Recent graduate, Ritika Shah’s senior thesis was a collaborative project with Urvi Raghbeer that aims to answer the question: “Can design thinking solve everyday problems?” One hundred people were interviewed with a simple question: “What is one problem you face in your everyday life?”
RATIO – A design studio that uses a unique crowdsourcing method to receive work
Ten problems were chosen based on the frequency or our interest and this became the prompt to design ten simple solutions; we designed four each individually and two collaboratively. A solution was completed each week using a “sprint” methodology and design thinking—an approach that matches user’s needs with what is technologically practical and can create demand.
Cube – A mobile app that keeps track of a child’s school work by using personalized learning and gamification
The Unbox Movement – A movement created to teach underprivileged children about health & sanitation using simple techniques of gamification & problem-solving.
Quiz It – A web extension that can turn any web page into an interactive quiz
PING – A mobile app that detects the weather and syncs with your calendar to notify you of things to carry for the day
This resulted in a design studio, Ratio, where we use a unique crowdsourcing method to receive work.
What were your favorite classes at Parsons?
Core Interaction design with Erica Heinz, Topics – Web & Mobile Product Design with Allan and Jon and Thesis with Lynn Kiang.
What did you wish you knew as a student that you know now?
I always made getting good grades my only priority, and I wish I knew that developing my networking skills is equally as important because, in the real-world, you can make a bigger impact quicker if you know the right people.
Who do you look up to in the design community?
Tony Fadell, because of his thoughts on design thinking and how it can change the world.
View the Ratio Prototype.
