https://www.monicahersher.com/about daily 0.75 2026-01-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/b93784a4-25ec-4ca5-84fa-e3976895a4b0/Hersher_headshot.jpg https://www.monicahersher.com/contact daily 0.75 2021-05-12 https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio daily 1.0 2025-04-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/2824db53-cf6d-4f81-8a43-a2c1b089d3f8/africa_rifting_portfolio.jpg Portfolio Science, 8 Nov 2024; Cubes by Chris Bickel https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/16c26a37-22d8-4b74-9cd1-05d784bb5b56/0419NewsFeature_18203718+copy3.jpg Portfolio Science, 18 Apr 2024; Cartography and Geographic Information Society Award Winning Map - Honorable Mention https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/5b414710-80c5-495b-bb9a-44e3e662b053/decolonizing_for_portfolio.jpg Portfolio Science, 9 Aug 2024 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/6f552829-00bd-46ee-94d9-4ff3c6912e70/1206NewsFeature_191943962.jpg Portfolio Science; 6 Dec 2024; Investigative analysis and graphics https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/919255d3-47e5-40b5-92c2-343f2723a439/0308NewsFeature_Didier_179860792.jpg Portfolio Science, 8 Mar 2024; Portraits by Noelle Burgess https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/e72ee35b-40c9-4980-b182-0648a7f54a84/0228NewsFeature_197962124.jpg Portfolio Science, 28 Feb 2025 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/ad4a8bcb-7013-4164-a31f-8bcf2a156cca/0328NewsFeature_199467573.jpg Portfolio Science, 28 Mar 2025 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/25f75129-4cc7-4713-94e2-6450ffa962b0/0901Perspectives_176952457.jpg Portfolio Science, 31 Aug 2023 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/2e787407-48bb-48be-8302-a15c1e15838a/1025NewsInBrief_192062262.jpg Portfolio Science, 25 Oct 2024 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/8a061261-a332-4db4-99fc-d17d50dcdc9b/for_portfolio.jpg Portfolio Science, 10 Jan 2025 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/19303014-2094-46a5-930e-5869be97d925/1101NewsFeature_1922456611.jpg Portfolio Science, 1 Nov 2024 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/4264d247-3781-44f3-84e4-46ae0272d556/0913NewsFeature_APOE_189541804.jpg Portfolio Science, 13 Sep 2024; Protein structures by Ashley Mastin https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio/new-portfolio-item-1 monthly 0.5 2023-04-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/44723614-33a0-47b6-96ff-6edfef6a813d/Screen+Shot+2023-04-18+at+3.54.58+PM.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/702cb4dd-b6f8-43b0-b964-8b7d881d429e/Screen+Shot+2023-04-18+at+3.55.45+PM.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/7088569c-8c83-4116-93e3-99184fbea394/Screen+Shot+2023-04-18+at+3.55.06+PM.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/d1ae7efd-8bdb-4764-a63c-fa8fe13c2842/Screen+Shot+2023-04-18+at+3.55.38+PM.png https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio/new-york-times-venice-sea-walls monthly 0.5 2025-04-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/26d57332-ae62-40fc-afcd-d1a029074127/Screenshot_20230418-153657.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/2d717c21-a5ec-48f3-a9d6-baa15aeb828d/Screen+Shot+2023-04-18+at+3.12.11+PM.png https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio/science-food-supply-chains-fragility monthly 0.5 2025-04-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/da5cb0e1-11f4-425c-8495-76e6c8f09621/Screenshot+2025-04-15+at+6.47.26+PM.png https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio/science-geoengineering-controversy monthly 0.5 2025-04-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/443d30d6-e615-408e-a340-128dd8bc5922/0404NewsFeature_199811952.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1c4e2c7f-576e-4df6-ab40-26e1c9ddf02b/Screenshot+2025-04-15+at+7.21.52+PM.png https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio/science-antarctic-biodiversity monthly 0.5 2025-04-16 https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio/science-antarctic-bird-flu-spread monthly 0.5 2025-04-16 https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio/science-supply-chart monthly 0.5 2025-04-16 https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio/pipeline-endangered-whales monthly 0.5 2025-04-16 https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio/congo-locator monthly 0.5 2025-04-16 https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio/alaska-earthquake-locator monthly 0.5 2025-04-16 