We love our pro-bono clients!

The Twin Cities is booming with tech, creatives, and the need for a user-centered approach to design and business. It is our belief at Prime that there is plenty of human-centered work to be done without making it up, which is why we go straight to the source: clients with real users and business problems to solve! As well, our employer network loves knowing that that projects completed at Prime were as real as they get—no "happy paths" or textbook-only experience here. Double-win!

Many of our client partners are…

  • Entrepreneurs who are challenged to get to the next step in their design process (e.g., an MVP prototype for an RFP or investor pitch, wireframes to share with a development team)
  • Non-profits who have many rainy-day projects but not enough rainy days (or resources!) to work on them
  • Local companies with small UX teams looking to demonstrate the additional value that UX brings to their approach

Find a good fit for you!

1-WeEK pRoject sprints

The following projects are minimal asks on behalf of the client, and often can be arranged in advance. Students work as small teams, but produce individual work on each of these projects.

Next offering: March 29-April 2, 2021

Student teams work on behalf of the partnering organization to construct and moderate a think-aloud usability test on their application or product with between 10-20 research participants. 

Client requirement(s)

  • Share site/user goals, list of key tasks, and any areas of interest for testing
  • Provide access to development/sandbox environment, if applicable
  • Confirm project overview writeup
  • Allow student work (e.g., process work, research insights, prototypes/designs) to be included in their online portfolios (written consent required upon scheduling)

Student deliverables(s)

  • Multi-page report detailing the research effort, learnings, and recommended actions

I'm interested!

Next offering: April 5-9, 2021

The focus is on evaluating an existing tool with current users in their context-of-use (e.g., in their workplace, on-the-go) in order to identify opportunities for usability improvements as well as enhanced meaning for those users.

Client requirement(s)

  • Provide tool access (preferred) or a recorded video demo of key tasks being performed in the tool
  • Schedule/Arrange sessions with 3 users
  • Share the tool's design style guidelines and assets for temporary student use
  • Allow student work (e.g., process work, research insights, prototypes/designs) to be included in their online portfolios (written consent required upon scheduling)

Student deliverable(s)
An interactive prototype which demonstrates, explains, and rationalizes the improvements and adjustments made to the existing design

I'm interested!

Next offering: April 19-23, 2021

The focus is on rapid, iterative prototyping of new features for an existing application based on developer feedback, budgeted time constraints (ie. 400 development hours), and a user-value survey.

Client requirements:

  • Attend a kick-off meeting to share insights on how the application currently works (1-2 hrs)
  • Provide a software developer who can engage in a live scoping activity (2 hrs)
  • Provide access to 3-5 *pre-consenting* users who are willing to commit to completing an online survey with a 12 hour turnaround period
  • Allow student work (e.g., process work, research insights, prototypes/designs) to be included in their online portfolios (Written consent required upon scheduling)

Student deliverable(s):

Set of high-fidelity annotated wireframes and associated tech/implementation costs of each

I'm interested!

Next offering: April 26-30, 2021
 
Students leverage existing data and secondary research to propose a user-focused design strategy and a related system of touchpoints that engages the organization's users in a meaningful way that also meets their organizational goals. 
 
Client requirement(s): 
  • Share existing assets and research data (e.g. Google analytics, survey data, etc)
  • Attend overview/kick-off presentation (1-2hrs)
  • Attend retro meeting (Optional)
  • Allow student work (e.g., process work, research insights, prototypes/designs) to be included in their online portfolios (Written consent required upon scheduling)
 
Student deliverable(s):
  • Video presentation (8-10 min) of their strategy and how 'looks'
  • PDFs of prototypes
  • Implementation plan of how they would employ the strategy and measure the success of the tactics/methods over time

 

2-WEEK PROJECT partnership

The following engagement is offered once every three months, and offers the opportunity to see a few different ways of approaching your problem or opportunity space. Students can opt onto this project, and may work individually, or as small teams, while producing individual and group work. Clients are asked to be available during the duration of the project, for an interim project check-in and timely communication with the students/team.

Next offering: February 8-22, 2021
 
A client presents a clearly defined, dense area of opportunity in which students could define a design solution of varying focus areas, related to their personal strengths (e.g., multi-touchpoint design strategy, digital prototyping, mobile app UI design). 
 
Ideally, the client works with multi-channel touchpoints (e.g. print, web, apps, wearables, IoT, e-commerce, social media, etc) and/or has existing data to support student understanding of the organization’s existing offerings, users, etc.
 
This is a good fit for clients who may be able to identify an area of focus and can imagine a number of different ways to approach it or solutions that may address it.
 
Key client requirements:
  • Introduce organization (Mission & vision, Key stakeholders, other partners, Previous/current initiatives) and discuss the importance of project focus area through kick-off presentation
  • Identify and schedule research sessions with 3-5 users within each project focus area
  • Participate in a remote (or in-person) check-in with the student(s) to answer key questions
  • Attend final presentations 
  • Allow student work (e.g., process work, research insights, prototypes/designs) to be included in their online portfolios (Written consent required upon scheduling)
 
Optional (Nice to have):
  • Organizational or project-derived data (as related to the focus area)
  • Collateral from previous projects and/or initiatives
 
Student deliverables:
  • Vary depending on the project focus and student interest area 
  • Often include: interactive, clickable prototypes that demonstrate design intent, documented research findings that support prototype and design intent

I'm interested!

3-Week TEAM ENGAGEMENT

Each cohort experience culminates in this project engagement, which is a good fit for clients who have a well-defined, robust area of research and prototyping for students to tackle.

Next offering: February 15-March 9, 2021

A client presents a clearly defined problem area and proposed solution. A team of 3-5 students will work towards designing the solution, supported by secondary and primary user research. 
 
Client requirements:
  • Introduce and discuss the importance of project focus area through kick-off meeting with the team
  • Provide existing supporting documentation (if applicable) to guide research and design efforts 
  • Identify 4-5 pre-consenting research participants within each primary user group
  • Participate in an interim project check-in with the team to answer key questions
  • Attend final presentations
  • Allow student work (e.g., process work, research insights, prototypes/designs) to be included in their online portfolios (Written consent required upon scheduling)
 
Student deliverables are likely to include:
  • Key research insights documentation
  • Information architecture diagrams
  • Interactive prototypes that demonstrate design intent

I'm interested!

 

Not sure which to pick? No problem!
Schedule a 30-minute call with our program director to find a good fit for you!
(952) 222-8108
hello@primeacademy.io
301 4TH AVE S., SUITE 577
MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55415

Prime Digital Academy is licensed as a private career school with the Minnesota Office of Higher Education pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, sections 136A.821 to 136A.832. Licensure is not an endorsement of the institution. Credits earned may not transfer to all other institutions. Office of Higher Education, 1450 Energy Park Dr. Ste. #350, St. Paul, MN 55108.

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