Designing the E&I Hub

The only E&I Hub that empowered students to be part of the design process.

Students in the Community Engaged Design class (CEL) worked collaboratively to design various aspects with the E&I Initiative. This included "visual design" items such as the branding, identity, website, and promotional materials you see. Beyond the visuals students also worked on designing process and engagement focusing on how to make the E&I Hub accessible and impactful to all students. Having students work through a design thinking process to design these resources make the E&I Hub at USF unique - as it was designed with students, for students.

Process

The class began by meeting with key stakeholders including E&I co-directors, the Provost's Office, the Office of Marketing & Communications, Career Services, and Donors to understand each of their visions and perspectives for delivering "entrepreneurship for all" to USF students. Students worked collaboratively under the direction of Professor Rachel Beth Egenhoefer to articulate these goals into a cohesive message.

Using a design thinking framework, Design students set out to research how USF students understand "entrepreneurship" and how the E&I Hub can be of best use to the diverse USF student body. Design ethnography, surveys, focus groups were used to empathize and understand student perspectives and needs. From this, Design students created many different prototypes to test with the community. Working through an iterative process throughout the semester, designs were constantly revised and reworked based on feedback and user testing.

Many details you see from the identity and colors to hands on resources were designed by students for students. In this way the E&I Hub at USF has empowered these design students inspiring many USF students to come through the use and implementation of the E&I Hub.

Design students talking and planning design