Role
UX Lead
Skills and Tasks
Leadership
Communication
Design and Research
Problem Solving
User Testing
Tools
Figma, Photoshop, InDesign
Duration
10 weeks, Fall 2024
Transforming Geospatial Scenario Planning for Food and Water Scarcity to ensure a safer future for all
Over the course of the 10 weeks, I collaborated with 15 students from various disciplines to reimagine Geospatial Scenario Planning for Food and Water in partnership with Deloitte. Our goal was to utilize geospatial data and AI driven insights to help government leaders proactively address food and water scarcity, enabling faster, more informed decisions to mitigate crises and ensure resource sustainability.
This project’s assets are currently under NDA
This case study focuses on our process, my role as UX Team Lead and the lessons learned. All research findings and solutions remain confidential under NDA. Please get in touch with me to know more.
Leading as a UX Team Lead:
Navigating Strategic Design and Team Excellence
Being voted as UX Team Lead was both an honor and a challenge. My primary role was to facilitate collaboration across various teams, manage communication, and ensure the project’s success while fostering individual team growth.
I fostered UX excellence through design solutions and ideation while conducting comprehensive user research and stakeholder interviews, additionally providing mentorship to enhance team capabilities.
“ How we might use geospatial analysis and insight to help government agencies forecast and plan around extreme climate events, supporting decision making for food and water security? “
Our Brief
We were tasked with developing geospatial tools that government agencies can use to better manage food and water resources within the context of climate change and natural disasters.
To achieve this requires leveraging use cases that capture a range of government experiences as well as having a consideration of policy and programmatic decision-making for managing food and water.
Understanding our Users
After conducting research, we developed 5 initial archetypes of government users who could benefit from our platform and then later narrowed it down to 2 archetypes as some of their roles overlapped.
Resource Manager : A strategic decision-maker responsible for coordinating resources, managing teams, and planning responses during emergencies.
Chief Sustainability Officer : Their role involves balancing immediate needs with future goals, promoting innovation, and aligning organizational practices with sustainability objectives.
Conducting Interviews
Along with conducting our own research findings, we also gathered information from experts in the field. Interviews are vital to our team's design process.
Interview Goals
Ideation
I facilitated ideation workshops with the UX team that generated an extensive list of ideas based on the research and user interviews. Team members prepared individually beforehand, then engaged in structured group discussions to share and expand on the various design solutions. We brainstormed the information architecture, the navigation and components of each feature.
Finally, a full-team synthesis session filled a whiteboard with creative ideas💡✨, sparking innovative directions for the project’s solution.
Creating Wireframes and Prototype
Given the project's forward-looking focus on geospatial data analysis, we developed streamlined design concepts that, despite limited initial information, created meaningful impact by facilitating users' decision-making processes. The minimal yet purposeful approach allowed us to emphasize key functionalities while maintaining flexibility for future data integration and analytical capabilities.
Challenges :
UX Team Journey
We went through quite a journey with this design! We ended up redesigning the interface multiple times, adjusting based on feedback.
After the first round of feedback, we decided to take it up a notch and make our UI more futuristic and modern—which meant going back to the drawing board and reimagining everything.
It was definitely a challenge, but each redesign got us closer to what felt right. In the end all our iterations were worth it; we ended up with a polished interface that we’re proud of 🤩.
Presenting our Vision:
A milestone Moment
Delivering our final presentation to Deloitte was a nerve-wracking yet rewarding experience. From consistently leading class brainstorming sessions, communicating with the team, acting as a leader, and all of the SCADamp practice beforehand, I felt ready and excited to present, and it was incredible to see our clients faces light up as we shared our ideas with them.
Reflections and Lessons Learned
At times, my team faced creative blocks and felt overwhelmed by client expectations, especially with limited knowledge in geospatial and AI. As Team Lead, I focused on keeping them motivated and encouraging out-of-the-box thinking.
Balancing a complex project within business goals while aligning with the team’s futuristic vision and building resilience.
Navigating high-stress situations and managing challenges effectively. At times, excessive creative freedom led to endless possibilities, making it difficult to stay focused!