https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio/overreporting-wildfire-mitigation-investigative monthly 0.5 2023-04-18 https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio/dot-density-race monthly 0.5 2022-05-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1652111399271-H1TM2AXKJSNLO3M8RHOO/Screen+Shot+2022-05-09+at+11.49.11+AM.png Portfolio - Mapping race: One point, one person https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio/ukraine-refugee-crisis monthly 0.5 2023-03-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1649699600072-QJBZ083W4BENMYVMKC3F/Screen+Shot+2022-04-11+at+1.40.24+PM.png Portfolio - NBC News (multimedia): Ukraine refugee crisis - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1649699796096-T998RLKB3AUI7D1WB50S/Screen+Shot+2022-04-11+at+1.39.30+PM.png Portfolio - NBC News (multimedia): Ukraine refugee crisis - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio/amazon-oil-ca monthly 0.5 2022-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1644533807153-SG89RZ59K9V36U75CQYG/Screen+Shot+2022-02-10+at+5.48.52+PM.png Portfolio - NBC News (investigative): Half of the oil from the Amazon ends up in Calif. - Investigative graphic This is a graphic that I created for an investigative story about the distribution of Amazon oil across the world. It resizes for mobile and desktop and is designed to emphasize California’s role in consuming Amazonian oil. https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio/2021-catastrophic-weather monthly 0.5 2022-04-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1644535233649-W7TZV1A6LMUWQ5RBJ8G5/screenb_1.gif Portfolio - NBC News (feature): How high heat of 2021 drove catastrophic weather - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio/renters-facing-housing-aftershocks monthly 0.5 2022-04-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1635971481438-MVWPACQZ3HVZ5L35BUTN/Screen+Shot+2021-11-03+at+4.30.24+PM.png Portfolio - NBC News (feature): Renters face housing aftershocks following disasters https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio/ida-rainfall monthly 0.5 2022-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1631310435949-0QK7XH8A58ZYNNQ2EKZE/Screen+Shot+2021-09-10+at+5.39.26+PM.png Portfolio - NBC News (breaking news): Ida rainfall more than in typical month https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio/proportional-symbol-maps monthly 0.5 2021-09-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1632317900149-7320CP0XE8T5O70OPRCT/Screen+Shot+2021-09-22+at+9.38.06+AM.png Portfolio - NBC News: Uptake of COVID vaccine first dose I created this map using d3.js. The article version is responsive and the desktop version has tooltips that appear when the reader hovers over a county (as demonstrated above). https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio/nbc-news-racial-disparity-in-the-resolution-of-murders monthly 0.5 2021-08-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1629314897140-9XOERCIKHNKC9OUXO8AY/Screen+Recording+2021-08-18+at+12.08.42+PM.gif Portfolio - NBC News: Interactive chart of racial disparities in murder resolution I created this chart in d3.js. The article version is responsive. https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio/barriers-to-abortion monthly 0.5 2021-09-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1629329125358-EGOCEK4IHZ2WXYUERK67/Screen+Recording+2021-08-18+at+4.18.10+PM.gif Portfolio - NBC News: Interactive map of legal barriers to abortion I created this chart and map using d3.js. The article version is responsive. https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio/wildfire-smoke-spread monthly 0.5 2022-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1629237435676-1TIVTFIN9H7X1F3BOL95/smoke_movie_extra_short_2.gif Portfolio - NBC News (breaking news): Animation of wildfire smoke spreading across the US Short snippet of full smoke animation from article https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1632336530325-PB3K2DX7EGA97QPQJSS8/trimmed_vid_2.gif Portfolio - NBC News (breaking news): Animation of wildfire smoke spreading across the US https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio/new-portfolio-item monthly 0.5 2021-08-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1629324302363-NFUX4USTN540EBCODNLU/Screen+Shot+2021-08-17+at+12.15.50+PM.png Portfolio - NBC News: Overdue building inspections in Miami-Dade - Some buildings in unincorporated Miami-Dade County are overdue on their 40-year safety recertifications. I contributed to this story as an employee of the national NBC News Data and Graphics Desk in collaboration with the investigative team. I created the custom basemap and collaborated with my colleague on the legend and final design touches. https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio/wildfire-season monthly 0.5 2021-08-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1629223401118-BF6JUMAYNR2TLN6RV2W1/Screen+Shot+2021-08-17+at+11.02.49+AM.png Portfolio - NBC News: The escalation of wildfire conditions The version embedded in the article is responsive. