"What is something people need help with, what are their pain points?" Lara Kurt, a bowling senior, asks anytime she's presented with a new project. For her senior User Experience capstone, she and her group spent weeks researching and developing ideas for their final product: Dari, a brand aiming to bridge communication gaps for members of the deaf community.

The prompt for the UX major's senior capstone guided them to create an AI ecosystem that enhanced people's daily lives. In the beginning of Dari's development process, she and her team researched many potential audiences but landed on the deaf community as their market.  "It's really cool to do research because that's where you find your niche and find opportunity of unprioritized issues," Lara says.
"We got in contact with the experts and gained understanding of what would be a necessary from their standpoint," Lara says. From SCAD's accessibility office to deaf professionals and a visit to the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf, the Dari group made sure that they had a well-rounded understanding of their audience. "It was harder than we thought," Lara says. "Their communication style is so different." In American Sign Language, grammatical structure and vocabulary are both different from English which was one of the hardships Lara endured during the research process. Interpreters were a great resource for the group, but they were few and far between and aren't an effective reliance for deaf individuals on a day-to-day basis.

While researching, the Dari group also analyzed the market for their potential products. "There was a lack of products on the market," Lara says. "Even the products being created weren't being mass produced." With this information they began developing glasses and an arm band that would integrate AI technology and assist with ASL communication. They kept one question in mind Lara says: "How can we make it seamless, customizable, and unnoticeable?"

After developing physical products, creating the brand's visual identity, and designing a user interface for Dari, the team sailed through their final presentation. Lara and her team proved the need for their product by showing thorough research and having an impactful justification. "When I design things it's to make people's lives easier," Lara says. "I want them to be heard, I want them to be seen, and I want them to feel like their lives are valuable in society."
Lara was an asset to the Dari team, and she attributes her success to the skills she's developed in her four years with SCAD Bowling. "I like to be a voice and a leader for people on my team," Lara says, but that hasn't always been the case. As a freshman, she didn't have much experience working alongside a team. In her first two years she learned from the upperclassmen who guided her to athletic success. "I wouldn't say I stayed quiet, but I did listen," she says.

Now rounding out her colligate athletic career consisting of two NAIA National Championships, multiple All-American honors, and NAIA Tournament MVP, Lara values her team more than ever. "I'm really fortunate to have had so much experience and growth with such a diverse group of individuals I've learned from," she says. "I'm just there to create a positive impact that will hopefully be held in the SCAD Bowling legacy after I leave."