Resource Accessibility Evaluation
Improving User Engagement Through Summative Evaluation and Stakeholder Insight
Conducted a UX evaluation to assess the accessibility and impact of career resources, uncover user needs, and deliver stakeholder-informed recommendations to improve engagement.
Role
Graduate Researcher & UX Evaluator
Timeline
4 months
Client
Anthropology Career Readiness Network (ACRN)
Team
Collaborative research team of 12 graduate students
Method
Stakeholder interviews, User survey, Thematic analysis, Descriptive statistics, Large data synthesis
Tools
Qualtrics, Excel, Zoom
Objectives
-
Evaluate acccess : how well were ACRN resources serving their target users
-
Identify primary audience: who was using the resources and where engagement was lacking
-
Uncover user needs and barriers to access
-
Inform strategies for improving resource visibility and relevance
Outcomes
The research revealed key gaps in awareness and accessibility of ACRN’s most valuable resources.
Our insights directly informed strategies to enhance ACRN’s resource accessibility, visibility, and navigation to increase user engagement, and promote non-academic career options.
01 | CHALLENGE
Despite offering a range of high-quality career tools, ACRN observed limited user interaction and unclear patterns of resource engagement. The organization needed a clearer understanding of who was using the resources, how they were being accessed, and what improvements could enhance impact, particularly for early-career anthropologists seeking roles beyond academia.
​
​
Research Questions:
-
Who is using ACRN's resources, and how?
-
Which tools are considered most helpful, and why?
-
What barriers prevent broader engagement?
​
Project Goals:
-
Describe how the site can better serve students, instructors, and non-academic professionals.
-
What improvements could increase long-term user retention and trust.
02 | METHODS
Our team developed a mixed-methods strategy:
-
Surveys (n=250) to current users of the ACRN resources
-
Stakeholder Interviews (n=10) to understand organizational goals and concerns.
​
Survey data was analyzed using Excel to uncover patterns in user behavior, perceived usefulness, and accessibility barriers.
Interviews were thematically analyzed to integrate stakeholder needs with user feedback, allowing us to produce a synthesis of insights and targeted recommendations.
03 | INIGHTS
A key finding was that both students and instructors rated the resources as highly valuable once they were aware of them. The greatest barrier to engagement was simply a lack of awareness.
-
Less than 20% of users accessed instructor tools, though 83% of those who did rated them as highly useful.
-
Students and instructors reported high satisfaction with the few tools they used but lacked awareness of others.
-
Most users were unaware of the breadth of ACRN’s offerings, revealing gaps in navigation and promotion.
-
Stakeholders emphasized the need to promote non-academic career resources and streamline the site experience.
04 | RECOMMENDATIONS
UX Design
-
Redesign site navigation around role-based pathways (e.g., student, educator, practitioner)
-
Feature high-impact tools on the homepage to increase exposure
-
Improve onboarding flow with clear entry points by user type
Messaging & Outreach
-
Reframe messaging to spotlight non-academic career support
-
Develop targeted promotional materials for under-engaged user groups
-
Increase storytelling and real-user testimonials to boost relatability and motivation
 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |
How I Grew as a Researcher...
Key Insight
Translating mixed-methods data into actionable UX and service design recommendations requires balancing user needs with stakeholder goals, an essential skill for research-driven design.​
​
Skill Gained
Conducting stakeholder interviews revealed the importance of representing stakeholder voices clearly in both the analysis and final deliverables. When stakeholders see their priorities reflected in the data, they are more likely to act on the findings.​
​
Methodological Growth
This project advanced skills in stakeholder interviewing, summative evaluation, and mixed-methods research design. It emphasized how aligning research outputs with stakeholder goals increases the likelihood of meaningful application.