PROJECT BACKGROUND :
As a part of my Final Research Project for Master's at RCA, I explored the topic of gender data gap and professional invisibility of women on the internet which limits their career development. This project was undertaken to understand the struggles of young professional women with low visibility on platforms like LinkedIn, often due to imposter syndrome, limited knowledge, and fear of criticism.
Our project seeks to bridge this gap by empowering women to increase their confidence, secure more opportunities, and fully utilize AI and social media to their benefit through an AI-powered social media management tool (app) called ‘STAGE’, designed to help women professionals enhance their online presence through goal-oriented content that advances their careers.
PROJECT TIMELINE :
5 Months: March 2024 to August 2024
TEAM :
Parul Gupta, Shivani Gowaikar, Shravani Shinde
ROLE :
Led user research with 100+ women professionals and 20+ experts to address gender gap in digital spaces. Ideation and development of a comprehensive service design strategy as a digital platform called STAGE, a social media management tool powered by AI. Conducted user journey mapping, competitor analysis, and workshops to refine the STAGE app’s UX and AI-driven features, ensuring the platform was both inclusive and effective in fostering professional growth for women. Partnered with industry experts, non-profits in gender equity sector, and user focus groups to validate and iterate on design features, showcasing a commitment to user-centered design and social impact.
LEARNINGS :
Artificial Intelligence functioning and impact, biases in AI & technology, gaps with respect to technology access and adoption, gaps in technology access and opportunity for marginalized groups, insights on women's professional invisibility in technology and on the internet, Eehical user research and ethnography for actionable insights, collaborations with cross-sector industry partners (Tech, Social Impact, Gender Equity, AI), stakeholder value generation, service design strategy, value generation for stakeholders and users, how to convert a design strategy to a viable business, development of a Minimum Viable Product, market study and analysis, go-to-market strategy, Business Planning
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THE PROBLEM
SYSTEMIC ISSUES & OPPORTUNITY
STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS
USER ANALYSIS
USER RESEARCH & TESTING
DESIGN PROCESS
Finalizing features based on tests and value proposition canvas, figuring out priority features based impact potential, empathy mapping for user personas, figuring out final service opportunities based on research and experiments, followed by in-depth competitor analysis to figure out market gaps and product opportunities.
Finally, developing an Information Architecture and user flow based on a priority MVP
Finally, developing an Information Architecture and user flow based on a priority MVP
DESIGN FINALIZATION
Finalized features for an MVP of the product based on tests, research and design process to only select priority features, most desired with highest impact potential.
FINAL SERVICE: STAGE
VALUE GENERATION
MARKET OPPORTUNITY & BUSINESS PLAN
PROJECT SCOPE & LEARNINGS
WIP + MARKETING
