User Research
Installation Design
Mosaic of Voices: Mozilla Festival 2025
Presented at Moz Fest Barcelona, it amplifies voices of women in AI and emerging tech from feminist, non-Western, and intergenerational backgrounds through a crowdsourced Interactive Installation that challenges the current systematic perspective. The theme was "Unlearning Default Design"—a call to question the default settings of the digital world and imagine something radically better
300+
Narratives Collected
35+
Countries Represented
60+
Global Collaborators
9
Thematic Framework
The Question That Started Everything
"When only 22% of AI workforce are women and fewer still from the Global South—whose future are we actually designing?"
THE CHALLENGE
The Invisible Gap
Tech innovation is shaped by a narrow band of perspectives, leaving entire populations' imaginaries "designed out" of products that will shape their lives. The consequences are tangible: AI systems built without diverse input perpetuate existing bias, digital products fail to serve marginalized communities, and futures are imagined without the voices of those who will live them.
MY CONTRIBUTION
Research Track Lead & Strategic Collaborator
Primary Responsibilities
Co-developed research strategy
Managed 25 researchers
Conducted one-on-one and group interviews
Synthesized 300+ responses
Collaborated on installation design
Core team members:
4 members (Megha, Kushal, Fatima, and myself)
Total Participants:
60 women across 30+ countries
Research Track:
25 researchers under my leadership
Tech Track:
20+ developers and designers
Target Audience:
Mozilla Festival attendees (tech leaders, policymakers, designers)
OBJECTIVES
What we set out to achieve
Representation
Women across diverse geographies, socio-economic backgrounds, and tech awareness
Engagement
Design an interactive experience that transforms passive viewing into active participation.
Impact
Place narratives directly in front of tech leaders and policymakers at a major global festival
Methodology
Develop a scalable, inclusive research approach that doesn't reproduce existing biases
User Research
Installation Design
Mosaic of Voices: Mozilla Festival 2025
Presented at Moz Fest Barcelona, it amplifies voices of women in AI and emerging tech from feminist, non-Western, and intergenerational backgrounds through a crowdsourced Interactive Installation that challenges the current systematic perspective. The theme was "Unlearning Default Design"—a call to question the default settings of the digital world and imagine something radically better
300+
Narratives Collected
35+
Countries Represented
60+
Global Collaborators
9
Thematic Framework
THE CHALLENGE
The Invisible Gap
Tech innovation is shaped by a narrow band of perspectives, leaving entire populations' imaginaries "designed out" of products that will shape their lives. The consequences are tangible: AI systems built without diverse input perpetuate existing bias, digital products fail to serve marginalized communities, and futures are imagined without the voices of those who will live them.
Primary Responsibilities
Co-developed research strategy
Managed 25 researchers
Conducted one-on-one and group interviews
Synthesized 300+ responses
Collaborated on installation design
Core team members:
4 members (Megha, Kushal, Fatima, and myself)
Total Participants:
60 women across 30+ countries
Research Track:
25 researchers under my leadership
Tech Track:
20+ developers and designers
Target Audience:
Mozilla Festival attendees (tech leaders, policymakers, designers)
OBJECTIVES
What we set out to achieve
Representation
Women across diverse geographies, socio-economic backgrounds, and tech awareness
Engagement
Design an interactive experience that transforms passive viewing into active participation.
Impact
Place narratives directly in front of tech leaders and policymakers at a major global festival
Methodology
Develop a scalable, inclusive research approach that doesn't reproduce existing biases
Discover
Brodening the scope to understand the problem
Define
Narrowing the scope to understand the problem
Design
Generating ideas to build a user interactive experience
Deliver
Delivering the installation based on design, and data
01 | DISCOVERY
Initial Outreach Strategy
Tech innovation is shaped by a narrow band of perspectives, leaving entire populations' imaginaries "designed out" of products that will shape their lives.
PHASE 1
Individual Interviews
Conducted individual interviews for 30 mins each with 4 women across diverse fields to understand their perspectives on AI and technology:
Shireen Parveen
PHD researcher and scholar in Life Science
Aliya Khan
Data science Professional
Ritika Roy
MA student in development studies
Firdous Ahmad
Computer science engineering undergraduate
The challenge - The constraints revealed a critical issue: 1:1 interviews, while providing depth, wouldn’t generate the volume and breadth of narratives needed for a truly representative installation within our timeline.
