UX / CX

Enhancing Architectural Engagement: A CX Approach to Inspiring K-12 Students

The Project

Overview: By leveraging the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) as a platform for engagement, this initiative seeks to cultivate architectural curiosity among K-12 students through an inclusive, user-centered experience. Grounded in customer experience (CX) principles and sociological research, our approach highlights the diverse career pathways in architecture while amplifying historically underrepresented voices in the built environment. Through problem-framing, interactive learning, and culturally responsive design, the aim is to foster early interest, agency, and accessibility in the field — ensuring that all young learners can envision themselves shaping the world around them via architecture and closely related fields.

Timeline: 8 to 12 weeks.

Research Phase

Projected Impact

Problem Statement (User Experience Framing):

The architecture industry faces a critical talent gap as retiring baby boomers exit the workforce, creating an urgent need for the next generation of architects. However, awareness and accessibility barriers in the user journey of career exploration hinder early engagement, particularly among diverse and underrepresented groups. Without a strategic, human-centered approach to fostering interest and guiding young learners through the discovery phase, the industry risks a diminished pipeline of future professionals. Addressing this challenge requires intentional experience design that enhances visibility, engagement, and accessibility in architectural career pathways.

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/architects.htm#tab-6.

Statistics:

All K-12 in the U.S. and its territories; public, private, and homeschool : 80,857,000

Projected number of minority students : 52,113,000 (public school only, not private or homeschool)

https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2015/2015073.pdf

Define Phase

Architecture, a historically prestigious and structurally embedded profession, continues to grapple with systemic exclusion and retention challenges among women and People of Color. Legacy gatekeeping mechanisms, implicit bias in recruitment pipelines, and a lack of visible representation create cognitive and structural barriers to entry and persistence. These inequities contribute to a diminished sense of belonging and self-efficacy among underrepresented groups, reinforcing a homogenous professional landscape in a non-homogenous world. Addressing these disparities requires an intersectional, human-centered approach that deconstructs exclusionary norms, fosters inclusive pathways, and reimagines architectural engagement through equitable design interventions.

Student Perspective (UX & Sociology Framing):

As a student, I need an immersive and contextually rich interaction with architects in their everyday work environment to develop a concrete mental model of their daily workflows, challenges, and impact. A lack of real-world exposure creates a gap in my ability to form a meaningful connection with the profession, reducing my career engagement and self-efficacy in pursuing architecture.

Parent Perspective (UX & Sociology Framing):

As a parent of a K-8 student, I recognize that a single, isolated exposure to an architect in school does not create a lasting cognitive imprint or sustained engagement. Without repeated interactions and representation within our community, my child lacks the social proof and experiential reinforcement necessary to develop interest or identify architecture as a viable career path. This absence of continuous touchpoints diminishes career salience and perpetuates structural barriers to entry for underrepresented groups.

Strategic Awareness & Engagement

Seamless Enrollment & Excitement Activation

Immersive & Inclusive Learning Experience

Memorable Closure & Sustained Advocacy

CX / User Journey: Engaging the Next Generation in Architecture

Strategic Awareness & Engagement – Establish program visibility and drive interest among K-9 students and their families through targeted outreach in community centers, schools, and digital platforms. Utilize data-driven marketing strategies to ensure broad and equitable access, emphasizing architecture’s role in shaping diverse communities.

Seamless Enrollment & Excitement Activation – Optimize the enrollment process with frictionless digital and offline pathways, ensuring accessibility for all parents. Leverage compelling storytelling and omnichannel marketing to build anticipation and increase student enthusiasm, reinforcing the program’s value proposition.

Immersive & Inclusive Learning Experience – Deliver an engaging, hands-on curriculum that integrates architectural principles with play-based learning, while equipping architects with actionable insights on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Ensure experiences are adaptive, culturally relevant, and designed to maximize cognitive retention and long-term engagement.

Memorable Closure & Sustained Advocacy – Design a high-impact program finale that fosters emotional connection and long-term advocacy. Provide students with a tangible project takeaway to serve as an ongoing reinforcement of their experience, strengthening recall and inspiring future career consideration. Implement feedback loops to measure engagement, refine future iterations, and drive continued program evolution.

High-fidelity Mockup for MS Power App

Interactive Prototype

Clickable prototype of MS Power App.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse