Queer Axis Health

Connecting LGBTQ+ folks with affirming healthcare providers who understand their unique needs.

The Challenge

For many LGBTQ+ individuals and families, finding healthcare providers who offer truly inclusive, affirming care remains a significant challenge. Despite growing awareness, many still face discrimination, misunderstanding, or simply a lack of culturally competent care when seeking medical services.

Our research revealed several key pain points:

  • 56% of LGBTQ+ patients reported negative experiences that made them delay seeking necessary care

  • Many spent hours researching providers only to encounter unexpected bias during appointments

  • Rural and smaller communities had particularly limited resources for finding inclusive providers

  • Privacy concerns prevented many from openly asking for recommendations in their networks

How are we helping?

1) Providers vetted for LGBTQ+ competency

We're creating the healthcare experience we wish existed for everyone. Our verified provider network takes the guesswork out of finding affirming care. We vet our physicians for cultural, sexual, and gender competency, taking the guesswork out of finding providers who will truly understand our users.

We don't just connect users with doctors—we connect them with the right doctors who understand their specific needs. Our goal is to replace anxiety with confidence, because everyone deserves healthcare free from bias and discrimination.

2) Queer resource hub

Knowledge is power, especially when navigating LGBTQ+ health and wellness. Our Resource Hub curates the best articles, podcasts, and blogs that speak to your experiences—no more endless scrolling to find relevant content. We handpick resources that are accurate, affirming, and actually helpful, covering everything from coming out conversations to healthcare rights. Think of it as your personalized library of trusted information, refreshed regularly with community favorites. Because staying informed shouldn't be another full-time job.

3) Professional and community mental health support

Mental health care is deeply personal—especially when you're trying to find someone who understand your lived experience. That's why we are building connections with therapists, counselors, and psychiatrists who are not just "LGBTQ+ friendly" in name, but who bring genuine understanding and specialized training to their practice.

We are also mapping out community support groups (local to their area, or online) where users can find solidarity among peers who share similar journeys.

What’s my role in all of this?

As an early-stage startup, I've worn many hats to bring Queer Axis Health to life:

  • Led end-to-end product design, from wireframes to scalable, high-fidelity prototypes

  • Conducted user research with diverse LGBTQ+ community members

  • Shaped product strategy based on real user pain points

  • Collaborated with developers and our legal team to ensure that our designs are feasible and follow healthcare legal requirements

  • Facilitated user testing sessions to refine our approach

This work is personal. As a queer person who's spent countless hours searching for affirming providers, faced awkward questions in waiting rooms, and started over with new doctors too many times, I understand these challenges firsthand. I've been able to tap into diverse queer networks to understand varied healthcare experiences and needs beyond my own. This community connection helps ensure our platform serves everyone—from users seeking gender-affirming care, to families trying to conceive.

Strategy phase

I did A LOT of presentations.

Design without direction is just decoration. That's why I weave strategy into every step of my process. Drawing on my business background before becoming a designer, I help our team set clear goals and make decisions that serve both users and our mission.

I ask the hard questions: Who are we really serving? What problem are we actually solving? How will we know we've succeeded? This foundation keeps our work focused, even as we adapt along the way. Good strategy turns good design into real impact—and that's ultimately what matters most.

Understanding the laws while designing

Look! More presentations! I made sure to bring donuts for this one…

Regulations? Oh, my. The last thing I wanted was to get to end-stage designs only to find out we weren’t compliant. I knew I was out of my depth here, and requested help from a legal team for this one.

Rather than seeing these regulations as constraints, I embraced them as guardrails that protect our users. I translated legal necessities into design choices: clear consent flows, transparent data policies, and security features that don't compromise usability. Good design and good governance go hand in hand.

Research phase

Numbers tell stories, but people reveal truths.

My research combined academic depth with real human stories. I read A LOT of scholarly articles to understand healthcare barriers, but the real insights came from conversations with people navigating these challenges daily. I designed surveys that asked the right questions and created interview spaces where people felt safe sharing difficult experiences.

Snapshot of research

While my can’t share specifics, I can tell you that patterns emerged: healthcare journeys filled with unnecessary detours, small victories celebrated like marathons won, and workarounds that shouldn't have to exist. These stories weren't just data points—they became our compass, guiding every design decision toward solutions that actually matter.

Design & testing phase

Initial sketches

From scribbles to solutions—this is where research meets reality. My design process began with quick sketches to explore ideas without getting caught in details too early. These rough concepts evolved through feedback and testing into increasingly refined prototypes.

Refining based on feedback

Each iteration solved a specific challenge: How might we communicate provider competencies clearly? What's are the most important search features? Is our design scope feasible?

Being realistic

This is an example of how strategy and design intersect: after talks with stakeholders, we decided to scrap an entire function: community forum. We have it pinned to revisit later once we have enough users to support that feature.

A peek at what user testing told us & how we implemented it

What next?

We're building momentum behind the scenes! While our digital foundation takes shape, we're focusing on growing our provider network—having meaningful conversations with physicians who share our vision for inclusive healthcare. We're fine-tuning features based on early feedback and scaling our infrastructure to support communities nationwide. Our calendar is marked for launch next year, but the real journey begins after that. This is more than just an app release—it's the start of a movement to transform healthcare experiences for our community.