HCIM students gain real-world UX design experience working with the American Occupational Therapy Foundation on a website redesign
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The American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing occupational therapy research and practice, is undergoing a major website redesign—with the help of University of Maryland College of Information (INFO). Through the iConsultancy program, a team of Master of Science in Human-Computer Interaction (HCIM) students worked closely with AOTF to improve user experience, accessibility, and information dissemination for the foundation’s future website.
The collaboration between AOTF and INFO began through a connection with Lawrence Liff, AOTF’s chief development officer and a UMD alumnus.
“UMD is an excellent school with outstanding students, and in particular, the students at the iSchool are on the forefront of today’s information technology and solutions [information issues],” says Liff. “Given our understanding of the iSchool’s functional strengths, and our needs, [and what students could deliver], it was a good fit for us.”
Kristin Bukovsky, AOTF’s director of communications and marketing, emphasizes how the partnership has helped the small but growing nonprofit modernize its digital presence.
“Because we’re so small—I was a marketing team of one until last year—having the students’ expertise has been invaluable,” Bukovsky says.
The student team, all of whom graduated in May—Anmol Mishra, Raahina Malik, Sunakshi Jain, Ting-Wei Hsu, and Yingzhen Cao—took a structured, agile approach to the project, breaking it into key sprints:
Research & Analysis – Conducted user studies, competitive analysis, and stakeholder interviews
Design Ideation – Developed high-level concepts and recommendations
Prototyping & Testing – Created interactive mockups and refined based on feedback
One of the key challenges was reorganizing AOTF’s grant and funding information. The students identified opportunities to streamline navigation, making it easier for researchers, clinicians and students to find relevant opportunities.
“They pointed out that some of our funding programs were categorized in a way that didn’t align with how applicants search for them,” Bukovsky notes. “That kind of insight was really helpful—things we might not have noticed on our own.”
A major focus of the redesign has been ensuring the website is accessible to all users, a priority that aligns with AOTF’s mission of promoting inclusive participation in daily activities.
“Accessibility is huge,” Bukovsky says. “Making sure people of all abilities can use our site ties directly into occupational therapy’s core values.”
The students also worked to simplify complex user flows, improve visual design, and integrate multimedia content to enhance engagement.
Now that the project is completed, AOTF is already considering future collaborations with INFO’s iConsultancy program.
“I’d love to work on data management next,” Bukovsky says. “We have multiple systems that don’t communicate, and organizing that data would help us be more efficient and ultimately better demonstrate our impact.”
Student Perspectives: A Real-World Learning Experience
Cao highlighted key insights from the team’s research: “Users consistently struggled to find essential information such as grant applications, event details, or scholarship opportunities. The current navigation structure doesn’t align with how users expect to find content.”
Jain reflected on the collaboration: “For me, the most rewarding part of the project was collaborating with a team of individuals from diverse backgrounds. Everyone brought a unique perspective and area of expertise, which helped us uncover the deeper complexities of the site’s navigation and develop solutions that made finding information easier for all stakeholders. Contributing to AOTF’s mission of creating a more intuitive and inclusive digital experience was incredibly fulfilling.”
The partnership between AOTF and INFO highlights the power of academia-nonprofit collaboration—providing students with hands-on experience while helping organizations like AOTF achieve their goals.
“Working with the students has been flexible, cost-effective, and incredibly insightful,” Bukovsky says. “They’ve brought fresh perspectives and a level of expertise that’s been transformative for us.”