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1629225618356-CRUZLA8DODURIC5CAQPG/barcharts.gif Portfolio - NBC News: The escalation of wildfire conditions The version embedded in the article is responsive. https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio/who-will-be-affected-by-flooding-in-nyc monthly 0.5 2021-08-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1622672514695-TC3RNRND74YCXDDE74Q3/storyboard%2Bfinal-02.jpg Portfolio - An environmental threat to affordable housing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/304c1b96-7079-4fd8-8674-294beb2da017/storyboard+final-03.png Portfolio - An environmental threat to affordable housing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/eb066fd3-94de-4cc9-bdb0-0f1b25cbc316/storyboard+final-04.png Portfolio - An environmental threat to affordable housing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/c878267c-9a1b-4fc8-b913-b76104c67ce6/storyboard+final-05.png Portfolio - An environmental threat to affordable housing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/e5fd6703-3a1a-4940-bd2b-ea747602b9b1/storyboard+final-06.png Portfolio - An environmental threat to affordable housing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/01b4f5da-e73b-4c22-a9d2-3d0d7fc1b61e/storyboard+final-07.png Portfolio - An environmental threat to affordable housing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/a69802db-ddc4-44f7-85f1-ff7a7ebef79a/storyboard+final-08.png Portfolio - An environmental threat to affordable housing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/5101df78-6332-4588-97f4-c1d9d1a6555c/storyboard+final-10.png Portfolio - An environmental threat to affordable housing https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio/flood-burden-disparity-infographic monthly 0.5 2021-08-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/02adfa79-58c6-4890-b479-db0a23791da4/Monica_Hersher_final_project-01.png Portfolio - Flood burden disparity infographic https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/aff573b2-7a07-4494-86de-61464e9608f1/Monica_Hersher_final_project-04.png Portfolio - Flood burden disparity infographic https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/01fa83fb-deef-44e3-acf6-010e1ddfe8db/Monica_Hersher_final_project-02.png Portfolio - Flood burden disparity infographic https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/cc928766-2642-43b9-8159-88b907e4e742/Monica_Hersher_final_project-03.png Portfolio - Flood burden disparity infographic https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/7b294295-b702-4e3d-8808-617bdc62afd1/Monica_Hersher_final_project-05.png Portfolio - Flood burden disparity infographic https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/49398d5e-b712-4fda-b6db-792d07ea111b/Monica_Hersher_final_project-06.png Portfolio - Flood burden disparity infographic https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio/mapping-stormwater-runoff monthly 0.5 2021-08-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/258cc7e8-ff59-49cb-abd2-e1b063f0375e/Stormwater+Runoff+Analysis1024_1.png Portfolio - Simulation and map of stormwater runoff https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/6c0129d4-2fa4-4f2d-a703-62f96bd57c4a/Stormwater+Runoff+Analysis1024_2.png Portfolio - Simulation and map of stormwater runoff https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/5977c2d3-24e1-4447-a0b6-c3271384a6fd/Stormwater+Runoff+Analysis1024_3.png Portfolio - Simulation and map of stormwater runoff https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/7155e8f5-3e11-4d41-8a8e-274ba540a72f/Stormwater+Runoff+Analysis1024_4.png Portfolio - Simulation and map of stormwater runoff https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/af150170-4f9b-4313-9b31-f58cc3771a61/Stormwater+Runoff+Analysis1024_5.png Portfolio - Simulation and map of stormwater runoff https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/f1e0a142-4c09-4cde-acaa-5a4ea86dbb41/Stormwater+Runoff+Analysis1024_6.png Portfolio - Simulation and map of stormwater runoff