Response Compass

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Inspiration

Women living in shelters often face emotional stress while rebuilding stability. At the same time, helpers and volunteers want to provide support but may feel unsure what to say in difficult moments. We created Response Compass to guide supportive, trauma-informed communication in real time.

What it does

Response Compass helps helpers choose: what to say what to do what to avoid in emotionally difficult situations. Users describe a situation in natural language, and the tool: identifies the emotional context suggests an interaction style provides supportive response examples highlights actions to take and responses to avoid

How we built it

We built Response Compass using a rule-based classification system with a safety-checking layer that maps user input to emotional categories, urgency levels, and interaction styles. The interface is designed to be simple and usable in real-time situations.

Challenges we ran into

A key challenge was designing guidance that felt supportive without being overwhelming or clinical. We also ensured the tool supports helpers appropriately without replacing professional care.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re proud that Response Compass: supports trauma-informed communication works in real-time interactions empowers volunteers and peer helpers includes both suggested responses and responses to avoid

What we learned

We learned how structured communication support can improve everyday supportive interactions and how thoughtful design helps make emotional support more accessible.