Janhavi VartakUX Research Portfolio
About Me
Accessible Educational KitsHow can educational activities engage students with physical and/or cognitive disabilities?
Visual Pop-Culture ReferencesHow do pop-culture references in news articles affect users’ information retention?
CoursemateHHow can teachers attain real-time feedback on students’ comprehension of class material?
Market Research for Natural Scientific PharmaceuticalsHow do potential and current consumers perceive and respond to herbal products?
Contents
Originally from India, I was raised in Oman
and Kuwait, before completing a B.S. degree
from Stanford University in Science, Technolgy,
and Society. My fortunate exposure to
various regions nurtured my interest in the
cultural components of user experience and
product design.
I really enjI really enjoy working with users at various
stages of the product development
process—needfinding, prototyping, usability
testing, and marketing. I love working in
intellectually challenging teams, with people
who inspire me.
About Me
linkedin.com/in/janhavivartak
Sundial: Mentally Engaging
Final Sundial KitTeaching Guide Sample Page
Designed per RAFT Requirements
Pencil as Wheel Handle: Can vary thickness
based on specific disability Final Square Wheels KitSample Cost Breakdown
Total Cost: $1.25
Square Wheels: Physically EngagingDisability-Based Analysis
Final Educational Kits: Designed for Students with Orthopedic Impairments
Special Ed Teacher: Hone in on a specific disability.Children’s Social Worker: Students should work in balanced teams, and should be assigned specific roles.Educational Consultant: Keep designs easy to pack and clean up after, and cost-effective.
Stakeholder Interviews: Insights
Construct a sundial with the materials provided.
Design a surface tomake square wheels roll
Prototypes
BrainstormA brainstorming session based on the RAFT materials available delivered 40 ideas, which we analysed and shortlisted based on our Design Criteria to produce our top three designs.
Raw Materials from RAFT Design Criteria
This project was developed under the guidance of the Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT), and soughtto design accessible, cost-effective, educational kits for students. Our team designed two final kits, Square Wheels and Sundial; each kit came with the necessary materials (cost breakdown included), and a teaching guide. The project goal was to engage students of all abilities in learning, teamwork, and creative thinking.
Project Overview
Accessible Educational Kits
Sample Article
Within-Subjects Study
Hypotheses
Condition Table
Our team was inspired by the rising trend among websites like Buzzfeed to supplement news articles with
animated pop-culture references, commonly known as gifs. The aim of the project was to determine the
effects of gifs, present in news articles, on information retention.
Project Overview
Visual Pop-Culture References
Insights- The shorter than average length of the articles could have contributed to the statistical insignificance.- The study focused on propositional knowledge retention; gifs could have an effect on other types of knowledge like procedural or personal knowledge.- 25 participants might have been too small of a sample size given two independent variables.- There was no moderation of the participants’ pre-existing knowledge that might have influenced information retention rates.
Quantitative Data from questionnaires indicated no significant relationship between the presence, relevance,and familiarity of gifs, and information retention
ResultsFinal Version: Effects of gifs, present on news articles, on information retention.
Shifted our focus to the affordancesof gifs in the context of an article
Manipulation check revealed thatdifference between restating and responding gifs is too subjective.
Version 2: Comparing the effects on information retention of gifs that restate the points made by an article, to gifs that respond to the article.
Decided to focus on gifs specifically,instead of involving other
forms of visual media.
Forms of visual media didn’t follow
same bases for comparison.
Verison 1: Comparing the effects of still images, ephemeral images, and gifs on information retention
Previous Iterations of the Study
Home Screen Quiz Page Results Page
Final App
Form-style Format Drop-down Menu Format
A/B Testing: Home Screen
Home Screen Quiz Page Results Page
Parallel Prototypes
“To collect real-time feedback on students’ comprehension of class
material”
StoryboardAttempt at CollaborationTechnology Struggles
- Teachers need to promote classroom engagement and enlist feedback on class material from students.- Classroom technology needs to be more intuitive.- Students need a better way to participate, without wasting timewrtiting on a whiteboard or moving to another station.
Needfinding: observing a Stanford seminar
Coursemate is an app that provides teachers with real-time feedback on students’ comprehension of classmaterial. We applied user-centered design strategies, which involved needfinding, brainstorming, rapid prototyping, and multiple rounds of user testing.
Project Overview
Coursemate
Insights
- NSP products are perceived to be safe, locally made, and culturally fitting.- Consumers are curious about the products’ ingredients, and their properties.- Consumers look to packaging to learn about the ingredients in the products.- - Recommendations and testimonials affectpurchasing decisions.- Efficacy is valued over price. - Products enjoy high retention rates.
Sample Brand Concept Statement
Focus Group 41 Interviews
- Insight was sought on NSP’s brand image,product perception, and consumer profile. - Questions were reframed to better suit thelocal culture: “Which age group shops here the most” was changed to “Which family members shop here.” Vendors were moresensitsensitive to family roles than age groups.
Natural Scientific Pharmaceuticals (NSP) is a Ghana-based startup that elevates traditional herbal remedies, in terms of their recipe and packaging, to better suit the commercial market. The main goals of this projectwere to identify NSP’s brand image, target market segment, product perception, and consumer profile. The company’s website was redesigned based on insights from this market research.
Project Overview
Market Research for Natural Scientific Pharmaceuticals
Specs for other Pages
Homepage
The NSP website was redesigned based on the insights collected, and with these goals in mind:
Website Redesign
Page from Original Website