Project Hope

Landing page when the app runs
The AI chatbot feature

Inspiration

I was inspired by the lack of accessible and affordable mental health resources as many people struggle to find therapists or feel too overwhelmed to share with friends and family. As I have a family member that tried to take his own life, I found out after talking to him that during his dark days he had no one to talk as he is afraid of people judging him. Thus, with the recent advancement in AI and natural language processing I realized that it could create a compassionate listening ear to people.

What it does

The app provides a safe space for users to express their feelings and concerns to a non-judgmental AI chatbot that will offer resources that can guide users towards further help if needed as It is designed to provide validation and act as a sounding board for emotional processing. After much consideration I've decided to make the app not be able to hold any chat history as some users may not want to revisit things that make them sad or unhappy.

How I've built it

Adobe XD - I used Adobe XD to create a design and functionalities for the app, in the first draft users could book appointments with counselors and have a chatbot but I realized that a grieving person that might want to end it all but just need to find that excuse to carry on will not have any mental bandwidth to register for an account, thus I've decided that a small easy to use and immediate chatbot will be better. Flutter - After the design was completed I used Flutter to create the app together with Gemini API for the chatbot and prompting the AI to give more empathetic responses as if it is a therapist.

What I've learned

I've learned that we should not underestimate the demand for accessible mental health tools and how AI can be a used for supporting emotional well-being.

What's next for Project Hope

If possible I would like to integrate multilingual support to reach a wider audience by offering the chatbot in multiple languages. As well as thinking of ways to help those in need to connect to online therapy platforms or crisis hotlines without changing the chatbot feature.