Neighbors of the World
Doctoral Research on Using Design as Sensory Mediation in Geography Teaching for 6th Graders in France
PhD Student in Design and Social Innovation — PROJEKT
- Literature review and documentation: Study of existing theories on education and design (sociologie, psychologie, neurosciences, cognitive sciences) to establish a solid theoretical basis.
- Ethnographic observations: Classroom observations and conducting interviews with students, teachers, and parents to understand learning dynamics.
- Organization of exchange sessions: Facilitating focus groups and interviews with stakeholders to gather qualitative feedback on pedagogical needs, allowing creation of personas and journey maps.
- Results analysis: Synthesis of gathered data to formulate hypotheses and extract insights, identifying change levers and specific needs to address.
- Project management: Research coordination and planning of different stages.
- Analysis of wicked problems: Solving multidimensional challenges in an educational context.
- Organization of collaborative workshops: Facilitating sessions to gather ideas and co-create solutions with stakeholders.
- Scientific writing: Writing clear and structured research reports and analyses.
- Interdisciplinary collaboration: Working with various experts (teachers, students, researchers) to enrich project understanding.
What I learned:
This three-year experience was incredibly formative, shaping my personality and my approach to design.
Professionally: This project taught me to conduct field research, prepare note-taking tools, keep a detailed field journal, and work with children in a school setting. I learned to respect confidentiality during interviews, prepare questionnaires, select samples, write research protocols, write reports, and extract insights. This experience enriched my UX research skills, notably user observation, data analysis, and prototyping, while highlighting the importance of meticulous preparation and ethical design.
Personally: It allowed me to better understand my professional aspirations, realizing that I prefer working in a more corporate setting rather than academic.