Human Centered Design

I spent the spring 2022 semester working with a team of students and faculty building a piece of wearable tech for the blind and visually impaired (BVI) community. Through this project I learned about, design research, the product development process, UX design, human centered design, and the challenges of creating something entirely new with cross-functional teams.

I worked with a team of four to create a play experience for fourth graders inspired by chameleons. A portion of our time was spent researching both chameleon and fourth grader behavior. We were especially interested in the chameleon's long sticky tongue and the way they use their hands to climb. With online research and the opportunity to talk with a fourth grade class, we gained insight into their values. Of course the game needed to be fun, but we also wanted it to be open-ended and non-competitive. 

We created a play experience that facilitated learning through creativity, exploration, and collaboration. The fourth-graders engaged with both the motion of the chameleon's tongue and the environment in which a chameleon lives in a way which was accessible and not physically or mentally overwhelming.

This mutual aid hub proposal was the result of a semester of interviews with mutual aid activists. We utilized a collection of human centered design techniques including, personas, co-design sessions, and customer journey maps. 

Our team learned about the fast paced and uncertain world of mutual aid work from our conversations with real people doing this work. We realized that flexibility was essential, but uncertainty and a lack of face to face connection was causing burnout. Among each of our personas, there was a common thread of lacking a permanent and secure space to do their work, store materials, and connect with their community.