PHASE 2
University Workshop
Partnered with Jain University Bangalore tech clubs to pilot our workshop format. Created promotional materials and launched registrations through Luma events. Worked till late nights planning out the Workshop sessions, questions, while also preparing the Mentimeter and deck for presentation.
60 registrations in under one week.
Only 15 out of 60 (25%) registered participants showed up
Some attendees responded through Mentimeter questions and polls. Only 2-3 of them spoke during the discussion, while most participated passively on mute. Low engagement rate overall.
Recognizing Our Bias
Beyond engagement issues, I identified a fundamental flaw threatening the project's integrity:
All from same private university
Mostly CS students already in tech culture
Limited exposure to systematic bias
If we continued the same approach, our data would reflect the same bias we were trying to challenge. We would not have intergenerational perspectives from women with different levels of tech exposure.
Discover
Brodening the scope to understand the problem
Define
Narrowing the scope to understand the problem
Design
Generating ideas to build a user interactive experience
Deliver
Delivering the installation based on design, and data
01 | DISCOVERY
Initial Outreach Strategy
Tech innovation is shaped by a narrow band of perspectives, leaving entire populations' imaginaries "designed out" of products that will shape their lives. The consequences are ..
PHASE 1
Individual Interviews
Conducted individual interviews for 30 mins each with 4 women across diverse fields to understand their perspectives on AI and technology:
Shireen Parveen
PHD researcher and scholar in Life Science
Aliya Khan
Data science Professional
Ritika Roy
MA student in development studies
Firdous Ahmad
Computer science engineering undergraduate
The challenge - The constraints revealed a critical issue: 1:1 interviews, while providing depth, wouldn’t generate the volume and breadth of narratives needed for a truly representative installation within our timeline.
PHASE 2
University Workshop
Partnered with Jain University Bangalore tech clubs to pilot our workshop format. Created promotional materials and launched registrations through Luma events. Worked till late nights planning out the Workshop sessions, questions, while also preparing the Mentimeter and deck for presentation.
60 registrations in under one week.
Only 15 out of 60 (25%) registered participants showed up
Some attendees responded through Mentimeter questions and polls. Only 2-3 of them spoke during the discussion, while most participated passively on mute. Low engagement rate overall.
Recognizing Our Bias
Beyond engagement issues, I identified a fundamental flaw threatening the project's integrity:
All from same private university
Mostly CS students already in tech culture
Limited exposure to systematic bias
If we continued the same approach, our data would reflect the same bias we were trying to challenge. We would not have intergenerational perspectives from women with different levels of tech exposure.
THE TURNING POINT
Strategic pivot to Global Sprintship
I proposed a bold shift: instead of organizing a workshop for closed groups, what if we opened the project to the world?
LinkedIn post screen shot
The Validation
170+
LinkedIn Engagements
100+
Applications in 5-6 Days
60
Selected from 30+ Nations
Note
We selected 60 sprint participants representing 30+ countries- achieving the geographic and demographic diversity that had been missing from our initial approach. This wasn’t just about numbers. It proved that when given the right opportunity and platform, women across socio-economic backgrounds, professions, age groups and regions were eager to share their perspectives on AI sand technology.
2-Week Sprint Structure
Week 1: Data Collection
Participants used the Google Form to gather narratives from women in their networks—friends, family, colleagues, and community members.
Week 2: Specialized Track
Participants self-select into Research, Tech, or Growth tracks based on their skills and interests
Three Specialized Tracks
Research Track
25 participants
Analyzed collected data to identify patterns, themes, and insights; conducted supplementary research through academic papers and articles to contextualize findings and build evidence-based narratives
Tech Track
20 participants
Developed the digital installation components that would be displayed on screens at Mozilla Festival.
Growth Track
15 participants
Developed social media strategy and content to amplify reach during the festival and beyond.
