designing with empathy, curiosity & interdisciplinary collaboration
designing with empathy, curiosity & interdisciplinary collaboration
Product Designer— User Research, Wireframing and Prototyping, Visual Design, Iterative Design
4 months
Pili is a digital prototype developed to address the lack of diversity and inclusion in activities and discussions beyond STEM lectures at Cornell University.
As a product designer, it was crucial to approach the project with a comprehensive strategy that emphasizes user-centered design, accessibility, and community engagement. This approach ensures that Pili effectively addresses the needs of diverse users and fosters a more inclusive environment beyond STEM lectures at Cornell University.
8% of the STEM workforce comprises of Hispanic workers
28% of the STEM college student population comprises of women
57% of Cornell undergrad students risk diversity disparities in the workforce.
These statistics unveil the systemic challenges related to diversity and representation in STEM, which have the potential to directly contribute to the feelings of disconnection.
To discover how these systemic challenges and limitations could translate into real-life experiences, 8 hour-long structured interview with Cornell minority undergraduate STEM students was conducted. Below are sample interview questions.
In large STEM lectures, the challenge of initiating connections can be particularly daunting because the sheer size of the class often means that students don't even know the names or faces of their classmates.
Some emphasized their desire for study partners who can help them excel academically, while others expressed the need for a social support network to navigate the challenges of STEM coursework.
Students emphasized the critical significance of diversity, reflecting on their involvement in team-based STEM courses. However, with Cornell's diverse international student body, achieving inclusivity presents unique challenges for a broader range of students.
Large lectures often result in initial awkwardness and superficial conversations, coupled with the challenge of finding like-minded peers and initiating meaningful dialogues.
Question and answer forum for students, targeting professors and staff for communication.
👍 Academic Focus
👍 Clear Communication
👍 Resource Sharing
👎 Limited Real-Time Interaction
👎 Teacher-Centric
A popular group messaging platform, often utilized amongst students
👍 Easy group creation
👍 Shift to community focused through groups
👍 Limited Visibility- Degree of privacy
👎 Unorganized Interaction
👎 Shallow Engagement
👎 Narrow Scope/Interaction
Streamlining course management, Pili imports schedules seamlessly, saving students valuable time and effort that can be redirected towards their academic pursuits. Pili aims to connect students with diverse backgrounds and interests to address the problem of social isolation and lack of diversity in academic settings.
Upcoming Courses: Students can choose to add a buddy for class companionship, meeting through shared interests in the application, eliminating the uncomfortable waiting game.
Study Sessions and Study Buddies: Collaborative study sessions and the ability to connect with study buddies provide opportunities for students to engage with peers from diverse backgrounds, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Networking Events: Networking events offer a platform for students to interact with professionals and peers from diverse fields, potentially expanding their networks and exposure to diverse perspectives within STEM.
Pili's chatroom feature goes beyond conventional group formation by grouping students not only based on their classes but also on their interests and preferences.
By facilitating connections based on interests and preferences, Pili enables students to meet others who they may not have encountered otherwise in their academic circles, promoting diversity and inclusion.
Pili allows students to further enhance their connections by adding friends and starting chats. By adding friends, students can expand their social network within the platform, fostering deeper connections with peers who share similar interests or academic pursuits. Starting chats provides a space for students to engage in one-on-one or group conversations about topics that matter to them.
As avatar creation was not included in the prototype, some participants raised questions regarding this feature. Conducting additional testing would be necessary to further explore the use of avatars or other approaches aimed at reducing discrimination based solely on appearance and promoting inclusivity within the platform.
During the usability testing, a participant discussed the potential need for implementing dividers within the course group chat. They suggested creating categories for General, Homework, Questions, and Lectures, which could provide a more organized and efficient way for students to interact within the platform.
During the usability testing sessions, two participants discussed the importance of providing better support for minorities within educational institutions. They highlighted initiatives such as offering scholarship or local opportunities based on demographic backgrounds as a means to contribute to increased inclusivity.
Though not shown in the prototype, a participant discussed wanting to explore the flow of creating and setting up public chatrooms within the platform.
While not directly addressed in the user testing, exploring ways to make the platform more adaptable and scalable to transcend the bounds of Cornell and be utilized for all schools is crucial. This could involve incorporating features that accommodate diverse institutional structures and requirements while maintaining a seamless user experience across different campuses.
The team battled a significant challenge due to uneven work distribution caused by one team member's limited involvement, requiring the rest of the team to take on extra responsibilities.
I would have spent more time exploring the user interface design to improve the overall user experience and accessibility, as well as explore iterations following user testing.
Our initial interviews focused on STEM undergraduate schools, but our findings underscored the significance of a diverse composition within STEM courses. With additional funding, I would have conducted larger-scale studies involving students from various majors enrolled in STEM courses. This insight prompted us to broaden our project's scope to cater to a wider audience, ensuring inclusivity and relevance across diverse academic disciplines.
