Heather New/ Lauren Feilich (Tech)

For CPST 249: User Experience Design Tools and Techniques, Lauren Feilich (UX Design Certificate ‘24) and Heather New (UX Design Certificate ‘24), collaborated on a standout project using the UX Prototyping process. 

CPST 249 focuses on user and task analysis, field research, usability testing, and the UX process. Students explore these topics through design assignments that utilize the complete UX Design process. 

For this project, Lauren and Heather applied the UX Prototyping process toward their final project – The Data Harvester. 

Born out of a partnership with Plant Chicago’s Indoor Victory Garden, The Data Harvester assists this indoor farming space on the brink of expanding with a tool to help growers in managing their workload and improving communication became apparent. Lauren and Heather’s Data Harvester was designed to address these needs, allowing users to calculate workloads and streamline organizational communication. The project was not just a technical exercise but also an opportunity for Lauren and Heather to apply UX design principles in a real-world, nonprofit setting. 

Lauren states that, “The Data Harvester was a great opportunity to carry a project from initial discussion to final prototype and develop the questions and revisions needed along the way. I was also glad to work with a nonprofit organization and see how UX design is applicable and relevant to many fields.” 

Heather emphasizes that, “[they] had direct access to the people that use the space to understand their needs, shortcomings and what has worked for them in the past. Through our research and interviews we were able to provide a user centric design that solved several pain points in their daily operations.” 

Lauren and Heather have described this experience as invaluable, offering them the chance to guide a project from initial concept to final prototype. This hands-on experience, coupled with the skills and insights gained through their UX design certificate program, has equipped them with a solid foundation for their future careers. Both now express a deeper understanding of the design process and the crucial relationship between users and products, insights that will undoubtedly inform both of their careers in the tech industry. 

“[We] feel more comfortable and confident presenting and sharing insights. Taking the time to build this project with the data and research we gathered provided us with a solid portfolio piece as well as a reference for the next UX projects down the line.”