{"id":226,"date":"2025-12-08T02:00:03","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T02:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/wordpress\/?page_id=226"},"modified":"2025-12-08T02:06:21","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T02:06:21","slug":"sunsketcher","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sarahwoodson.com\/index.php\/sunsketcher\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunsketcher"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h1 data-wp-context---core-fit-text=\"core\/fit-text::{&quot;fontSize&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-wp-init---core-fit-text=\"core\/fit-text::callbacks.init\" data-wp-interactive data-wp-style--font-size=\"core\/fit-text::context.fontSize\" class=\"wp-block-heading alignwide has-fit-text\">NASA&#8217;s Sunsketcher App User Research<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-center\" style=\"grid-template-columns:66% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"752\" src=\"https:\/\/sarahwoodson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Screen-Shot-2025-12-07-at-3.35.23-PM-2-1024x752.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-228 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sarahwoodson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Screen-Shot-2025-12-07-at-3.35.23-PM-2-1024x752.png 1024w, https:\/\/sarahwoodson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Screen-Shot-2025-12-07-at-3.35.23-PM-2-300x220.png 300w, https:\/\/sarahwoodson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Screen-Shot-2025-12-07-at-3.35.23-PM-2-768x564.png 768w, https:\/\/sarahwoodson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Screen-Shot-2025-12-07-at-3.35.23-PM-2-1536x1128.png 1536w, https:\/\/sarahwoodson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Screen-Shot-2025-12-07-at-3.35.23-PM-2.png 1798w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-large-font-size\"><strong>User Research<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SunSketcher is a NASA supported mobile app designed for people located in the path of totality during a solar eclipse. Users point their phone at the sun during the eclipse and the app captures timed images that are sent to NASA scientists to help them better understand the shape of the sun. As part of a two person research team, I conducted user research to prepare designers for the scope of the project and identify key considerations for creating an accessible and intuitive interface.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns alignwide is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-f6ef08bc wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\" style=\"padding-top:0;padding-right:0;padding-bottom:0;padding-left:0\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top has-global-padding is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-column-is-layout-69d0b17a wp-block-column-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div data-wp-context=\"{ &quot;autoclose&quot;: false, &quot;accordionItems&quot;: [] }\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/accordion\" role=\"group\" class=\"wp-block-accordion is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-is-layout-flow\">\n<div data-wp-class--is-open=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-context=\"{ &quot;id&quot;: &quot;accordion-item-1&quot;, &quot;openByDefault&quot;: true }\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.initAccordionItems\" data-wp-on-window--hashchange=\"callbacks.hashChange\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-item is-open is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-item-is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading\"><button aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-controls=\"accordion-item-1-panel\" data-wp-bind--aria-expanded=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggle\" data-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.handleKeyDown\" id=\"accordion-item-1\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle\"><span class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle-title\">My Role<\/span><span class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\">+<\/span><\/button><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div aria-labelledby=\"accordion-item-1\" data-wp-bind--inert=\"!state.isOpen\" id=\"accordion-item-1-panel\" role=\"region\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-panel is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-panel-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I served as a user researcher for the project alongside another researcher. Together, we conducted secondary research, gathered insight on user demographics, and created a slide deck that summarized our findings for the full design and development team. Our goal was to make sure the designers understood who would be using the app and what barriers might prevent people from participating.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div data-wp-context=\"{ &quot;autoclose&quot;: false, &quot;accordionItems&quot;: [] }\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/accordion\" role=\"group\" class=\"wp-block-accordion is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-is-layout-flow\">\n<div data-wp-class--is-open=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-context=\"{ &quot;id&quot;: &quot;accordion-item-2&quot;, &quot;openByDefault&quot;: false }\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.initAccordionItems\" data-wp-on-window--hashchange=\"callbacks.hashChange\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-item is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-item-is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading\"><button aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"accordion-item-2-panel\" data-wp-bind--aria-expanded=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggle\" data-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.handleKeyDown\" id=\"accordion-item-2\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle\"><span class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle-title\">Challenges<\/span><span class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\">+<\/span><\/button><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div inert aria-labelledby=\"accordion-item-2\" data-wp-bind--inert=\"!state.isOpen\" id=\"accordion-item-2-panel\" role=\"region\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-panel is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-panel-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next eclipse path of totality would pass through several regions with low English literacy, limited access to scientific information, and very inconsistent familiarity with technical instructions. The challenge was to understand how to design an app that allowed users in these areas to participate quickly, safely, and correctly with minimal confusion. The experience needed to work for users with varying language skills, comfort levels, and technological backgrounds.