Inspiration
Mental health has been a difficult topic for many people to approach due to stigma and anxiety about approaching doctors about sensitive topics. This project was created to help bridge that gap in healthcare and patients' needs.
What it does
Mellow Cafe Chat provides a relaxing, low-pressure environment to encourage sharing about mental health needs and promote destressing activities without outright presenting itself as a cold health record-keeping tool. We approach this project by using many hand-drawn elements to make the interaction feel more human, and using Gemini chat to make warm conversation instead of the typical process of data entry and forms. The mini app instances from options in the menu further add to promoting a game-like experience over typical health tracking, while conveniently organizing together commonly used tools for the user.
How we built it
We built this project by going through, utilizing drawing tools like Procreate for the art and programming in a mix of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. We went through a lot of tries, and we tried to go through one aspect at a time. We had a lot of big goals, but in order to meet the deadline, we had to start small and make sure the baseline was done before we could build up and add the other features we dreamed of.
Challenges we ran into
One main challenge we faced was making sure our Gemini integration was useful and ethical with a topic such as mental health. We went through multiple prompts to ensure responses are not only kind and respectful, but also safe and do not lead to overreliance on the chatbot. Our integration now provides a safe chat for people while still recommending professional care and being extremely mindful of sensitive topics.
What we learned
A lot of things done during this project were done for the first time, so there were a lot of unforeseen errors we needed to troubleshoot. For example, we had numerous Python/Venv issues that changed with each site launch and needed continuous adaptation as the found error types kept changing.
What's next for Mellow Cafe Chat
The project can be expanded to increase its accessibility and partner with other services that are commonly used in mental health contexts. A mobile app form for Mellow Cafe Chat makes it more convenient to access since phones are generally more accessible than computers, and having an app icon makes people more likely to remember and access it. Other technologies like Fitbit can be integrated to also promote physical health in tandem with mental health and potential to allow more real time assistance. For example, when the Fitbit watch senses abnormal conditions like high heart rate during a very stressful moment, the AI chat can send a simple message to check in and make sure the user is alright. There can also be monetization through partnerships and advertising products and services commonly accessed by patients or just anyone who is looking for ways to destress, like yoga programs.
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