a science and engineering platform built to pull girls into stem — and the project management that had to hold five stakeholder groups together to ship it.
tvo programmes for every age — documentaries, current affairs, children's programming, and classroom resources. its flagship, the agenda with steve paikin, runs from politics to science to culture.
this project sits in the children's half of that: a new digital product meant to encourage girls to pursue careers in engineering and the sciences. the design matters, but managing the thing efficiently is what actually decides whether it gets built.
tv ontario wants a digital product that gets girls into engineering and science. nothing about that brief tells you what to build — managing the project efficiently is what turns it into something real.
research the factors that motivate and inspire girls, then design a platform around them: science and engineering topics, videos, podcasts, events, and success stories from women already in stem.
how do you deliver a platform that educates the target audience in a genuinely engaging, simple way — and demonstrates its value to the stakeholders paying for it?
five groups, five different definitions of success. our role was to design, develop, and collaborate closely enough with all of them that the site ends up serving every one — not just the loudest.
the kickoff meeting sets the whole thing: scope, background and assumptions, content, approach and strategy, objectives, and the constraints you'd rather find now than in month three.
scope and kickoff. agree what this is, who it's for, and what would count as done.
turn the scope into a schedule, a content plan, and a review loop each stakeholder group actually fits into.
build, test with children, review with educators, and keep the plan honest as reality argues with it.
topics, videos, podcasts, events, and women in stem telling their own stories.
the last one carries the most weight. you can teach engineering from a curriculum, but the thing that makes a ten year old believe it's for her is watching someone who looks like her already doing it.