Situation
The Newfield school district is located 15 minutes from Ithaca, NY where I attended college. This community is one of the most underfunded school districts in New York State, with a majority of the county lacking broadband internet service. Following the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the community struggled even further to provide adequate resources for their students, and remote work became a problem for many of the parents and students.
Process
I collaborated with the Newfield superintendent, students, and parents to understand the scope of the issues within the community, and how our team can work as product developers, to create resources and educational opportunities.
I conducted “tabletop” style interviews with the students to gauge how this lack of resources and support affects them on a daily basis. Because these students were younger and speaking to strangers, we curated our language and research questions to seem welcoming and create solutions geared towards the community.
Deliverables
Our strategy aims to extend the resources by creating personalized experiences for the different shareholders: this issue from the point of view of a variety of different stakeholders; students, parents, teachers, legislatures, and donors.
The website has personalized profiles for different stakeholder experiences (students, parents, others) so they can learn about and contribute to the Newfield mission in their own way. I preserved the Newfield tone and school colors to embody Newfield pride and keep the voice consistent with something the community resonates with.
Advertising Materials
I designed copy for our posters to advertise STEAM opportunities for students across the district, highlighting the website’s new features. My focus was on crafting messaging that resonated with both students and their parents, making the information clear, engaging, and accessible.
Media campaign
The superintendent, Sunny, says the district suffers largely because they are an overlooked community in the proximity of more affluent communities. Together we launched a media campaign in order to extend the stories of this community to others who have the resources to help. We hope this media campaign will reach those around the Finger Lakes community, such as those who attend Cornell University or Ithaca College, who can donate, engage in outreach themselves and conduct STEAM and research learning programs for the Newfield schools just 15 minutes down the road.
We created message templates for students and parents to reach out to local legislature, sharing their stories and advocating the reallocation of funds towards sufficient broadband internet coverage for the town.
An updated version of Newfield’s website:
Figma Prototype:
We evaluated the copy and provided helpful cues tailored for children, ensuring the language was accessible and made them feel comfortable navigating the website. This included simplifying instructions and adding prompts which aligned with how children naturally interact with digital interfaces.
I employed simple copy with a clear CTA that younger students would feel comfortable engaging with,