THE TURNING POINT
Strategic pivot to Global Sprintship
I proposed a bold shift: instead of organizing a workshop for closed groups, what if we opened the project to the world?
LinkedIn post screen shot
The Validation
170+
LinkedIn Engagements
100+
Applications in 5-6 Days
60
Selected from 30+ Nations
Note
We selected 60 sprint participants representing 30+ countries- achieving the geographic and demographic diversity that had been missing from our initial approach. This wasn’t just about numbers. It proved that when given the right opportunity and platform, women across socio-economic backgrounds, professions, age groups and regions were eager to share their perspectives on AI sand technology.
2-Week Sprint Structure
Week 1: Data Collection
Participants used the Google Form to gather narratives from women in their networks—friends, family, colleagues, and community members.
Week 2: Specialized Track
Participants self-select into Research, Tech, or Growth tracks based on their skills and interests
Three Specialized Tracks
Research Track
25 participants
Analyzed collected data to identify patterns, themes, and insights; conducted supplementary research through academic papers and articles to contextualize findings and build evidence-based narratives
Tech Track
20 participants
Developed the digital installation components that would be displayed on screens at Mozilla Festival.
Growth Track
15 participants
Developed social media strategy and content to amplify reach during the festival and beyond.
The sprint in action
Reaching Global Scale
Over 10 days, or sprint participants collected narratives from women in their personal networks and cities
300+
Unique responses collected from women worldwide
35+
Countries represented across continents
Geographic Breadth
India • USA (California, San Francisco, Maryland) • UK • Ukraine • Egypt • Ethiopia • Zambia • Kenya • Nigeria • Argentina • Ireland • Pakistan • Turkey • and many more
Covered lived experiences spanning urban professionals to rural community members, entrepreneurs to students, mothers to tech workers. We captured the vast spectrum of how technology shows up differently based on geography, access, education, and socioeconomic context
Seeking Voices at the Margins
Tech innovation is shaped by a narrow band of perspectives, leaving entire populations' imaginaries "designed out" of products that will shape their lives. The consequences are ..
Chambal Academy Interview
Method: In-depth interviews conducted in Hindi
Patna, Bihar & Haryana
Rural journalists and Media practitioner
Chambal Academy is a digital media social enterprise with 20 years of experience training rural and marginalized women as media practitioners through local language content creation.
The sprint in action
Reaching Global Scale
Over 10 days, or sprint participants collected narratives from women in their personal networks and cities
300+
Unique responses collected from women worldwide
35+
Countries represented across continents
Geographic Breadth
India • USA (California, San Francisco, Maryland) • UK • Ukraine • Egypt • Ethiopia • Zambia • Kenya • Nigeria • Argentina • Ireland • Pakistan • Turkey • and many more
Covered lived experiences spanning urban professionals to rural community members, entrepreneurs to students, mothers to tech workers. We captured the vast spectrum of how technology shows up differently based on geography, access, education, and socioeconomic context
02 | DEFINE
Leading the Research Track: I managed 25 researchers to transform raw data into compelling, evidence-based narratives
Google form for research
1
Developing the Thematic Taxonomy
We had 300+ fragmented responses from Google Forms and interviews. I read through them to identify natural patterns. Nine key themes emerged representing actual domains where AI intersects with women's lives.
2
Strategic Team Assignment
I assigned 2-4 researchers per theme based on data volume, complexity, and participant expertise. Health (fewer responses) got 2 members; Values (extensive, nuanced) got 4 members
3
Research Team Process
Each team:
Immersed in responses
Identified patterns
Conducted supplementary research
Synthesized 4-6 narratives combining lived experiences with real-world data
Authenticity check
Seeking Voices at the Margins
Tech innovation is shaped by a narrow band of perspectives, leaving entire populations' imaginaries "designed out" of products that will shape their lives. The consequences are ..
Chambal Academy Interview
Method: In-depth interviews conducted in Hindi
Patna, Bihar & Haryana
Rural journalists and Media practitioner
Chambal Academy is a digital media social enterprise with 20 years of experience training rural and marginalized women as media practitioners through local language content creation.
