Persistence Dash

Persistence Dash is a data visualization tool created to help first-generation, minority and low-income high school students identify colleges where they can excel. Many of these students are the first in their family to attend college, and navigating the academic system can be daunting. 

Persistence Dash leverages National Center for Educational Statistics data to identify high-persistence colleges based on unique student profiles. Demographic metrics including race/ethnicity, gender, income level, and state of residency are used to hone in on the best schools for that student.  Once schools with high persistence rates are identified, tuition costs are compared with financial aid data to help students identify not only those schools where they can succeed, but also those that they can afford.

My team and I developed, Persistence Dash, an interactive data visualization tool for Summer Search Seattle, which is a local chapter of a national non-profit organization that helps to prepare and mentor low-income, minority, first-generation, and underprivileged high school students in the college application process. We utilized a user-centered design approach throughout the project by researching the non-profit to understand their mission, conducting three semi-structured interviews with members of the Summer Search Seattle team, gathering informal feedback through updates and general conversation, and administering three usability tests with Summer Search Seattle.