NSF Hub
Helping undergraduates find research opportunities
Team: Ross Bonifacio, Cady Hamby, Tao Lu, Hiya Sachdev
Role: Information Architecture • Design Systems • Mobile UX Flow • Large-Scale Research Synthesis • Search & Discovery Design
Year: 2023
tl;dr
NSF HUB reimagines how undergraduates find federally funded research by centralizing scattered opportunities and improving communication between students, mentors, and NSF-funded labs. As a sole designer I led UX research synthesis, system strategy, feature design, and design systems.
Highlights
Optimized online opportunity search with search suggestions, filters, and descriptions
In-person support from university NSF chapter through event curation and guidance
Problem overview
A system where opportunities exist, but access does not
Undergraduate research is one of the strongest predictors of future graduate school acceptance, STEM career pathways, and long-term academic success.
Yet most students (especially those applying for the first time) struggle to find research opportunities that match their interests. There is no centralized, reliable, or intuitive platform for discovering NSF-funded undergraduate research (REUs). Instead, students must navigate a fragmented web of university pages, NSF portals, email chains, Discord servers, and word-of-mouth.
As a result, many qualified students never even see the opportunities available to them.
Research insights
Across observations, contextual inquiries, 29 surveys, and interviews with undergraduates, graduate mentors, and faculty, we identified two systemic barriers:
Online search is overwhelming, scattered, and incomplete
The burden is on students to self-navigate an ecosystem that was never designed for them.
01. Students must juggle university websites, Reddit threads, Discord groups, email lists, and NSF portals — none of which offer a complete or up-to-date database.
02. First-time applicants often don’t know what to search for (keywords, disciplines, funding types), causing many opportunities to slip through the cracks.
Networking is the most reliable pathway — but not equally accessible
Research access becomes dependent on institutional privilege rather than student capability or interest.
01. Students at small or non-research institutions lack access to faculty networks and research culture.
02. Professors want to reach more students, but their postings are often buried online and mostly discovered through in-person university clubs.
Design Implications
These insights pointed toward three clear design requirements
01. Improve findability: centralize research opportunities and make them searchable.
02.Improve communication: connect students, mentors, and NSF chapters more efficiently.
03.Support first-time applicants: offer guidance, clarity, and personalized recommendations.
Brainstorming & Exploration
Before committing to a direction, we explored a wide range of concepts across two pathways:
01. ETAP — the NSF application portal
These features aimed to support students during the application process itself:
01. Peer Review
Enable URA mentors or advisors to register and review student application drafts, giving early feedback and demystifying the process.
02. Student Referrals
Allow past REU students to recommend labs to peers and provide lightweight recommendation notes to support applications.
03. Diverse Application Formats
Introduce optional multimedia submissions (e.g., short videos, portfolio links) for applicants with nontraditional academic backgrounds.
02. Centralized search concepts
We also explored tools that would help students discover opportunities before applying:
01. LabSeeker
A centralized search platform for all NSF-funded opportunities. Students could explore labs, filter by interest, stipend, or location, and save opportunities for later.
Through stakeholder feedback, we realized:
01. ETAP should remain an application portal: adding complexity would introduce unnecessary friction.
02. Students need support before the application stage: discovery, motivation, community, and exposure.
This led to the creation of NSF HUB: A mobile system that connects students, mentors, and NSF chapters.
Mobile App for Students
01. Explore curated opportunities aligned with interests
02. Learn about labs, professors, research focus areas, and eligibility
03. Save or follow opportunities
04. Check into NSF events and discover sessions hosted by professors
University Chapter Dashboard
01. Use student interest data to host curated events
02. Invite professors for virtual or in-person research sessions
03. Manage chapter members and outreach initiatives
Wireframing
Design Iterations
We moved from broad concepts into detailed design through four iteration phases:
01. Information Architecture
Mapping relationships between students, mentors, NSF chapters, and opportunities.
02. Wireframing Core Flows
Exploring search, filtering, events, lab profiles, check-ins, and chapter involvement.
03. Refining the Details
Improving clarity, hierarchy, and guidance for first-time applicants.
04. Creating the Visual System
Developing a cohesive design language that aligns with NSF’s identity while increasing approachability.
Final Designs
01. Find research labs that fit your preferences with opportunity search
Set up preferences
⭢ Students can enter their search preferences in one place, allowing them to continuously reuse them every time they search
Search for opportunities
⭢ Smart search suggestions based on student interests and available opportunities help choose the right key words
Explore opportunity details
⭢ Up-to-date lab information which is being kept up to date by lab affiliates
02. Learn about opportunities in-person at your institution with NSF Chapter
Share your research interests with your university NSF chapter
⭢ NSF club members can request student research preferences through polls to curate in-person opportunity overview sessions
Attend events hosted by the chapter and take notes on opportunities that interest you⭢ Take notes on opportunities that interest you and network with affiliated lab members
03. Learn about opportunities directly from lab affiliates with chat
Reflection
Designing NSF HUB helped me navigate the complexity of guiding students through an overwhelming research landscape. Working closely with students highlighted how essential clarity, structure, and intuitive navigation are in information-heavy systems.
This project strengthened my ability to translate scattered, confusing workflows into a coherent experience that makes it easier for students to discover research opportunities and feel confident taking the next step toward their academic goals.
