sentivents

Inspiration

COVID has worsened the mental health crisis across the world, both creating new problems and exacerbating existing ones. We wanted to design an application to help users to release built up stress and/or anxiety in a healthy and constructive manner.

What it does

Our app allows users to write daily diary entries detailing how their day went. The app then uses sentiment analysis to detect the user's mood. The data is then stored in a local database (no privacy issues!) and visualizations are made based on previous days' entries. The app can show you when you are sad for long periods of time, which can place a toll on your mental health. By being aware of such trends, you can take preemptive measures against issues like depression, which include seeking out help from campus resources or close friends.

How we built it

The app was built in React Native. The sentiment analysis is based off of the DeepMoji model, which converts sentences to a set of emojis representing the tone of the message. In order to utilize the model, we set up a simple API with a Google Cloud VM, which interfaced with the pyTorch implementation of DeepMoji.

Challenges we ran into

All of us were beginners in React, so it was an uphill battle to bring the app together. We got through by collaborating heavily and relying on each others' skillsets; pretty much everyone had a hand in every single part of the app. It also took a surprisingly long time to set up a Compute Engine VM, but once we got past the freaking-out-about-billing part, it was smooth sailing.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We're glad that we got it working! It was a first time working with many of these technologies, so the fact that we were able to make all of them work perfectly in sync is an achievement in and of itself.

What we learned

it may sound cheesy, but we learned the power of teamwork. This was most definitely a group effort, and we couldn't have done it without everyone giving it their all.

What's next for sentivents

After we polish the app up a bit more, we're sure that students across the nation would appreciate using this app to increase mental health awareness. We will also add extra features, such as daily mental health tips or positive words of encouragement.