Ed-Tech · UX/UI Design · Completed
ResearchGate
Research Opportunity Platform
A mobile app that acts as a central hub for researchers to create events and for students to discover and join research opportunities — bridging a 73% awareness gap.
Problem
Students — especially high schoolers — often lack awareness about research opportunities, creating an information gap between them and the research community. Researchers also struggle to reach younger audiences efficiently.
Goal
Create a service that spreads awareness about research opportunities and bridges the information gap between students and researchers at every level.
Stakeholders
Research Findings
- Only 29% of Gen Z students cite STEM careers as their first choice despite 75% expressing interest in STEM fields.
- College research creates the foundation for major advances in health, medicine, communication, and national security.
- Adolescents ask insightful questions that differ from those of advanced researchers — valuable input often untapped.
- Universities can help keep STEM education engaging for younger students with early exposure.
Research Methodology
Key Insights
- Researchers are motivated but lack time to organize outreach events.
- Researchers see strong potential in highly motivated college students.
- AI should act as a supplemental tool rather than replacing human interaction.
- Students need greater exposure to research opportunities early on.
Features
- Research event discovery with personalized recommendations
- AI-assisted event creation to reduce researcher effort
- Lab and researcher follow system for ongoing engagement
- Completion badges and engagement tracking for students
Design Solutions by Barrier
Low Student Motivation
- Personalized recommendations
- Completion badges
- Skill-building opportunities
Researcher Time Constraints
- AI event creation helper
- Low-effort event formats
- Research presentation opportunities
Student Immaturity
- Interest screening questions
- Follow-up involvement encouragement
ROI for Institutions
- Follow-up surveys
- Lab following features
- Long-term retention tracking
Outcomes
73%
Awareness Gap
Of surveyed college students were unaware of research opportunities in high school
5
Stakeholder Interviews
Identified 4 core issues: awareness, resources, platform access, and time
Prototype
Interactive Figma prototype demonstrating the event discovery, researcher follow, and AI-assisted event creation flows.
View Figma PrototypeTags