Coming out is rarely a single conversation. Fear of rejection, family expectations and limited support can make the journey emotionally overwhelming, particularly for LGBTQIA+ teens living in regional communities. TrueSelf was designed to provide structured guidance before, during and after coming out.

Research Insights

Secondary research revealed three recurring challenges: fear of rejection from family, limited access to LGBTQIA+ support, and uncertainty about when and how to come out.

Methods · Secondary Research · Literature Review

Insights from six LGBTQIA+ professionals—including psychologists, youth workers, inclusion specialists and accessibility experts—validated user needs and informed key service decisions.

The journey of coming out

Mapping the emotional journey revealed key moments where structured support was missing.

Affinity mapping synthesised recurring pain points, unmet needs and opportunities into themes that shaped the service ecosystem.

The Solution

TrueSelf: A Guided Coming-Out Support System – Empowering gay teens with the confidence, tools, and support for their coming-out journey.

• Prepare with personalised guidance

• Connect with trusted supporters

• Come out with confidence

• Access ongoing community support

TrueSelf connects families, schools, counsellors and community organisations into one coordinated support ecosystem.

• Personalised digital guidance

• Professional support

• Parent engagement

• Community collaboration

The Outcome

The final outcome combines digital guidance with tangible resources to support teens before, during and after coming out.

Cards, tokens and prompts were designed to encourage meaningful conversations.

What We Improved

✓ Increased user confidence through guided prompts
✓ Simplified conversations for parents
✓ Improved accessibility and readability

Key Learnings

• Designing with communities is more valuable than designing for communities.
• Small usability improvements can significantly increase confidence during emotionally sensitive journeys.
• Service design succeeds through continuous testing and collaboration—not a single final solution.