Anna Gigliotti

A marketing and branding strategy for ALOUD to attract a more diverse audience through social media use by expanding visibility, growing engagement, and providing scalable tools aligned with LFLA's staff and budget.

The ALOUD program faced challenges in connecting with younger, diverse audiences, as its existing branding and outreach primarily resonated with older, established attendees. Additionally, limited resources- such as time, staff, and budget- made it difficult for LFLA to implement dynamic, consistent strategies that could expand its reach and engage new demographics effectively.

Audience feedback and research revealed that authentic storytelling and event specific messaging create meaningful connections with attendees. Additionally, social media platforms, particularly Instagram, presented a significant but underutilized opportunity to engage younger audiences by showcasing thoughtful, interactive, and real time content.

We developed a marketing overhaul that leverages strategically timed Instagram stories and posts, incorporating targeted calls to action to drive interaction and boost brand visibility. We selected key AI tools to optimize content creation and scheduling, streamlining processes and improving efficiency. This approach enables ALOUD to expand its reach, connect with a broader audience, and enhance its digital presence while staying within resource constraints.

BUNI tackles a problem that's often overlooked: mobility challenges shouldn’t make getting around so hard. We connected with Luisa, whose needs change daily: sometimes a cane, other times a walker, or an oxygen tank. After testing a Waymo with her, we realized that, despite the technology, the experience felt cold, stressful, and unclear for her. The pickup spot was difficult, communication lacked clarity, and there were no tailored options for her accessibility needs. Autonomous vehicles were missing the human element: the reassurance, adaptability, and emotional support. BUNI was born from this insight, combining technical accessibility features with emotional intelligence. It remembers preferences and accessibility needs, such as trunk access or communication style, and gently prompts users to confirm or adjust them as needed. BUNI starts with a simple phone call and guides users through their journey with clear communication via voice, visuals, and physical controls. This prototype demonstrates how autonomous vehicles can evolve from technology-driven solutions to personalized, accessible experiences that truly meet the needs of individuals.

Existing autonomous vehicle (AV) services don't do a thorough job of addressing the needs of users with mobility challenges, creating uncomfortable experiences. Through our research with travelers like Luisa, we discovered that current AV solutions add stress instead of alleviating it, with issues including poor navigation, confusing pickup locations, and a lack of human presence that leaves riders feeling overwhelmed and unsupported. While there is ongoing research in this area, much of it focuses on the physical ability of AVs to get travelers from point A to point B, overlooking the importance of comfort. For the 30+ million Americans living with mobility disabilities, transportation becomes another barrier rather than a solution, forcing them to adapt to systems that weren't designed with their needs in mind. With 61% of people already skeptical about AV safety, the absence of a human element in these services only intensifies riders’ discomfort and distrust. To truly meet the needs of individuals with mobility challenges, AVs have to integrate the reassurance, adaptability, and emotional support that make transportation a truly accessible experience.

Our process began with field research, where we shadowed Luisa, our primary persona, to understand her changing mobility needs and frustrations with current transportation services. We learned that users with mobility challenges often feel rushed, anxious, and unsupported at pickup points, stripping them of control over their journey. This led us to conduct secondary research, revealing that over 30 million Americans have mobility disabilities, and 61% of people don’t feel that AVs are safe. User journey mapping helped us identify key trust gaps in the experience, particularly before and during pickup. In prototyping, we tested a friendly, voice first system that started with a phone call to book the ride. We simulated the ride and call using an “AI” script and mock up of an AR windshield, touch screen, and physical button. Testing revealed that verbal communication alone wasn’t enough: users needed a follow up text with their preferences to feel confident the system remembered them. It also showed that our original AR windshield design caused cognitive overload; we had to simplify it to avoid overwhelming users. We also explored how emotional design builds trust. During prototyping, we introduced playful features like the option to select a welcome song and a bunny shaped physical button. These moments helped users feel more at ease and emotionally connected to the experience, reinforcing the importance of designing for trust.

BUNI reimagines autonomous rides for people with mobility challenges, starting with a simple phone call to eliminate tech barriers. This introduces travelers to their AI companion Buni, who supports them throughout the journey. BUNI is built around three core principles. First, emotional companionship and trust creates a warm, human connection with personalized touches like custom arrival songs. Second, multimodal communication ensures users always understand what's happening, using tactile buttons, an AR windshield, and a touch screen that visualizes the journey with a progress bar and transcripts of the conversation between the traveler and Buni. Lastly, accessibility & autonomy influenced the design to remember needs like trunk access for walkers and individualized pick up or drop off locations, giving riders control and restoring their independence. The final prototype shows how human centered design can transform AVs into supportive companions. By addressing practical needs and emotional security, BUNI creates a ride where users feel safe and understood.