Nine Thematic Framework
Education
Health
Labour
Entrepreneurship
Values
Governance
Community
Human-AI Partnership
Welfare
02 | DEFINE
Leading the Research Track: Managed 25 researchers to transform raw data into compelling, evidence-based narratives
Google form for research
1
Developing the Thematic Taxonomy
We had 300+ fragmented responses from Google Forms and interviews. I read through them to identify natural patterns. Nine key themes emerged representing actual domains where AI intersects with women's lives.
2
Strategic Team Assignment
I assigned 2-4 researchers per theme based on data volume, complexity, and participant expertise. Health (fewer responses) got 2 members; Values (extensive, nuanced) got 4 members
3
Research Team Process
Each team:
Immersed in responses
Identified patterns
Conducted supplementary research
Synthesized 4-6 narratives combining lived experiences with real-world data
Authenticity check
03 | DESIGN
Designing the Interactive Experience
Linear Scrolling Grid
Simple, familiar interaction pattern
Equal visual weight for each reflection
Browsing without predetermined path
Visitors scroll through a grid of tiles, each showing a glimpse of a woman's reflection on AI and technology.
Card Flip Interaction
Progressive disclosure of content
Reveals narrative on tap
Read more" expands full story
Front shows hook/title. Tap to flip and see the narrative. Click "Read more" for complete story in modal.
Collection & Email Card
"Collect this response" on each card
Curate exactly 4 resonating voices
Custom collage delivered to inbox
After collecting 4, visitors see their personalized collage and can receive it via email—a tangible festival memory.
USER FLOW
From Browse to Collect
1
Arrive & Understand
Explore reflections from our workshop. Tap any tile to discover who shared this thought, then collect the responses that resonate most deeply with you.
2
Scroll & Browse Grid
See hooks/titles on card fronts - each tile a doorway to a woman's perspective on AI
3
Tap to Flip Card
Card flips to reveal preview of the reflection
4
Read More (Optional)
Click "Read more" to open modal with complete narrative in detail
5
Collect Response
Click "Collect this response" to save the cards in your collection
(collection counter updates: 1/4, 2/4...)
6
View Personal Collage
Once complete, see custom 4-card collage of your curated selections
7
Enter Email & Receive (Optional)
Share email to receive collage in inbox as your Mozilla Festival memory
Design Decision: Why Exactly 4 Tiles?
The collection of 4 tiles builds intentionality. Creates a curated collection that fits beautifully on one shareable card. Manageable for reading later, meaningful for remembering.
Nine Thematic Framework
Education
Health
Labour
Values
Entrepreneurship
Governance
Community
Human-AI Partnership
Welfare
04 | DELIVER
The Invisible Gap
1
Editing and Refinement
Selected the strongest narratives that balanced authenticity, diversity of perspective, and research rigor while doing the necessary edits.
2
Organization
Compiled all finalized content into a master document, structured by theme for easy reference.
3
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Once research was complete, I worked directly with the Tech Track to ensure seamless translation from narrative to interactive installation for global audience.
VISUAL DESIGN OF
The Installation
03 | DESIGN
Designing the Interactive Experience
Linear Scrolling Grid
Simple, familiar interaction pattern
Equal visual weight for each reflection
Browsing without predetermined path
Visitors scroll through a grid of tiles, each showing a glimpse of a woman's reflection on AI and technology.
Card Flip Interaction
Progressive disclosure of content
Reveals narrative on tap
Read more" expands full story
Front shows hook/title. Tap to flip and see the narrative. Click "Read more" for complete story in modal.
Collection & Email Card
"Collect this response" on each card
Curate exactly 4 resonating voices
Custom collage delivered to inbox
After collecting 4, visitors see their personalized collage and can receive it via email—a tangible festival memory.
Impact & Outcome
Women from 35+ countries saw their perspectives displayed at a major tech festival
Tech leaders & policymakers engaged directly with marginalised narratives
Rural journalists' warnings about AI misuse reached global innovators
Festival attendees moved from passive consumption to active participation
Review from a visitor
"I didn't know if it's me being lucky or these are just all so good"
USER FLOW
From Browse to Collect
1
Arrive & Understand
Explore reflections from our workshop. Tap any tile to discover who shared this thought, then collect the responses that resonate most deeply with you.
