Rebuilding LabVenture

Over two years in the making, the new LabVenture program combines our years of experience delivering prior LabVenture programs to over 100,000 students from around the state with the goals and opportunities realized through the Real World, Real Science project. The interactive experience tells a compelling story that embraces the complexity of ecosystem change and balances a host of design requirements: user engagement, connections to standards, use of NASA data resources, localization, grade-level appropriateness, multiple representations of data, using the tools of science, and narrative cohesion.

Upswell, GMRI’s experience design partner for this effort, led the rigorous experience development process. It began in 2016 with product discovery and experience design phases, the incorporation of feedback from students, teachers, GMRI staff, the Real World, Real Science project team, and experts in the science, technology, and education fields. The production process started in early 2018, moving from design to specific wireframes to final specs for software development. Once the experience was complete, the next stage included user testing with students, feedback from the RWRS project team, and an external science review panel.

Since its launch in 2018, we have continuously made improvements to the content, technology, and accessibility affordances to better achieve our learning objectives and improve the overall user experience. Our work was informed by project evaluation activities and other feedback by program stakeholders. Most recently, in response to distance learning requirements posed by COVID-19, we have made some of the interactive activities available to students online as part of the LabVenture Express program.