Blind Date Platform
ICT & Software Engineering
Client company:Fontys School of Pedagogical Studies
Stanislav Petkov
Kristiyan Balev
Yordan Ivanov
Dobri Trifonov
Kristian Kolev
Project description
Our main research question is: How can we help visually impaired people with questions about taboo topics? We aim to address the limited resources for visually impaired individuals to navigate dating and sexuality-related issues. Our project involves creating an accessible online community platform to bridge this gap. Our platform includes user authentication, discussion threads, post scoring, archiving and cloud-based deployment.
Context
The project's context lies in the middle of social inclusion, technology, and education. With society still considering sexuality for visually impaired individuals a taboo subject, resources available are primarily visual or nonverbal, making access and understanding challenging for this group. Our platform aims to foster an online community to provide support and advice, ultimately fostering inclusivity and breaking down barriers. The proposed solution's impact extends beyond just the visually impaired community, as it also provides opportunities for non-disabled individuals to engage and contribute
Results
Our project's main outcome is the Blind Date platform, an innovative, user-friendly website designed with accessibility in mind. The platform successfully fosters a safe space for visually impaired individuals to seek advice and engage in discussions about dating and sexuality. Blind Date has been validated by our stakeholders and users, proving its efficacy in bridging the gap in non-visual resources. Its features such as user authentication, discussion threads, a post scoring system, archive posts and deployment on a cloud platform significantly enhance the user experience. TRLevel positioning further supports its value, highlighting its user-centered design, robust security measures, and successful cloud-based deployment. This outcome is a step forward in supporting visually impaired individuals and fostering an inclusive community.
About the project group
Our project group consists of 5 students with backgrounds in ICT and software engineering, all from Fontys University. We dedicated five months to this project, investing roughly 40 hours a week collectively. We followed the agile methodology for the project's development, dividing our work into three-week sprints. This provided us with the flexibility to adapt to changes quickly and efficiently. Our meetings, retrospectives, and reviews were crucial in maintaining communication, assessing our progress, and gaining feedback from stakeholders.