Scope

Oct 2023-Nov 2023 MVP Design

Team

Theia start-up team

Outcome

MIT Ignite Competition Finalist Winner

Contribution

Stakeholder Interview, Survey, UI/UX Design, Prototyping

Context

Researcher's growth and recognition depend on publicizing their work, traditionally done through slow methods like journal publications or conferences. Current communication methods, like emails or small groups, offer limited reach. There's a need for a platform in the scientific community that enables quick, wide-scale sharing of research insights on a daily basis.

Researchers Community Website

Stakeholders interview

Pain Points

Stakeholders interview

Solutions

Stakeholders interview

Target User

  • Slow Information Spread Cycle: Traditional methods of exposing scientific research, such as publishing papers or attending conferences, typically span years. This leads to a gradual spread of researchers' findings and ideas, impacting the development and establishment of their scientific reputation.

  • Limited Small-Scale Communication: Point-to-point email exchanges or small discussion groups usually reach far fewer than ten peers. Such modes of communication limit the interaction of researchers with the broader academic community, making it difficult to quickly obtain diverse feedback and collaborative opportunities.

  • Time-Consuming: Reading papers requires a lot of time and energy, and papers are often challenging and complex in structure."

  • Social Media Platforms for Researchers: Researchers can utilize academic social media platforms such as ResearchGate and Academia.edu to quickly share their research findings and ideas, as well as to interact with other scholars. These platforms enable faster dissemination of information.

  • Engagement in Academic Communities: Actively participating in academic communities by joining relevant discussion groups, research teams, or networks can expand your interactions with peers and allow for a broader sharing of research perspectives.

  • AI Features: AI tools can summarize papers and provide overviews of the trends and consensus among researchers in the comments section.

Stakeholders interview

Competitor Study

Design

Low-Fi Prototypes

Visual Guideline

Stakeholders interview

Design

Original Posts

Pain Point: Researchers find it challenging to quickly and widely share their research findings

Objective: Increase the visibility and accessibility of scientific research, facilitating rapid dissemination of academic achievements

Design

Paper-based Posts

Pain Point: The paper is difficult to understand, takes a long time, and the efficiency of information acquisition is low

Objective: Use AI to lower the reading barrier for scientific content, providing professionals with quick summaries of scientific trends, and improving the efficiency of information retrieval.

Design

AI-summarized Posts

Pain Point: The paper is difficult to understand, takes a long time, and the efficiency of information acquisition is low

Objective: Use AI to lower the reading barrier for scientific content, providing professionals with quick summaries of scientific trends, and improving the efficiency of information retrieval

Final Design

Design

Profile Page:

Connect with fellow researchers, showcase research updates and insights, and expand the network

Design

Home page:

Engage with the community, stay updated on the industry trends, and interact with peers

Design

Paper Page:

  • AI Paper Summary

  • AI Comment Analysis

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