Simplifying STEM Fair Hosting For Organizers, Students, And Judges
Simplifying STEM Fair Hosting For Organizers, Students, And Judges
Project Specs
Role: Product Designer
Year: 2024
Platform: Web
Overview
ProjectBoard is a platform designed to host and manage STEM events, empowering students to showcase their projects and solve problems. The platform collaborates with leading STEM organizations and schools to facilitate student competitions, providing a structured environment for students to present their work and gain recognition. At ProjectBoard, I led the redesign of three core platforms to enhance user experience:
Admin Platform – Simplified event management for organizers.
Student Portal – Improved project submissions, community engagement, and competition participation.
Judging Portal – Enhanced evaluation and ranking for judges.
ProjectBoard is a platform designed to host and manage STEM events, empowering students to showcase their projects and solve problems. The platform collaborates with leading STEM organizations and schools to facilitate student competitions, providing a structured environment for students to present their work and gain recognition. At ProjectBoard, I led the redesign of three core platforms to enhance user experience:
Admin Platform – Simplified event management for organizers.
Student Portal – Improved project submissions, community engagement, and competition participation.
Judging Portal – Enhanced evaluation and ranking for judges.
(01)
The Challenge
(01)
The Challenge
Bridging Gaps in Online STEM Events – Making Hosting Effortless
Bridging Gaps in Online STEM Events – Making Hosting Effortless
Designing ProjectBoard’s system was all about making a complex process feel effortless. One of the biggest challenges was helping event organizers set up and publish STEM fair without hassle. To solve this, I designed a step-by-step, checklist-style flow that made event creation intuitive, with a preview option before publishing. Another key challenge was building the judging portal—judges needed a seamless way to log in, review projects, and assign scores without confusion.
To truly understand how students and educators used the platform, I attended the Canada-Wide Science Fair in Edmonton, Alberta, where I observed participants navigating the system in real-time. Speaking with students and teachers (who acted as event admins) gave me invaluable insights into their frustrations and needs. I took inspiration from similar platforms, and built on the existing system, which made it easier to understand and improve.
Designing ProjectBoard’s system was all about making a complex process feel effortless. One of the biggest challenges was helping event organizers set up and publish STEM fair without hassle. To solve this, I designed a step-by-step, checklist-style flow that made event creation intuitive, with a preview option before publishing. Another key challenge was building the judging portal—judges needed a seamless way to log in, review projects, and assign scores without confusion.
To truly understand how students and educators used the platform, I attended the Canada-Wide Science Fair in Edmonton, Alberta, where I observed participants navigating the system in real-time. Speaking with students and teachers (who acted as event admins) gave me invaluable insights into their frustrations and needs. I took inspiration from similar platforms, and built on the existing system, which made it easier to understand and improve.



(02)
Admin Portal
(02)
Admin Portal
Now let's talk about how admins can build and publish a event!
Now let's talk about how admins can build and publish a event!
We designed an admin portal specifically for event organizers, mostly teachers, allowing schools to host their own STEM events. Some of the well-known organizations using our platform include CWSF and ISEF.
To make event creation effortless, we built a step-by-step process where admins can set up an event, customize it with their brand colors, and preview it before publishing. Every admin gets one free event by default. Once published, they can invite students to participate. To simplify the setup, we also provide event templates as a starting point.
Admins can define project expectations—such as required sections—so students can focus on their work instead of worrying about formatting and presentation. During in-person fairs, like the Canada-Wide Science Fair I attended, students can simply print their projects directly from the portal, ensuring they meet the event guidelines. It’s all about making the process as smooth and stress-free as possible for both organizers and participants.
We designed an admin portal specifically for event organizers, mostly teachers, allowing schools to host their own STEM events. Some of the well-known organizations using our platform include CWSF and ISEF.
To make event creation effortless, we built a step-by-step process where admins can set up an event, customize it with their brand colors, and preview it before publishing. Every admin gets one free event by default. Once published, they can invite students to participate. To simplify the setup, we also provide event templates as a starting point.
Admins can define project expectations—such as required sections—so students can focus on their work instead of worrying about formatting and presentation. During in-person fairs, like the Canada-Wide Science Fair I attended, students can simply print their projects directly from the portal, ensuring they meet the event guidelines. It’s all about making the process as smooth and stress-free as possible for both organizers and participants.












(03)
Going Live
(03)
Going Live
Event Activation & Participant Onboarding
Event Activation & Participant Onboarding
Once all mandatory sections are completed, the "Go Live" option is activated for the admin. They receive a notification confirming the event's eligibility, along with details about the event timeline based on their subscription. Once live, a unique event URL is generated, allowing admins to share it with participants and invite them to join the event.
Once all mandatory sections are completed, the "Go Live" option is activated for the admin. They receive a notification confirming the event's eligibility, along with details about the event timeline based on their subscription. Once live, a unique event URL is generated, allowing admins to share it with participants and invite them to join the event.



(04)
Judging Portal
(04)
Judging Portal
The admins are responsible for setting the judging criteria, scoring and awards.
The admins are responsible for setting the judging criteria, scoring and awards.
The Judging Portal enables admins to efficiently manage the entire judging process. They can easily access the portal through the admin panel and set up essential components like timelines and registration forms, tailoring them with custom questions for judges. Admins review and approve or decline judge applications, then notify the judges accordingly.
The system automatically pairs judges with projects based on a questionnaire, but admins can also manually adjust pairings if needed. Award creation is streamlined, allowing admins to define award names, select styles, and modify teams or judges as necessary. Judging rubrics are created to ensure a seamless scoring system for evaluating projects. Once judging is complete, admins can quickly view the results before assigning awards. After the awards are assigned, both admins and judges are notified, finalizing the event.
The Judging Portal enables admins to efficiently manage the entire judging process. They can easily access the portal through the admin panel and set up essential components like timelines and registration forms, tailoring them with custom questions for judges. Admins review and approve or decline judge applications, then notify the judges accordingly.
The system automatically pairs judges with projects based on a questionnaire, but admins can also manually adjust pairings if needed. Award creation is streamlined, allowing admins to define award names, select styles, and modify teams or judges as necessary. Judging rubrics are created to ensure a seamless scoring system for evaluating projects. Once judging is complete, admins can quickly view the results before assigning awards. After the awards are assigned, both admins and judges are notified, finalizing the event.












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I'd love to hear from you and explore collaboration, answer your questions, or simply chat.
Let’s Connect
Monday, December 9
© 2024 — AMRUTHAKUDUVA
I'd love to hear from you and explore collaboration, answer your questions, or simply chat.
Let’s Connect
Monday, December 9
© 2024 — AMRUTHAKUDUVA
I'd love to hear from you and explore collaboration, answer your questions, or simply chat.
Let’s Connect
Monday, December 9
© 2024 — AMRUTHAKUDUVA
I'd love to hear from you and explore collaboration, answer your questions, or simply chat.
Let’s Connect
Monday, December 9
© 2024 — AMRUTHAKUDUVA
I'd love to hear from you and explore collaboration, answer your questions, or simply chat.
Let’s Connect
Monday, December 9
© 2024 — AMRUTHAKUDUVA
I'd love to hear from you and explore collaboration, answer your questions, or simply chat.
Let’s Connect
Monday, December 9
© 2024 — AMRUTHAKUDUVA