DataLabs

about

During the summer of 2019, I joined DataLabs as a research Assistant to Prof. Maya Przybylski. Datalabs is a research group at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture focussing on the intersection of big data and architectural design. Students and Faculty with the group have done research for Sidewalk Toronto and Grand River Transit, among others. My main task during my involvement with DataLabs was to focus on the outer facing elements of the research group, including the website and logo.

goal

The main goal of the redesign was to increase awareness of DataLabs within the University, and make the site more welcoming to a wider audience while modernizing the layout and logo. A focus was placed on improving site navigation, highlighting student work done with DataLabs, and increasing the awareness of the DataLabs social channels. After the redesign, user feedback showed that the new site was easier to navigate, and users were able to more accurately describe what DataLabs research focussed on in a shorter period of time. Users were also more satisfied with the site experience overall.

date

jan 2019 - present

role
  • design
  • UX + prototyping
  • development
  • branding

prototyping:

During the design of site flow and pages, I focussed on creating a simple, easy to navigate layout which highlighted student work and research. I took cues from scientific publications like Nautilus and National Geographic to inform the overall organization, as DataLabs work had a similar feel. As the main audience of the site would be other university students, I also wanted to highlight the DataLabs social channels early on, and make it easy for users to access them at any time. I kept the navigation for the site to five tabs, which are always accessible in the header, to simplify the overall map and organization.

design:

For the visual design and brand of DataLabs, I took inspiration from multiple architectural magazines and websites, to match the visual feel of the site content. I kept the logo minimal, to avoid distracting from the lab research and student projects, and chose to stick to a monochromatic theme, aside from a purple accent (in honour of the engineering and design research DataLabs does). This allowed the site to maintain a cohesive feel, despite the wide variety of project images and renders it hosted.