Design Projects
Human-centered design is rooted in understanding peoples' needs through interviews, research, and testing. My human-computer-interaction research focuses on designing social media platforms in relationship to human values. As a journalist, this approach helps me create impactful content and engage audiences. The ability to adapt to user needs and new technologies also equips me for the dynamic media landscape.​
San Francisco Design Practicum, partner TikTok
In a team of five, we developed an advertising strategy and presented it to TikTok executives. I prototyped a new app landing page to recommend local businesses and restaurants to users based on their location.
The work involved user research, user experience design, and data visualization, employing tools like Figma. This initiative aimed to assist local restaurants in post-COVID recovery, provide micro-influencers with growth opportunities and compensation, and enhance TikTok's presence in the food content space while increasing user engagement.
Service Design Studio, partner Lurie Children's Hospital
I collaborated with hospital staff and my student team to address long ER wait times and the associated patient desire to leave. Recognizing the need for patient and family engagement, we developed the "ER Adventure Guide" for young children.
This guide included an animated introduction video and an interactive activity booklet, designed to track young patients' journeys through the ER. We used design thinking principles and stakeholder engagement to prototype and create a solution that was both entertaining and educational.
Northwestern Social Media Lab, Research Assistant
I co-authored a paper on the emerging social media app BeReal, working with Professor Jeremy Birnholtz and a PhD student. Our paper was published in the New Media & Society Journal and accepted for presentation at the 74th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association in June 2024.
I was responsible for sourcing and conducting four extensive interviews, each lasting two hours with our user group. Utilizing Dedoose, a qualitative research software, I coded the interviews to identify and highlight patterns across user experiences.
