Human Centered Design: Mentor Program
This human centered design class was aimed to teach me effective ways to deliver, receive, and participate in design creation and critique. I learned how to improve existing service designs and go through the creation lifecycle of new service designs. I gained an intellectual understanding of central concepts in human centered service design. The class was structured in a way to teach and experiment with practical and imaginative ways to communicate through speech, written word, and visual art through tools such as the following: stakeholder maps, journey maps, blueprints, and experience prototyping.
Brief
The scope of the project was to create a solution to the problem of students not feeling a sense of belonging within the computer science department at Northwestern. The goal was to create a program, product, or practice that, utilized, would create a sense of belonging for computer science students.
My Role
Our group decided to go with my original idea, creating a mentorship program. I conducted our most in-depth user research and interviews, aiding in creating a highly human-centered service. I specifically lead our team in innovation and service design. Producing many of the technical / UX designs and storyboards that were used as team deliverables throughout the quarter, I strengthened my skills in graphic design and service presentation.
The scope of the project was to create a solution to the problem of students not feeling a sense of belonging within the computer science department at Northwestern. The goal was to create a program or practice that could be implicated to create a sense of belonging for computer science students.
Process:
1) Identifying and Understanding
2) The Design Process
3) Feasibility and Future
Research Methods:
- Service Safari
- Five-Whys
- User Observation
- Contextual Interviews*
Our Guiding “How Might We”
“How might we integrate support structures for PMs in CS to allow them to better interact with students and be more confident in their knowledge so that they may feel more validated in their roles as leaders and integral members of the CS department?”