers to friends online.” Better Help
What it does
- Join anonymous video server on Jitsi to get support from others without any login or account needed
- Play Pictionary with friends while on the call
- Find mental health resources to help yourself or a friend in need
- Browse and contribute to the depression sub-reddit to share your problems or to help others
How we built it
- Researched embedded video applications and found Jitsi to be a beginner-friendly option
- Used HTML and CSS to build a modern webpage to support the idea
- Included JS script to support embedded subreddit forum
- Launched using GitHub Pages
Challenges we ran into
Time was our biggest constraint as it took most of the first day to research the video app we needed to use and design the front end. Initially, the idea was to include our own game within the website, but unfortunately had to opt to include a Pictionary link as a substitute. Our vision was to have multiple integrated games inspired by coolmathgames.com and have the anonymous video chat as a way to have a more interactive multiplayer experience.
There are also some dependency issues with the JS script which causes the subreddit to sometimes not load using the GitHub pages.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
- Built a front end for a webpage from scratch
- Successfully added the video chat feature
- Launched on GitHub pages
What we learned
- Experience with designing front end
- Full stack app design for games using Flask and SQL database (unfinished and not part of our submission unfortunately)
What's next for Headspace
- Multiple rooms support and easy hopping in between anonymous rooms
- Reserved rooms that allow you to speak with professionals in case you do not want a stranger for help
- Integrated games on website with video chat overlay or sidebar while playing
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