Tori's Style Quiz

Created for the Tori in the House track!

Inspiration

In 2024, an estimated 75,312 individuals in Los Angeles County alone were reported to be experiencing homelessness (Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority). Although many initiatives on the state and local level have attempted to mitigate the housing crisis, they have done little to reduce the proportion of unhoused individuals in the county. Additionally, these initiatives often fail to account for the needs of underrepresented groups, instead offering a blanket solution to a deeply complex problem. There is thus more need than ever for informed, grassroots interventions against such a widespread issue.

Tori in the House is a nonprofit founded with the chief purpose of providing long-term housing for disproportionately affected groups, such as Black, Latino, LGBTQ+, and disabled communities, as well as aged-out foster youth. Inspired by Tori's mission, we are eager to contribute our skills to prioritizing accessibility and trauma-informed choices in addressing the diverse needs of the Los Angeles populace.

What it does

Tori's Style Quiz puts accessibility and inclusivity first, ensuring a smooth transition into long-lasting homes for the many unhoused individuals Tori in the House serves across Los Angeles. With features tailored to fit the diverse needs of the marginalized communities most widely impacted by the ongoing housing crisis, Tori's Style Quiz promises to create a comfortable experience for all.

Accessibility features:

Text-to-speech translators are available for all questions and answer choices, allowing users with low vision, dyslexia and other visual processing challenges to effectively engage with the interface.
Alt text for low-vision users to understand visual content through screen readers, ensuring equal access for all visual decision points.
Smooth UI transitions reduce the risk of disorientation or distraction, and create a calm, predictable flow.
Low-stimulation colors minimize sensory overload, using a muted color palette to enhance comfort and focus.

Diverse answer choices that account for...

gender identity affirming
racial and/or cultural background
disability accommodations
trauma-informed choices

These choices reflect the diverse identities and needs of our users through respecting gender identity, honoring racial and cultural backgrounds, and accounting for disability and sensory accommodations. By integrating trauma-informed options and personalized inputs, Tori's Style Quiz ensures that each user can express their preferences in a safe, empowering way.

_ AI-generated style recommendations _

How we built it

Figma for a UX/UI mockup
React, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS for frontend development
MongoDB to store user responses in a secure database
Pinecone for vectorized databases
Gemini API for generated text summaries on a user's chosen preferences
JavaScript and Node.js for backend development
Git/GitHub for efficient, collaborative programming and documentation

Challenges we ran into

Integrating the Gemini API into our app with limited experience in AI integration
Connecting the frontend and backend together
Refining the user interface to minimize visual disruptions
Adhering to the nonprofit's requested features while adding our own unique twists

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Implementing accessibility features (text-to-speech, alt text, etc.) meeting WCA standards in the frontend
Designing a visually-appealing app design, using elements from the Tori in the House website and branding
Using lightweight, open-source tools such as Gemini API and Pinecone, ensuring low-energy consumption and compatibility with low-bandwidth environments

What we learned

The ins and outs of full stack development (many of us have only had experience with frontend, backend, or project management!)
Coordinating patches and fixes through GitHub, between the four of us
The intersections between accessibility and systemic discrimination

What's next for Tori's Style Quiz

Solidifying Gemini API integration, as we ran into cost and merging issues last-minute that prevented connection to the frontend
Comprehensive, automatically-generated "moodboards" with visual references
Authenticated account systems to allow users to modify past responses and maintain communication with Tori in the House staff
More quiz choices for improved customization and diversified inspirations
Additional accessibility features, such as language translations