Meet Christina Turner, the First Place FlashPitch Competition Award recipient. Christina is a School of Information Masters student majoring in User Experience Design.
Please give a short overview of your research.
I'm working on an information portal that aggregates, curates, and maintains region-specific resources, utilizing UX best practices to aid discoverability.
What made you choose to pursue your graduate degree here at Kent State?
My interests are equally in information science, visual design, and technology, and KSU is particularly strong in all of those fields.
What do you enjoy most about attending Kent State for graduate school? and/or What do you anticipate taking advantage of at KSU?
I was skeptical of going to school entirely online. My undergrad is in Fine Art, and deep, honest reviews and critiques are an essential component of the design work I was used to, and I thought it could only happen in person. However, the flexiblity of an online program has made an M.S in UX a real option for me at this stage in my life, and the further I get into the program, the more I find that I am developing relationships with my cohort, and I'm receiving valuable feedback that is pushing my work forward.
What are your future goals?
I'd love to get to develop this portal further, to get it up and running and be able to see it through a few iterations and refinements. Ultimately, I just want to do design work all day, and I'm halfway there already! It really feels possible now.
What does this award mean to you and how will it aid you?
More than even the money (which, is fantastic and helpful) the encouragement of being recognized for presenting an idea that is so personally meaningful to me is valuable.