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12:21:44 PM

Good Afternoon, I’m Vaishnavi Mehta. I’m glad to share this window into my practice and thoughts!

Design Commons Collective

Positioning Boston College's Design and Innovation Initiatives

overview

Boston College’s Design Commons Collective addresses a critical gap in higher education landscape: the accessibility, practice, and understanding of design-driven approaches across disciplines. By aligning these approaches with Boston College’s Jesuit mission and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, the initiative positions design as a unifying force to empower students and faculty in tackling complex societal challenges.

The project employs participatory design methods, stakeholder insights, and systemic thinking to overcome challenges related to access, visibility, and narrative cohesion.

Duration 

Ongoing (August 2023 - Present)

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Team

Sunand Bhattacharya  Associate Vice Provost 

Ed O'Brien Project Manager and Lead

Vaishnavi Mehta Design Lead

Gage Condon Developer

Lucas Ewing Makerspace Manager/Content

Brian Reeves  Makerspace Manager/Content

Patrick O'toole  Brand Strategist

Erik Winkler, Camden Mullen, Shea Schindelar (Makerspace Student/Content Team)

Note: The Design Commons Collective is part of  Office of the Vice Provost for Research at Boston College

Focus Areas

Participatory Design Research

Communication Design

Strategy Development

Experience Design

My role 

Stakeholder Engagement and Qualitative Research:
Conducted 20+ interviews with students, faculty, and administrators to identify barriers to design interdisciplinary engagement, forming the basis for strategic design initiatives. Collaborated with stakeholders to ensure all initiatives aligned with Boston College’s mission creating programs that addressed institutional goals and community needs.

Hatchery Website Redesign:
Improved the Hatchery Makerspace website through usability testing with 40+ students, adding features like an interactive map and streamlined access to resources. This redesign increased traffic by 16% and made the space more inclusive.

Teaching and Facilitation:
Conducted a range of courses and lectures, including UNAS3307 Design for Impact (2024) intercollegiate class and the Pine Manor Summer Class for high school students. Organized workshops and hackathons, such as collaborations with MGH (for nurses) and Boston College Student Affairs, as part of a broader effort to engage diverse audiences and assess their need for design-driven approaches.

Brand strategy : 

Contributed to shaping the DCC’s visual identity—through a participatory process with key stakeholders.

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design & innovation 
landscape at Boston College

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In January 2022, Boston College expanded its ecosystem with the opening of a new facility housing the Human-Centered Engineering program and the Hatchery Makerspaces. This marked a pivotal shift for the university, integrating applied sciences and engineering into its liberal arts foundation. By introducing spaces dedicated to making and innovation, Boston College created opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and design-driven approaches across its diverse academic disciplines.

This evolving academic landscape at Boston College revealed the need for:

  • Accessible Pathways: Expanding participation beyond engineering and science to include non-technical disciplines while ensuring relevance to all fields.

  • Broader Engagement: Creating stronger connections between resources like the makerspaces and Boston College’s liberal arts ethos.

  • Institutional Alignment: Ensuring these initiatives reflect the university’s mission of reflection, service, and community impact, positioning them as integral to its identity.

The Design Commons Collective emerged as a set of initiatives designed to address these opportunities, developing a strategic framework and programs that integrate design-driven approaches with interdisciplinary problem-solving. By doing so, it seeks to enrich Boston College’s academic and research ecosystems, fostering impact.

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01 Makerspace Website Redesign

initial steps

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The Hatchery makerspace at Boston College is a cornerstone for fostering design and innovation. Despite its potential, low visibility and perceptions of exclusivity limited broader participation, particularly among non-engineering disciplines. Redesigning the Hatchery’s website was an intentional step to address these challenges, making the space more inclusive and establishing it as a programmatic home for interdisciplinary collaboration.

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01 Makerspace Website Redesign

key actions

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  • Conducted usability testing with 48 students to enhance accessibility, navigation, and engagement.

  • Simplified the website structure to improve usability .

  • Developed an interactive facilities map to help users intuitively explore the makerspace layout and available equipment.

  • Incorporated student voices in every phase, with all content written by student workers to ensure authenticity and alignment with the Boston College community’s needs.

  • Incorporated a dynamic hero video to highlight the makerspace’s vibrant community and resources.

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01 Makerspace Website Redesign

outcomes

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The redesign resulted in a 16% increase in average monthly website traffic since launched in August 2024, reflecting improved visibility. While orientation participation remained below expectations, this initiative marked a step toward making the Hatchery more inclusive. The close collaboration with students set the foundation for future participatory efforts, aligning the makerspace more closely with the Boston College community and its evolving needs.

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02 Expanding Systemic Reach

intent

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The Hatchery website redesign marked a first step in addressing visibility and accessibility challenges, but it also revealed the limitations of standalone solutions. To drive systemic change and position design-driven approaches, the Vice Provost for Research office introduced a foundational strategy the Four Pillars Framework: Learn, Make, Research, and Experience. 

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02 Expanding Systemic Reach

qualitative research

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To better understand how design-driven approaches could address systemic challenges at Boston College, a comprehensive research phase was conducted. This involved one-hour, in-person semi-structured interviews with 20 participants. The goal was to uncover patterns, perceptions, and opportunities for embedding design methodologies into Boston College’s academic and cultural fabric.

Partcipants included senior administrators such as the Vice Provost and Deans, students from diverse majors, alumni at different stages of their careers, and subject matter experts like a college counselor and high school faculty. Together, they provided a broad spectrum of perspectives on design’s role in academics, research, and institutional culture.

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02 Expanding Systemic Reach

key discoveries

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Communities Within Communities

Boston College’s micro-communities—student clubs, academic cohorts, and social groups—play a critical role in shaping student and faculty experiences. These smaller, self-selected groups create a sense of belonging and connection within a larger institution, but they also limit broader engagement, creating silos that may hinder collaboration across disciplines.

“I'll always take a call from a BC grad.”

- Kate, BC Alum‘12 

Communication is Informal, and Uneven

Word-of-mouth is the dominant method of communication within Boston College, often trumping formal channels. Information flows through hallway conversations, casual meetings, and peer networks. While this informal system fosters trust and immediacy, it creates uneven access to opportunities, particularly for those outside these social circles.

“BC is very relationship oriented. I don't spend any time in my office–I wander around campus to bump into people. It's because it's an extremely effective way of staying in touch.”

- Scott, BC IT Systems; Faculty 

Diverse Archetypes, Shared Constraints

The diversity of Boston College’s community defies a single “typical” profile. Students and faculty come from varied backgrounds and have different motivations for engaging with design initiatives—some are exploratory, others goal-oriented, and many are juggling competing priorities. This diversity emphasizes the need for flexible, adaptable strategies to meet people where they are in their academic or professional journeys.

“I truly don't think I went to any on campus events, listening to speakers until like, senior year, and then I remember thinking whoops that would have been a great opportunity the past few years.”

- Emily, Current BC Student

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ongoing development

Last updated on 8th December 2024

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The Four Pillars Framework continues to guide our efforts to embed design into Boston College’s academic and cultural fabric. Insights from the qualitative research have brought fresh perspectives, leading us to further shape the framework’s positioning to align with institutional goals.

Moving forward:

  • We are developing a cohesive visual identity to communicate the framework’s intent.

  • New credit-bearing design courses are set to launch in Fall 2025, expanding interdisciplinary opportunities.

  • Milestones for the next 6 and 12 months will focus on driving progress and building momentum.

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