UCLA CASE STUDY – LINX

MISSION: Empower, educate, and support the gay Black community in Los Angeles living with HIV/AIDS through innovate technology and social connection.

CHALLENGE: Create a confidential social network to enhance health outcomes for HIV-positive men in LA, as part of a groundbreaking UCLA research study led by Dr. Ian Holloway.

APPROACH: Our team designed and developed a mobile platform that serves as both a digital community and a research tool for a multi-year study. Working within an accelerated six-week timeline, we applied a rapid, user-centered design approach—new to the scientific research world—to ensure a solution that prioritized privacy, engagement, and health promotion.

WHAT I DID

LINX UCLA home screen

User Research & Strategy: Conducted in-depth user interviews and research to understand the unique needs of HIV-positive men, emphasizing the importance of privacy and confidentiality while fostering community support.

  • Design & Interaction: Led the design of the platform’s user interface and interaction, creating a seamless, secure, and welcoming experience that encourages users to share and engage without fear of stigma.

  • Collaboration & Development: Worked closely with two engineers to rapidly prototype, test, and build the platform, ensuring the technical architecture supported a high level of security and scalability.

  • Stakeholder Alignment: Regularly presented updates and progress to Dr. Holloway and key stakeholders, aligning the platform’s design with both research objectives and the needs of the user community.

OUTCOME

The LINX platform launched successfully, forming the backbone of UCLA's ongoing study to measure how digital social networks can improve the health outcomes of HIV-positive men. In the research world, the speed and impact of our work were unprecedented.

Technologies Used

  • Ruby on Rails: Backend framework ensuring secure, scalable architecture.

  • React: Frontend framework delivering a seamless and engaging user experience.

Looking Forward

The LINX platform continues to evolve as part of the research study, with future iterations planned to expand its reach and functionality, improving health outcomes for even more people in the HIV-positive community. For more information, see Hub for Health Intervention, Policy and Practice

LINX signin
LINX Community
LINX Community
LINX profile

The Result

  • Created a cross-platform mobile application in just seven weeks

  • HIPAA-compliant

“Fantastic, intense, instructive.”

– Ian Holloway, Ph.D, UCLA Principle Investigator