Design Research
TeamPlay
Innovation Hub
Improving the campus experience at the University of Toronto
Role
Visual Designer
Timeframe
September 2024 - Present
Team
Ryan Wong
Sophia Cadelina
Isabella Joao
Joseph Lek
Victoria Opolot
Kyla Tang
Wendy Wan
Overview
The Innovation Hub is a student-driven research collective built to improve the U of T student experience. Working with real design challenges from campus partners, our interdisciplinary teams use a consulting model to solve problems that matter. Our projects range in scope from designing campus spaces and services to policy evaluation, ideating for the future, and more.
As a Visual Designer, I bring to life content produced within project teams with visual imagery, models and infographics. This role involves creating professional reports and presentations of design research data, blog posts, website content, and more. The role also includes special projects, such as website design and development, or developing creative materials outside of the scope of design research projects.
Note: Details about the design research reports are currently under NDA. The purpose of this case study is to walk you through my approach, experience, and lessons learned.
01 Context
Context
At the start of September 2024, I was given the opportunity to join the Innovation Hub at the University of Toronto as a Visual Designer. During my time at the Innovation Hub, I was given the opportunity to work on multiple design research reports and work with many different teams.
The Design Team at the Innovation Hub
Mission and Vision
The Innovation Hub is designed for those passionate about improving life for students on campus through hands-on projects that tackle genuine challenges in the University of Toronto campus experience. Innovation Hub's mission is "To improve campus life through student-centric design." Likewise their vision is to create "A campus experience designed for every student to flourish academically, socially, and personally."
Innovation Hub's Values
At the Innovation Hub we design with the following values in mind to drive our purpose of creating human-centered design thinking projects. You can learn more about the Innovation Hub's design process here.
Accessibility by Design
Accessibility should not be an accident or an add-on. We design with accessibility in mind from the beginning, so our projects, events, and materials are available to as many people as possible.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
We want to learn about more than one group of UofT students to learn and design for everyone. By practising Equity Centred Community Design, we find insights and solutions that include all students and community partners.
Inspire with Meaningful Data
We use design thinking, user experience, and qualitative research techniques to find and query data on underlying needs. By combining evidence and empathy, we help the UofT community better understand its members.
Learn Together
We work with both students and staff. Our interdisciplinary teams use curiosity to learn new techniques and solve problems together.
Listen to Student Experiences
We are driven by student stories. We think understanding their journeys is the key to cultural change
02 Projects
Projects
At the Innovation Hub, I was given the opportunity to work on the following three design research projects: EDIA at the School of Environment, Engagement & Belonging for Students with Disabilities, and Reception Experiences at Health & Wellness. To learn more about our projects, click here.
EDIA at the School of Environment
In partnership with the School of the Environment (the School) at the Faculty of Arts & Science, the Innovation Hub’s design research team seeks to learn how equity, diversity, inclusion, and access (EDIA) is embedded in the School’s curriculum, programming, communications, hiring, events, spaces, processes, and culture, and to understand where gaps exist.
Engagement & Belonging for Students with Disabilities
In partnership with Accessibility Services, the Innovation Hub’s design research team seeks to understand factors that enable students with disabilities to fully engage in campus life outside of the classroom and to learn where gaps exist.
Reception Experiences at Health & Wellness
In partnership with Health & Wellness (H&W), the Innovation Hub will look at all possible interactions including virtual and in person at various points in time to uncover opportunities to improve reception experiences.
So what did I do?
While working on these design reports, I was assigned various responsibilities and tasks, including design systems, visual design, UX design, and accessibility-focused design.
Responsibilities and Tasks
Fixing the Design System
Fortunately, the Innovation Hub had a well-developed design system, including a design process, style guide, icon library, blog and website guide, and photography guide, which made design projects easier. However, the icon library required updates, as several icons had outdated designs and missing alt-text.
Designing for Accessibility
At the Innovation Hub, we prioritize designing with accessibility in mind from the start. When creating visuals and icons, we considered various factors, such as avoiding the use of body parts to ensure inclusivity for all groups. I was also responsible for tagging, adding alt text, and adjusting colors to make our design reports fully accessible.
Cross-Team Collaboration
I had the opportunity to collaborate with various teams, including the UI/UX Design team and the research team, to create the necessary visuals. With the UI/UX Design team, I contributed to a website for the Family Friendly U of T project. I also worked with the research team on user personas, story moments, design principles and the final reports.
The Design Process
I had the opportunity to learn from the Innovation Hub's design research workshops, gaining insights into conducting effective user interviews, creating personas, and thinking with a human-centric approach. Additionally, I was able to improve my skills in Figma and engage in the iHub design process through moodboarding and sketching.
Visual & Graphic Design
In addition to working on reports, I improved my visual and graphic design skills by designing icons, graphics, and promotional materials in alignment with the Innovation Hub's design system. This experience helped improve my proficiency in software such as Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, and Figma.
03 Takeaways
Project Takeaways
Human-Centered Design
As this was my first experience working in a human-centered design environment, I gained a deep understanding of the importance of using a human-centered approach to collect data and conduct research to inform design strategies. Seeing the design research reports through from start to finish helped me appreciate the impact of empathy and feedback.
Equity and Inclusion
It was crucial to ensure that no specific groups were excluded during the design process. One example that stood out was during our moodboarding session. Our original idea for a theme visual was the watering of a plant. However, we decided against it, as we wanted to avoid implying a higher authority and instead emphasize equality.
Avoiding Biases
As a university student, I found it challenging not to base my designs on my own experiences. However, it is important to listen to others and refer to the research to ensure that my personal perspective does not hinder the design process.
Empathy and Accessibility
When designing at the Innovation Hub, it is important to be empathetic. Small changes, such as avoiding fingers when designing hands or adding alt text, can go a long way.