https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/5a4cd610-2586-486c-8620-045677082c7f/Stormwater+Runoff+Analysis1024_7.png Portfolio - Simulation and map of stormwater runoff https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/3cd4f1ff-4018-4323-99ce-4c9d5051e82d/Stormwater+Runoff+Analysis1024_8.png Portfolio - Simulation and map of stormwater runoff https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio/flooding-common-misconceptions monthly 0.5 2021-08-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1610056361266-SYZXHI3GHC1PHYXKFDXC/high_res_recording_edited.gif Portfolio - Unraveling misconceptions of flood risk https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio/database-design-for-311-call-triage monthly 0.5 2021-08-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1606236846262-13VQ51LPQ0YG8BBA1S9I/Final+Project+Design+Logical+%282%29.png Portfolio - Database design for 311 call triage Normalized Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) for NYC’s 311 department to systematically triage and process 311 complaints https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio/redesigning-geospatial-data-library monthly 0.5 2021-08-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1606238652500-PO0GNT0TLMWFMDCFLKAR/colored_by_topic.png Portfolio - Redesigning geospatial data library https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio/311-housing-complaints-text-analysis monthly 0.5 2021-08-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1605822795806-VKTJUHYHX33VZO4AOU1C/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-11-16%2Bat%2B1.28.36%2BPM.jpg Portfolio - 311 housing complaints text analysis - Getting started I used the NYC Open Data API to pull 6 million housing-related 311 requests filed between 2010-2020. Most of the information regarding how each claim was processed and whether each claim was resolved is stored in an underutilized, unstructured paragraph, so I first used a text analysis technique to break apart these paragraphs into tokens that enable quantitative analysis. A token is simply a phrase that captures an important piece of information in a paragraph. For example, if one resolution description says, “Resolved by contacting a tenant” and another says, “Solved by calling someone in the building” I could tag both of them with the tokens “Fixed” and “Contacted resident”. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1605820144818-NGJY29IHV0ZQPL0EYR83/Screen+Shot+2020-11-19+at+4.08.42+PM.png Portfolio - 311 housing complaints text analysis - Exploratory Dashboard I built a dashboard of interactive heat map tables and animated maps to identify inequities and temporal trends that require further investigation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1606141806739-ZWMYEFHUI76WJA4YRCYU/Screen+Shot+2020-11-23+at+9.29.40+AM.png Portfolio - 311 housing complaints text analysis - Initial Insights From the initial dashboard, I found three interesting trends, and chose to dive deeper into the one which I couldn’t explain: Despite using the same inspection-based protocol to process all complaints, the HPD department takes two days to respond to issues in some neighborhoods and over a month in others. I assumed at first that this was a supply and demand issue. Some neighborhoods register many more complaints than others, and the HPD department has a limited amount of staff to respond. This does not explain it though. The areas with the most complaints, were in fact not the areas suffering from untenable wait times. I decided to take a different approach to try to understand (see network analysis). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1605821271992-A5QD3U1CP8FSN3A166T6/Screen+Shot+2020-11-16+at+12.17.05+PM.png Portfolio - 311 housing complaints text analysis - Digging deeper with networks I wanted to better understand the life cycle of the complaints. Were certain types of issue more likely to face roadblocks? Could discrepancies in processing explain the differential in wait times? To better understand the variation in resolution methodology, I used the tokens from my text analysis to create a Sankey diagram that visualizes how complaints of each type typically are processed, and what types of resolution this typically enables. I found that irregardless of complaint type, the HPD frequently assigns inspections that fail (ex. nobody is home, the inspector doesn’t have enough time to complete inspection, etc.). It is important that the HPD department address this inefficiency if they want to decrease response times. https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio/racial-analysis-of-building-density-and-room-for-growth-in-nyc