Through the Computer Science department at Whitworth, I was able to apply and participate in their new program, the Innovation Incubator. This program connects current students with a real client in the local community of Spokane. What’s amazing about this new program is that with my particular project, I get to hand it off to younger computer science students after I graduate, which means this isn’t a project that is finished or stops improving once I graduate – it will be improved upon as time goes on, and I’m grateful to be the start of this project and get the ball rolling. With my background in Frontend Development (developing what users can see), I was paired with Lutheran Community Services Northwest (LCS NW). LCS NW partners with individuals, families and communities for health, justice and hope. They work in Advocacy, Aging & Independent Living, Behavioral Health, Child Welfare, Crime Victim Services, Family Support, and Refugees & Immigrants.

The challenge they’re facing right now has to do with their electronic health record system. Many organizational tools, including electronic health record (EHR) systems, are delivered to the end-user through a webpage interface. The ability to contextualize information on a webpage to be most meaningful to the user is typically limited to top-down implementation of features, which can be slow if implemented at all, and which may imperfectly meet the needs of specific users.

Their desired product would allow users to contextualize client-side webpages for meaningful use. Examples of use with a web-based EHR might include adding relevant visual cues to key information, data validation, or display of customized information when key words are selected. The challenge would be to develop a user-friendly product that would not compromise the high security requirements of HIPAA-protected information.

In order to showcase the work I have put together for LCS NW, I created a website that demonstrates the problem and solution of this challenge, as well as a before and after version of the product completed thus far. There is a timeline of my Honors Exhibition project across both semesters, showcasing a pivot from accessibility in technology to data validation for a nonprofit. There will also be a link to donate to the organization if you choose to do so. You can also go here if you’re called to donate: https://lcsnw.org/make-a-difference/. The website on this project can be found here: https://cebotarip.github.io/Honors-Project/.

The following technologies have been used throughout the project: HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and Bootstrap. While managing this project, I utilized Trello. My supervisors and I had utilized Google Meet in order to touch base throughout this project.

Here’s some current screenshots of the website – enjoy!