The challenge
One man to process them all
Ashoka’s operations are based on an organization’s database of social entrepreneurs, consisting of contact information, backgrounds, details of business, expertise and multiple other pieces of information. The records contain descriptions and written information, not easy to scrape and analyze in the way Excel or relational databases do.
Ashoka’s internal AI team tackled this challenge by implementing a semantic database and a search application that is powered by AI.
The home-brew app was efficient, yet complicated. Only its creator was skilled enough to use it, as the system lacked even a graphical interface. This created a bottleneck, where everybody who needed some data from the database had to contact one person and wait for their request to be processed in the queue.
To tackle these challenges and unleash the full potential of Generative AI, product design was necessary. Ashoka approached Solvd for help via Tech to the Rescue.
The approach
Gathering the knowledge
To fully understand the way Ashoka operates, it was necessary to conduct a series of interviews. Solvd started with user research, to map the goals and needs of employees, so the front-end for them may be delivered.
Then they conducted interview with the specialist who performed all the work regarding preparing the prompts and delivering the desired results to build a comprehensive knowledge base on the business requirements, technical background of the solution and overall goals to be achieved.
Later, they talked with the partnership team – the most frequent users of the database. The partnership team searches for synergies within Ashoka’s global network. Their goal was to find people and social ventures that can tackle particular problems.
Solvd team talked also with the selection team. Before a social entrepreneur is selected for the Ashoka Fellowship, they have to go through a rigorous selection process. One step in that process is to make sure that the candidate has indeed developed a social innovation. The application is able to perform these benchmark analyses.
Last was the PR team. Ashoka facilitates contacts between social entrepreneurs and the media. They also write about social entrepreneurs and trends in social innovation. Interacting with Ashoka’s database can help with these tasks.
Having all this knowledge, it was possible to deliver the UX Ashoka deserved, following the latest trends and heuristics in the industry.
The outcome
Best class UX for generative AI
Ashoka and Solvd delivered Artificial Intelligence product design is clear, plain and simple, allowing non-technical users to make the best of the system they use. The new design reduced the bottlenecks and supported all of the necessary use cases in the users everyday working with the Ashoka database.
Additionally, there is no need to be familiar with the system in any way before using it – brief training or instructions are sufficient to make the best of it, without the need to ask a supervisor for help. The deep understanding of the context, combined with technical proficiency, resulted in delivering a tool that has addressed the main challenges in the medical imaging and histopathology fields.
About client
Ashoka
Ashoka is an international NGO that empowers social entrepreneurs by contacting potential partners and journalists to increase their visibility and contribute to their growth. The project was delivered as part of Tech to the Rescue initiative. The movement invites tech companies to support non-profit organizations and charities in using technology to fulfill their goals, scale up, and make the world a better place on a larger scale.
Industry
Media, telecommunications & technology
Headquarters
Arlington, Virginia