monthly 0.5 2021-08-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1606147772944-JU21V2LO5DTUKB6XPRSX/Screen+Shot+2020-11-23+at+10.35.46+AM.png Portfolio - Race and building density - Methodology In New York City, FAR limits are applied to each of the city’s ~850,000 tax lots. For this analysis, I pulled zoning and building data on all tax lots, and extracted the ones primarily used for residential purposes. Using the legal definition of FAR and data on building construction, I calculated the FAR of existing residential buildings, and combined this with zoning data to calculate the percent of permitted FAR available. For example, if current buildings in a tax lot have a residential FAR of 1 and the tax lot has a residential limit of 2, we’d know that 50% of the allotted FAR is available for future construction. I aggregated this data to the census tract level and merged it with public census tract shapefiles to map the FAR statistics. I overlaid this with data on race from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1606147972936-RE568WD9A11UTHNZSG14/Screen%252BShot%252B2020-11-23%252Bat%252B10.41.50%252BAM.jpg Portfolio - Race and building density FAR of existing buildings Light areas highlight neighborhoods where existing residential buildings are very dense. Dark areas highlight areas where they are more sparse. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1606148031226-W4FV1YIMPT8RQ3MY0XDP/image-asset.jpeg Portfolio - Race and building density Percent of maximum residential FAR used by existing buildings Light areas highlight neighborhoods where there is very little FAR remaining for future buildings. Dark areas highlight areas where the allotted FAR permits more growth. https://www.monicahersher.com/portfolio/optimization-algorithm-for-education-ngo monthly 0.5 2021-08-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1606239924282-VMKBFG6UX5N8PD55NJF6/Clusters.png Portfolio - Optimization algorithm for education NGO Snapshot of interactive maps and algorithm results https://www.monicahersher.com/graduate-portfolio daily 0.75 2021-05-06 https://www.monicahersher.com/graduate-portfolio/thought-piece-tufte monthly 0.5 2022-03-16 https://www.monicahersher.com/graduate-portfolio/website-redesign monthly 0.5 2021-05-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1620317893711-0D98963KU2CO44JQLCM0/Screen+Shot+2021-05-06+at+12.17.39+PM.png Graduate Portfolio - Redesigning the Urban Outreach Center's Website https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1620318976888-01TS358ZL4KBJKS9GJQX/Screen+Shot+2021-05-06+at+12.34.46+PM.png Graduate Portfolio - Redesigning the Urban Outreach Center's Website - The Challenge Improve the ability of the website to inspire and facilitate monetary donations As a community-based non-profit, the Urban Outreach Center relies on help from its donors and volunteers. At the beginning of this study we got to sit down with the organization and learn about this process. Together we identified monetary donations as the biggest area for community engagement improvement. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1620319229548-9ZA2BV6WBN12396HIODL/Screen+Shot+2021-05-06+at+12.40.17+PM.png Graduate Portfolio - Redesigning the Urban Outreach Center's Website - The Target Demographic Increase donations from existing 40+ donors while encouraging a younger demographic to get involved The bulk of current monetary contributions are received from donors over the age of 40. Together with the Urban Outreach Center, we decided to split the target demographic and test for usability issues that could be dissuading both prospective younger donors and existing older donors. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1620319731716-TJXHKWXY7XF1TDV75YXI/Screen+Shot+2021-05-06+at+11.51.33+AM.png Graduate Portfolio - Redesigning the Urban Outreach Center's Website https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1620320535832-LA0CF6WPTYLEVV50JJA9/Screen+Shot+2021-05-06+at+1.01.55+PM.png Graduate Portfolio - Redesigning the Urban Outreach Center's Website - Remote Moderated Tests Using a platform called UserZoomGO, moderators were able to see a user’s screen as they navigated through a series of tasks designed to test the website’s ability to persuade a prospective donor and facilitate the online payment. The tasks progressed from general to granular, first testing for the user’s understanding of the organization’s mission, then assessing the website’s ability to convey the positive impact a donation, and then testing the donation infrastructure itself. The user was