Project Concept
Snap Lens
Snap Lens
My Role
Visual Branding, UX Researcher, Content Strategist
Visual Branding, UX Researcher, Content Strategist
Share the Love! is an AR lens that focuses on affirmations and community. Affirmations and words of encouragement surround you and your friends and family letting you share the love to you and your community.
Context
LGBTQ+ youth often struggles to find safe spaces and communities, especially if they come from unsupportive environments. 2 in 5 teens in the United States say that they are not getting the support they need. Rainbow Labs exists to provide safe and empowering environment where youth can find community, connect with mentors, and feel optimistic about their futures. They offer a mix of fun activities and career-focused experiences to help youth consider their professional paths and engage with their community.
Currently, Rainbow Labs is facing low enrollment for both mentors and youth, so they turned to Snapchat to boost recruitment. The goal is to create a Lens that invites users to emotionally connect with the program and feel encouraged to learn more about Rainbow Labs. The hope is that the Lens makes youth feel seen and encouraged to reach out to the organization to find community. For mentors, we hope they resonate with the youth from their own personal experience and feel inspired to help the next generation.
Currently, Rainbow Labs is facing low enrollment for both mentors and youth, so they turned to Snapchat to boost recruitment. The goal is to create a Lens that invites users to emotionally connect with the program and feel encouraged to learn more about Rainbow Labs. The hope is that the Lens makes youth feel seen and encouraged to reach out to the organization to find community. For mentors, we hope they resonate with the youth from their own personal experience and feel inspired to help the next generation.
Research
Through our research we found the potential problem of using cosmetics in our lens. In Snapchat, we've seen social media create a sense of dissonance between how a person thinks they should look and how they actually look. Pride is about showing off your true self. With both Snapchat and Rainbow Labs' audience being primarily young and vulnerable, we felt it was important to avoid anything that alters a user's appearance and show their authentic selves.
Another problem we found was the connection between no support systems and a lack of self esteem. In the United States, teens report not having enough support they need while their parents feel that they do. In a study on how to promote self-esteem in LGBTQ+ young adults, acceptance and positive relationships are among the top factors that lead to better self-esteem.
Lastly, we found that Rainbow Labs is actually making a lasting impact on the work they are doing. In their 2024 evaluations report, students ranked programs like Youth Council and One Bold Summer as 100 satisfaction across the board for welcoming, inclusive, and safe.
Another problem we found was the connection between no support systems and a lack of self esteem. In the United States, teens report not having enough support they need while their parents feel that they do. In a study on how to promote self-esteem in LGBTQ+ young adults, acceptance and positive relationships are among the top factors that lead to better self-esteem.
Lastly, we found that Rainbow Labs is actually making a lasting impact on the work they are doing. In their 2024 evaluations report, students ranked programs like Youth Council and One Bold Summer as 100 satisfaction across the board for welcoming, inclusive, and safe.
Concepts
Our concepts were centered on four key values: spreading joy, fostering community, navigating life paths, and showing your authentic self. The first idea aimed to spread joy by allowing users to turn a rainy cloud over the head into a rainbow with a smile. They could then try it on their friends and have them smile to create a bigger rainbow. The second idea guided users to a lab from Rainbow Labs acting as a career sorter where they can answer by tilting their heads. The third idea focused on community by surrounding users with affirmations, adding their own, and extending them to their friends. While the client chose the third idea, all three concepts were fundamental in building our project and became our core values.
Idea 1
Idea 2
Idea 3
Idea 1: Jenica
Idea 2: Desmond
Idea 3: Sammy
Idea 2: Desmond
Idea 3: Sammy
Final Lens
These are a list of the phrases used throughout the lens. Each is a mix of emotional affirmations and more career-oriented messages, all of them truthful and encouraging. Our goal was to create a lens with broad appeal, offering kind words that resonate with everyone, not just those who might be struggling. There is something for everyone to take with this lens.
3D Assets: Jenica
Code: Desmond
Content and Aesthetics: Sammy
Code: Desmond
Content and Aesthetics: Sammy
Final Presentation
Here is our final presentation at the SLA Final Showcase including my speech on my experience at the academies.
Reflection
This Lens accomplished our goal of genuinely connecting with both LGBTQ+ youth and potential mentors, all while guiding them to Rainbow Labs. The input feature was removed from this project due to a tight deadline and the need for the code to properly moderate phrases for any harassing messages. A future consideration would be to fully implement this feature to the project with all precautions in place. Overall, we achieved what we set out to do, and the client was happy with the results. Feel free to scan the Snapcode and try the lens out on yourself and your friends.
We invite you to Share the Love!
We invite you to Share the Love!
Scan the Snapcode on Snapchat!