2
Scroll & Browse Grid
See hooks/titles on card fronts - each tile a doorway to a woman's perspective on AI
3
Tap to Flip Card
Card flips to reveal preview of the reflection
4
Read More (Optional)
Click "Read more" to open modal with complete narrative in detail
5
Collect Response
Click "Collect this response" to save the cards in your collection
(collection counter updates: 1/4, 2/4...)
6
View Personal Collage
Once complete, see custom 4-card collage of your curated selections
7
Enter Email & Receive (Optional)
Share email to receive collage in inbox as your Mozilla Festival memory
Design Decision: Why Exactly 4 Tiles?
The collection of 4 tiles builds intentionality. Creates a curated collection that fits beautifully on one shareable card. Manageable for reading later, meaningful for remembering.
REFLECTION
My Biggest Learnings
Ask the why before How
Sometimes the solution isn't fixing the approach—it's reimagining it entirely. Our university workshop "failure" wasn't a setback; it revealed a fundamental flaw in our sampling strategy. The pivot to global crowdsourcing didn't just solve a logistics problem; it aligned our methodology with our values. This taught me to interrogate assumptions early: Are we asking the right question in the right way?
Proximity to Harm Shapes Outlook
Tech optimism correlates with distance from its negative impacts. Urban, educated women saw AI as opportunity; rural women experiencing digital gender-based violence saw it as threat. Neither perspective is "wrong"—but centering those closest to the harm ensures we're not designing solutions that work only for the already-privileged.
Participation Can be a Design Element
The installation didn't just display voices, it invited guests to amplify them. Selection became an act of recognition. The Mosaic of Voices showed collective resonance, transforming individual engagement into shared reflection. When you design for participation, the interaction itself becomes meaningful, not just the content.
What's Happening Next?
The installation lives as a permanent digital archive at harange, continuing to amplify these women's perspectives beyond Mozilla Festival. Currently, it's exploring partnerships with other tech conferences and universities to expand the conversation and collect more narratives from underrepresented communities.
Experience the Live Installation
04 | DELIVER
The Invisible Gap
1
Editing and Refinement
Selected the strongest narratives that balanced authenticity, diversity of perspective, and research rigor while doing the necessary edits.
2
Organization
Compiled all finalized content into a master document, structured by theme for easy reference.
3
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Once research was complete, I worked directly with the Tech Track to ensure seamless translation from narrative to interactive installation for global audience.
VISUAL DESIGN OF
The Installation
Experience the Live Installation
Impact & Outcome
Women from 35+ countries saw their perspectives displayed at a major tech festival
Tech leaders & policymakers engaged directly with marginalised narratives
Rural journalists' warnings about AI misuse reached global innovators
Festival attendees moved from passive consumption to active participation
Review from a visitor
"I didn't know if it's me being lucky or these are just all so good"
REFLECTION
My Biggest Learnings
Ask the why before How
Sometimes the solution isn't fixing the approach—it's reimagining it entirely. Our university workshop "failure" wasn't a setback; it revealed a fundamental flaw in our sampling strategy. The pivot to global crowdsourcing didn't just solve a logistics problem; it aligned our methodology with our values. This taught me to interrogate assumptions early: Are we asking the right question in the right way?
Proximity to Harm Shapes Outlook
Tech optimism correlates with distance from its negative impacts. Urban, educated women saw AI as opportunity; rural women experiencing digital gender-based violence saw it as threat. Neither perspective is "wrong"—but centering those closest to the harm ensures we're not designing solutions that work only for the already-privileged.
Participation Can be a Design Element
The installation didn't just display voices, it invited guests to amplify them. Selection became an act of recognition. The Mosaic of Voices showed collective resonance, transforming individual engagement into shared reflection. When you design for participation, the interaction itself becomes meaningful, not just the content.
What's Happening Next?
The installation lives as a permanent digital archive at harange.org/mosaic-of-voices, continuing to amplify these women's perspectives beyond Mozilla Festival. Currently, it's exploring partnerships with other tech conferences and universities to expand the conversation and collect more narratives from underrepresented communities.
Experience the Live Installation