Defining a New Student Experience

Project Plan

About the Client
The Pacific Science Center, located in Seattle, is a premier institution that strives to inspire lifelong interest in science, technology, and math. Their interactive exhibits and educational programs attract over one million visitors annually. The center recently collaborated with the University of Washington’s Information School to develop a web application that recognizes student achievement in their Discovery Corps science learning program.

Objectives

Problem Statement
The Discovery Corps program at the Pacific Science Center has difficulty tracking and recognizing student achievements, affecting both instructors and students. This can result in lower engagement and motivation, ultimately reducing learning outcomes. By addressing this challenge, the Pacific Science Center can better fulfill its mission of promoting science and technology education.

1. Track Learning
Track student learning ladder progress and life skill development through visual digital badges.

2. Share Work
Allow students to share achievements and make work visible to peers and supervisors.

3. Coordination
Improve the day-to-day coordination, work, and community at the Pacific Science Center.

4. Accessibility
Ensure the design is inclusive and meets WCAG 2.0 AA requirements at launch.

Definition

As lead product designer, I was responsible for defining the app’s structure and mapping out its core features. This involved understanding user goals and organizing content in a way that supported both day-to-day use and long-term achievement tracking.

User Research & Discovery

To make sure the app reflected the real needs of students and supervisors in the Discovery Corps program, I started the project with foundational user research. I wanted to understand what motivated students, how they tracked their learning, and what instructors needed to support engagement.

I led on-site interviews, informal observations, and early feedback sessions with both groups to identify what features would feel useful and intuitive in their day-to-day experience.

Methods included:

• Group interviews with 6 Discovery Corps students (ages 15–18)
• 1:1 conversations with 3 program supervisors and mentors
• Observations during workshops and activities
• Feedback on early sketches of badges, messaging, and public portfolios

Key insights:

• Students were motivated by recognition, but wanted achievements to feel personal and meaningful
• Publicly sharing work gave them a sense of pride and helped them communicate progress to others
• Supervisors needed a simple way to track progress and offer quick feedback

These insights directly shaped the visual badge system, the messaging tool, and the public portfolio feature. Student feedback also helped refine the tone and complexity of the interface so it felt approachable and empowering.

Personas

Based on insights gathered from interviews and observations, I created three personas to represent the primary user types: high school students participating in Discovery Corps, and program supervisors who track and support their progress. These personas helped guide feature prioritization and interface decisions throughout the design process.

Site Map

The site map is a crucial component of the project, as it outlines the structure and hierarchy of the website, allowing for a clear understanding of the navigation and content organization.

Wireframes

I created wireframes to define layout, structure, and core interactions across all major pages. These allowed for early testing and helped align expectations across the team and with stakeholders.

Final Design

After finalizing the information architecture and wireframes, I translated the designs into high-fidelity visuals that reflected the Pacific Science Center’s brand. I used bold colors, clear typography, and custom illustrations to make the experience engaging and approachable for students. The final product delivered a polished, consistent interface that supported both learning and motivation.

I also focused on designing for responsiveness, knowing students would access the app on smartphones, tablets, and laptops. Optimizing layouts across devices helped ensure a consistent and accessible experience, no matter how students connected.

Public Portfolios
‍I introduced a public portfolio feature that allowed students to showcase progress and accomplishments. This gave them a sense of ownership and made their learning visible to peers, mentors, and family. It also helped promote the program as students shared their work more widely.

Messaging
‍I designed a messaging feature to let students communicate directly with supervisors and each other. This supported collaboration, questions, and real-time feedback — creating a stronger sense of community within the program.

Additional Pages
‍Design quality was emphasized throughout the project's development. We created user-friendly settings pages that were easy to navigate and designed a badge information page that displayed students' achievements in a visually exciting way.

This engaging design encouraged students to continue completing tasks and earning badges. The attention to design details on all of pages helped to create a seamless user experience for the students.

Style Guide

To ensure consistency, I created a style guide that outlined core visual elements — including color, typography, iconography, and layout. I also documented reusable components such as buttons, cards, and tabs to support efficient development and accessible design.