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div data-wp-context=\"{ &quot;autoclose&quot;: false, &quot;accordionItems&quot;: [] }\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/accordion\" role=\"group\" class=\"wp-block-accordion is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-is-layout-flow\">\n<div data-wp-class--is-open=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-context=\"{ &quot;id&quot;: &quot;accordion-item-3&quot;, &quot;openByDefault&quot;: true }\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.initAccordionItems\" data-wp-on-window--hashchange=\"callbacks.hashChange\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-item is-open is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-item-is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading\"><button aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-controls=\"accordion-item-3-panel\" data-wp-bind--aria-expanded=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggle\" data-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.handleKeyDown\" id=\"accordion-item-3\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle\"><span class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle-title\">Process<\/span><span class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\">+<\/span><\/button><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div aria-labelledby=\"accordion-item-3\" data-wp-bind--inert=\"!state.isOpen\" id=\"accordion-item-3-panel\" role=\"region\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-panel is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-panel-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Secondary Research<br><\/strong>Identified geographic, cultural, and linguistic factors in the eclipse path and reviewed previous participation patterns and barriers<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>User Insight Development<br><\/strong>Mapped out what users would need to understand in a very short amount of time and identified points where language could become a barrier<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Design Recommendations<br><\/strong>Developed actionable guidance for designers, including heavy use of universally recognizable icons, simple shapes, minimal text, and short phrases instead of long instructions<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Presentation<br><\/strong>Created a slide deck that summarized findings, insights, and design requirements. Presented this to the design team to support their early decision making<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\">\n<div data-wp-context=\"{ &quot;autoclose&quot;: false, &quot;accordionItems&quot;: [] }\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/accordion\" role=\"group\" class=\"wp-block-accordion is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-is-layout-flow\">\n<div data-wp-class--is-open=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-context=\"{ &quot;id&quot;: &quot;accordion-item-4&quot;, &quot;openByDefault&quot;: true }\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.initAccordionItems\" data-wp-on-window--hashchange=\"callbacks.hashChange\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-item is-open is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-item-is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading\"><button aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-controls=\"accordion-item-4-panel\" data-wp-bind--aria-expanded=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggle\" data-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.handleKeyDown\" id=\"accordion-item-4\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle\" style=\"padding-right:0;padding-left:0\"><span class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle-title\">Key Work Samples<\/span><span class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\">+<\/span><\/button><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div aria-labelledby=\"accordion-item-4\" data-wp-bind--inert=\"!state.isOpen\" id=\"accordion-item-4-panel\" role=\"region\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-panel is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-panel-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"577\" src=\"https:\/\/sarahwoodson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Screen-Shot-2025-12-07-at-8.02.34-PM-1024x577.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-232\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sarahwoodson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Screen-Shot-2025-12-07-at-8.02.34-PM-1024x577.png 1024w, https:\/\/sarahwoodson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Screen-Shot-2025-12-07-at-8.02.34-PM-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/sarahwoodson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Screen-Shot-2025-12-07-at-8.02.34-PM-768x433.png 768w, https:\/\/sarahwoodson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Screen-Shot-2025-12-07-at-8.02.34-PM.png 1242w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"571\" src=\"https:\/\/sarahwoodson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Screen-Shot-2025-12-07-at-8.02.47-PM-1-1024x571.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-235\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sarahwoodson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Screen-Shot-2025-12-07-at-8.02.47-PM-1-1024x571.png 1024w, https:\/\/sarahwoodson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Screen-Shot-2025-12-07-at-8.02.47-PM-1-300x167.png 300w, https:\/\/sarahwoodson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Screen-Shot-2025-12-07-at-8.02.47-PM-1-768x428.png 768w, https:\/\/sarahwoodson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Screen-Shot-2025-12-07-at-8.02.47-PM-1.png 1246w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"577\" src=\"https:\/\/sarahwoodson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Screen-Shot-2025-12-07-at-8.02.57-PM-1024x577.