Nadja Lipphardt

ChatGut

ChatGut is an app designed to bridge the social isolation of IBS and FD sufferers. It focuses on the direct contact between affected persons and enables them to support each other in their existence.

Roles: User Research, User Interviews, Conception, Wireframes, Branding, Visual Design, User Interface, Project Management, Prototyping in Kotlin

People with chronic gastrointestinal complaints often feel socially isolated.

Along with this isolation comes a sense of shame for their illness and the feeling of not being understood or taken seriously. This is especially the case with non-organic or organically unclear diseases such as irritable stomach (FD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It is difficult to deal with the disease openly, precisely because it cannot be explained by inflammatory values or organic changes. Episodes of the symptoms can limit patients even more, and further promote (social) isolation. Activities are canceled, acquaintances turn away due to a lack of understanding, and nervousness before another "failure" makes the relapses even more frequent.

More information on this topic can be found in my research paper or my project-based bachelor thesis.

Balkendiagramm welches zeigt, dass sich Menschen, welche an Reizmagen und Reizdarm leiden und sich für ihre Erkrankung schämen, häufiger sozial isoliert fühlen.

Query the feeling of (social) isolation of respondents after filtering for increased shame.

Logo ChatGut.

Logo for ChatGut.

The goal is to find a way for patients of FD and IBS to bridge their social isolation. Thereby a possibility to connect patients with each other should be found. In this way, the sense of shame caused by similar medical histories can be reduced. Especially in phases of relapse, a connection should take place - for calming, distraction, and as support. A mobile solution is therefore indispensable here. At the same time, the solution must be virtually invisible to outsiders when in use. Above all, the stigmatization of sick people through obviously different behavior or appearance should be avoided. Integration into an already used and accepted system would therefore be advantageous here.

ChatGut is an app designed to bridge the social isolation of IBS and FD sufferers.

In doing so, it relies primarily on direct contact between those affected, thus enabling them to support each other in their existence. In its form as an app, ChatGut can be used flexibly and integrated unobtrusively into everyday life. Thus, it does not attract any additional stigma, as would potentially be the case if extra tools or devices were used.
A special feature of ChatGut is the "Quick Help" function, where the user is connected to another user for a conversation as soon as possible by pressing a kind of "emergency button". This function is especially useful as a distraction or assistance in situations of thrust, which can occur suddenly and at any time.

In addition to this function, there are also normal chat and forum functions in which those affected can exchange information with each other and thus further counteract their isolation, but also simply discover a place of understanding without shame for themselves. ChatGut is to be seen as a daily companion, which gives you the feeling that you are understood and like-minded people are only a click away.

User Interface

User Interface von ChatGut.

Made in Figma.

The interactive prototype in Figma can be found here.

Prototyping in Kotlin.

The trailer of the prototype, which was created in Kotlin.