asked to think aloud as they attempted each task, helping the moderator to identify moments of confusion and joy during the website navigation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1620321293814-TNGRDXOS9RLYVTL4820R/Screen+Shot+2021-05-06+at+1.14.28+PM.png Graduate Portfolio - Redesigning the Urban Outreach Center's Website - Post-test analysis After conducting sessions with all 10 participants, the research team aggregated the feedback from all tests and created a list of the unique usability issues. The usability challenges were ranked using the Nielsen Severity Scale, both in context to how they affected the overall website experience and in context to how they might impede the center’s monetary goals. The challenges with the highest severity scores were prioritized for resolution, giving preference to those that posed a challenge specifically to donations. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1620321934362-7FRSHW353D9U6PTAV6MY/Screen+Shot+2021-05-06+at+1.23.28+PM.png Graduate Portfolio - Redesigning the Urban Outreach Center's Website - Users overall found it easy to make payments… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1620322013876-G79NORNECR1PSMYOQ8WI/Screen+Shot+2021-05-06+at+1.23.33+PM.png Graduate Portfolio - Redesigning the Urban Outreach Center's Website - …ranked the website favorably compared to other donation platforms… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1620322272187-ZR1KYUOYN09YWWAUR6YZ/Screen+Shot+2021-05-06+at+1.30.54+PM.png Graduate Portfolio - Redesigning the Urban Outreach Center's Website - …and appreciated the aesthetics of the website. "Like the colors, aesthetically pleasing and clearly see where [Urban outreach] is putting their services" — User https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1620322838632-TCX31Q0YDA7FVH76ITNJ/Screen+Shot+2021-05-06+at+1.40.09+PM.png Graduate Portfolio - Redesigning the Urban Outreach Center's Website Some users were confused by the redundant donation buttons on the Give Monthly page. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1620322851334-MUGRTHDIC0OHQ0HQOYX0/Screen+Shot+2021-05-06+at+1.40.18+PM.png Graduate Portfolio - Redesigning the Urban Outreach Center's Website Highlighting the impact of the donations before the call to action and consolidating the donation buttons could help ease this confusion. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1620323261923-NOD5J8VK0C18R3UXOVPR/Screen+Shot+2021-05-06+at+1.46.24+PM.png Graduate Portfolio - Redesigning the Urban Outreach Center's Website Users, especially on mobile devices, commented that it was easy to get lost in the long pages. They found the graphics and text contained impressive and convincing information, but sometimes missed relevant info in the scrolling. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1620323271014-XU212XQL5Y2CQLV4HOJL/Screen+Shot+2021-05-06+at+1.46.38+PM.png Graduate Portfolio - Redesigning the Urban Outreach Center's Website Adding in a pop-up menu that hyperlinks to different sections of long pages could help users navigate and find important information. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1620323500673-44TO47B88D72PMBB9YJ7/Screen+Shot+2021-05-06+at+1.50.47+PM.png Graduate Portfolio - Redesigning the Urban Outreach Center's Website Some users were confused by the labeling of the buttons, not realizing ‘Learn’ contained information about the organization’s mission and thinking that ‘Give meals to hungry neighbors!’ was a volunteer (not donation) opportunity. They were also confused why the buttons relevant to those trying to get services weren’t separate from those trying to volunteer and donate. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1620323503657-0RYJ4VTTJNZPZWEE3YBT/Screen+Shot+2021-05-06+at+1.50.53+PM.png Graduate Portfolio - Redesigning the Urban Outreach Center's Website By consolidating the donation buttons, rewording based on user feedback, and moving the 'Get Food & Services’ to its own category these usability challenges can be resolved. Furthermore, multiple users expressed that the information in the Learn/About Us page was compelling in their decision to donate. By placing this button first in in the menu, it is possible that more users will click on it and be inspired to give. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f57c95d9c09a44bc5b6c2b5/1620324703175-21ZOCK3EJ4C558R6CD17/Screen+Shot+2021-05-06+at+2.07.05+PM.png Graduate Portfolio - Redesigning the Urban Outreach Center's Website Presenting the findings and report to the Urban Outreach Center. Thank you for a great collaboration!