Inspiration
Marty: I am part of a couple online groups aimed to support women in computer science. Often, a member who is established in the tech industry will offer mentorship in exchange for someone looking over the design of their new website, or giving advice about a work situation. However, direct messaging isn't the most conducive platform to sustain these relationships. Skye: My primary focus is reaching out and connecting to LGBT+ individuals, especially those who are still living with unsupportive families with little agency over themselves. I recall being in that position, and what helped me the most was having mentors to which I can look up––not only for advice, but also reassurance that LGBT+ people can be successful and happy in their lives. Therefore, I wanted to create a platform that allows for a more covert form of community outreach under the guise of professional development.
What it does
This inspired mentr. On this app, users create a profile, list their current skills/topics they want to learn, and specify whether they're currently available to mentor, mentee, or both! The app suggests matches based on skills/interests and availability for weekly (or bi-weekly, monthly, etc) checkins. The user can also specify preferences for community groups (eg. LGBT, women, etc) so they can make connections within historically underrepresented groups in tech.
- Matches users based on similarities in topics they want to learn and teach
- Allows user to filter potential matches based on identity categories
- Displays schedule and availability once users have established message thread with each other
- Allows users to schedule meetings with each other by selecting time, place, and method of contact
- Creates reminders automatically and syncs to Google calendar
How we built it
- Rough sketching, delineating concept
- Research and design: Grindr, Tinder
- Home page mock up
- Site creation
- Document and implement
Challenges we ran into
- Time constraint
- Dividing up tasks
Accomplishments that we're proud of
- Seamlessly integrating everyone's work by building off of each other
- Communication
What we learned
A lot of graphic design and UX!
What's next for mentr
We would like to add a news feed sort of feature, where users could post anonymously for quick help on technical questions, resume/cover letter help, etc. However, we would have close moderation to make sure that users are not being disrespectful; this is really important since marginalized groups are already discouraged from joining the tech industry.
***registered domain name: mentr.tech
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