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-234\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sarahwoodson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Screen-Shot-2025-12-07-at-8.02.57-PM-1024x577.png 1024w, https:\/\/sarahwoodson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Screen-Shot-2025-12-07-at-8.02.57-PM-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/sarahwoodson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Screen-Shot-2025-12-07-at-8.02.57-PM-768x433.png 768w, https:\/\/sarahwoodson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Screen-Shot-2025-12-07-at-8.02.57-PM.png 1238w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Select Slides from Sunsketcher User Research<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div data-wp-context=\"{ &quot;autoclose&quot;: false, &quot;accordionItems&quot;: [] }\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/accordion\" role=\"group\" class=\"wp-block-accordion is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-is-layout-flow\">\n<div data-wp-class--is-open=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-context=\"{ &quot;id&quot;: &quot;accordion-item-5&quot;, &quot;openByDefault&quot;: false }\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.initAccordionItems\" data-wp-on-window--hashchange=\"callbacks.hashChange\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-item is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-item-is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading\"><button aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"accordion-item-5-panel\" data-wp-bind--aria-expanded=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggle\" data-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.handleKeyDown\" id=\"accordion-item-5\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle\"><span class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle-title\">Key Findings<\/span><span class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\">+<\/span><\/button><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div inert aria-labelledby=\"accordion-item-5\" data-wp-bind--inert=\"!state.isOpen\" id=\"accordion-item-5-panel\" role=\"region\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-panel is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-panel-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The most important insight was that many users located in the upcoming eclipse path would have limited English proficiency. To ensure accessibility, the app should rely on highly visual communication, simple symbols, recognizable shapes, and minimal reliance on full sentence instructions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div data-wp-context=\"{ &quot;autoclose&quot;: false, &quot;accordionItems&quot;: [] }\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/accordion\" role=\"group\" class=\"wp-block-accordion is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-is-layout-flow\">\n<div data-wp-class--is-open=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-context=\"{ &quot;id&quot;: &quot;accordion-item-6&quot;, &quot;openByDefault&quot;: true }\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.initAccordionItems\" data-wp-on-window--hashchange=\"callbacks.hashChange\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-item is-open is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-item-is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading\"><button aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-controls=\"accordion-item-6-panel\" data-wp-bind--aria-expanded=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggle\" data-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.handleKeyDown\" id=\"accordion-item-6\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle\"><span class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle-title\">Outcome &amp; Value<\/span><span class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\">+<\/span><\/button><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div aria-labelledby=\"accordion-item-6\" data-wp-bind--inert=\"!state.isOpen\" id=\"accordion-item-6-panel\" role=\"region\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-panel is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-panel-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The research helped the design team understand critical accessibility issues before moving into wireframing and UI development. By prioritizing simple, image driven communication, the project moved forward with a clear direction that matched the needs and abilities of the actual user environment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NASA&#8217;s Sunsketcher App User Research User Research SunSketcher is a NASA supported mobile app designed for people located in the path of totality during a solar eclipse. Users point their phone at the sun during the eclipse and the app captures timed images that are sent to NASA scientists to help them better understand the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"blank","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-226","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sarahwoodson.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/226","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sarahwoodson.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sarahwoodson.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sarahwoodson.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sarahwoodson.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=226"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sarahwoodson.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/226\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":236,"href":"https:\/\/sarahwoodson.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/226\/revisions\/236"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sarahwoodson.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=226"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}