Natural Conservation Career Explorer

Reimagining career exploration for Indigenous youth in natural resources.

Role

User Research Lead & UX Designer

Context

Capstone Project sponsored by the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission

Timeline

6 months

How might natural resource management organizations increase Indigenous youth applicants to entry-level roles and improve workforce representation?

The Problem

Indigenous representation in natural resource management (NRM) careers remains critically low. For example, a recent NOAA conservation internship received zero Indigenous applicants. And less than 5.4% of environmental science professionals are Indigenous.

Although many Indigenous youth are interested in careers that connect them to nature and support stewardship of their ancestral lands, systemic barriers (limited access, awareness, and educational pathways) prevent them from entering these fields.

My Solution

My capstone team improved an existing career exploration website to reduce key information barriers. In Winter 2026, we designed and delivered an MVP that included a shorter career quiz, a prototyped mobile design, and more in-depth career information. We also implemented Google Analytics to inform ongoing improvements. As we continue this project in Spring 2026, we plan to collaborate with Indigenous artists to create marketing materials to increase visibility of the website.

Meet

Natural Conservation Career Explorer

View Prototype

Researching the problem

Naviance, CollegeBoard, and more…

Through market research, we found that surveys are a very popular tool for high school students to explore possible career options. However, these surveys are generalized and aren't specifically focused on NRM careers. In addition, they aren't designed with Indigenous youth in mind as the key user.

"Where do I even start?!"

We spoke with 10 users to better understand the problem space. An educator we interviewed that teaches a natural science class to Indigenous high schoolers shared that "general career exploration can be overwhelming".

Community and culture is key

My team conducted a literature review on what factors influence and prevent Indigenous youth from pursuing NRM careers. We found that culture influences career decisions and that preserving community bonds is crucial. In addition, early exposure to NRM programs and education increases interest in NRM careers later on.

Stakeholder interviews

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User survey

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Usability testing

We are doing this in spring quarter

User Personas

Based on key insights from market research, user research, and literature review, we identified the two primary user groups as Indigenous youth and the educators that work with them. We created these user personas to represent the needs, goals, and pain points of these users.

Persona	Goals & Pain Points
Lola, an Indigenous high school student.	Goals: Lola wants to develop a post-HS career plan that will support her local community Pain Points: Confused and overwhelmed by all the information out there. Lola has no idea where to even start with finding a career that aligns with her interests.
Jeremy, a high school career counselor.	Goals: Jeremy wants to help students feel prepared for HS and beyond. Pain Points: Doesn't have specific resources to support Indigenous students who want career advice.

Key Features

Based on concept validation interviews, we prioritized what features are must have for the MVP.

Improved quiz experience

Make it shorter
Allow multiple answer selections
Consolidate repetitive questions
Reword confusing questions

Mobile responsive

In winter quarter, we created a mobile prototype based on the current web app. This quarter, we are working on implementing the mobile design into the current web app.