E2E Hackathon Finalist
TRI-MEET
Duration: 3 days
Role: UX Designer
(collaborators: Kay Zhang, Meichen Zhou, Xiaoyi(Nicole) Li
Info page: https://e2e.splashthat.com/
Objective:
Repairing the Diversity Pipeline:
“ Many organizations and institutions have fallen victim to the “diversity pipeline myth,” which is the assumption that diversity initiatives fail due to the lack of qualified candidates from underrepresented groups. In 2018, however, the National Center for Education Statistics reported that Hispanic and Black student graduation rates have risen 350% and 55%, respectively. To add an additional layer of complexity, referrals are one of the most common ways in which jobs are secured. Referral pathways can lead to echo chambers, meaning that folks are often referring individuals who share identities with them, thereby retaining the homogeneity of the organization. In what ways can higher education institutions overcome these problems? How can organizations partner with educational institutions to address these issues early in the pipeline and referral process?”
Our solution:
Combining the research finding that URM (under-represented minority)students greatly benefit from peer-led learning processes, we provide services for matching users with peers who share their job search objectives and background, enable users to invite peers to participate in a three-way coffee chat with the mentor, eliminating the power difference in the one-to-one session.
Job seekers may get information beyond what a mentor, who entered the business years earlier, can provide by engaging with peers. Peers with comparable backgrounds could encourage each other in the job search so that the URM is no longer on their own. This presents URM with the chance to strengthen their own background-related community.
Background
Have you ever be/seen Emma?
She is:
Female
International student
First generation of US college studen
In her Junior Year and looking for Internship in Tech Industy for the first time
When looking for the job, Emma feels…
“I don’t know how to start...”
“Seldom got reply from Linkedln…“
”I’m afraid of not being polite enough…“
“There was a big gap in our chat…”
“Too nervous.I couldn’t perform well…”
”I talked clumsily... Nightmare…”
”There was this awkward SILENCE…”
Emma isn’t the only one...
According to data from the National Center for Women & Information Technology, women made up 47% of all working people in the U.S., yet as of 2015, they only held 25% of computing positions (NCWIT). Asian women make up barely 5% of the 25% of IT workers that are female, while Black and Hispanic women make up 3% and 1% of the workforce, respectively.
All of this is true despite the fact that, according to data from the Pew Research Center, the expansion of STEM occupations has surpassed the growth of general employment in the nation, increasing by 79% since 1990 compared to a 34% increase in total employment. Despite widespread discussion about the lack of diversity in the tech industry, women are disproportionately left out of this boom.
The employment gap
Reference: https://www.cio.com/article/201905/women-in-tech-statistics-the-hard-truths-of-an-uphill-battle.html
So, How can we inspire Under-represented Minorities to have greater confidence to leave their comfort zone, make connections , improve their representation in the Tech Industry, and one day give back to their community?
Under-represented Minority (URM) students benefit significantly from peer-led learnings by gaining more confidence and resources.
Secondary Research
Performance Improvement by peer-led learnings
Reference: Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4784972/
Our Solution
Combining the research finding that URM (under-represented minority)students greatly benefit from peer-led learning processes, we provide services for matching users with peers who share their job search objectives and background, enable users to invite peers to participate in a three-way coffee chat with the mentor, eliminating the power difference in the one-to-one session.
Job seekers may get information beyond what a mentor, who entered the business years earlier, can provide by engaging with peers. Peers with comparable backgrounds could encourage each other in the job search so that the URM is no longer on their own. This presents URM with the chance to strengthen their own background-related community.
