Louisa
Taylor
Calhoon
problem-solver, empath, trailblazer, twin, daughter, endurance athlete, among other things...
other things
work
Human-Centered Design for Human Rights
Building on my experience with human-centered design (HCD) in the for-profit sector, I became interested in how it could be used to advance non-profit, social justice, and human rights efforts. Following extensive proposal writing, research, and interviews, I was awarded the Projects for Peace fellowship from Middlebury College to pursue this interest. My project integrated HCD with strategic non-violent campaigning to develop a comprehensive guide for Tibetan human rights chapters worldwide.
Description
Through research and immersive training, I identified how human-centered designers can help grassroots movements by fostering connection and action. Effective campaigns require thoughtful planning to ensure they achieve the desired impact. In the guide I created, I emphasized tools and exercises to analyze the problem space because, too often, activists jump straight into organizing events or demonstrations (tactics) without first establishing a clear goal and strategy. By thinking and asking certain questions at the beginning of the campaign process, activists can arrive at the right strategic, nonviolent tactic. My work serves as both a catalyst and a support system, fostering immediate impact while laying the groundwork for long-term success. Collaborating closely with activists, I developed a guide that aligns with their needs and values, empowering users while honoring nonviolent resistance. I used ecosystem mapping, systems thinking, user interviews, and visual design in Figma.
The local relationships shaped not only my project but also my sense of purpose in contributing to it. Working directly on human rights issues, I found myself in conversations with remarkable activists—people who not only speak about these struggles but live them every day as refugees. Being in dialogue with them was humbling and inspiring. It shed light on the harsh realities and emotional intensity of this work, revealing just how much resilience, courage, and unwavering commitment it takes to stand up for peace in today’s world. While I have always considered myself to be empathetic, this project helped me unlock a deeper level of empathy and self-awareness. It shifted the way I approached my work and made me realize the importance of my work on a more personal level. It reminded me that the true essence of human rights work is not just about strategy or theory but about truly seeing and supporting the lived experiences of those who are fighting for peace.
Redesigning Pomona's Community Engagement Center
This fellowship focused on redesigning the Pomona College Community Engagement Center (PCCEC) in downtown Pomona, building upon insights explored in a fall Human-Centered Design (HCD) class. Our approach involved prototyping, testing, and iterating on initial concepts, while also engaging in empathy work and in-depth interviews, stakeholder mapping to understand the local ecosystem, including government, businesses, after-school programs, and schools.
Description
Our goal was to ensure that the center meets the needs of the community while strengthening its connection to Pomona College. Although PCCEC serves a diverse range of Pomona residents, our primary focus was on underserved, low-income middle and high school students. Collaborating with local civic leaders, community members, students, parents, and mentors, we defined an identity for the new PCCEC space and developed programming tailored to its needs.
This project also aimed to bridge the gap between Pomona College and the city of Pomona, addressing both physical and metaphorical divisions. We prioritized participatory and community-based methods
throughout our process, with funding and collaboration from Hive and Pomona College's Draper Center.
The highlight of this fellowship for me was the opportunity to engage directly with the community and city of Pomona. There were SO many people who seem so enthusiastic about the Center and who seem to be waiting to be asked for their thoughts on PCCEC and Pomona. We did 17 in-depth interviews and each person we interviewed had a wealth of knowledge and lived experiences that they were kind to share with us. We emphasized that the key to moving the center forward was in prioritizing these relationships.
An article was written about us! Read here.
Get Hysterical
“Get Hysterical” explores the intersection of gender bias in healthcare and the experience of women seeking intrauterine devices (IUDs) in the United States. My senior capstone was two-pronged, an extensive thesis paper, and a public installation featuring an interactive, educational public health website, accompanied with 3D printed IUDs and tenaculums.
Description
We often place unquestionable trust in doctors due to their expertise, authority, and extensive education. It is ingrained in us to believe that doctors possess all-encompassing knowledge and approach each situation with unbiased and good intentions. However, a critical examination of the medical system and its history reveals otherwise. My senior thesis focuses on these issues, particularly in women’s and reproductive health, and examines how these dynamics play out in procedures like IUD insertions.
Beginning with an examination of the history and information surrounding IUDs, as well as the discriminatory experiences of female patients within the American medical system, my research focused on understanding how gender bias influences the healthcare women receive or often fail to receive. In both my paper and website, I combine narratives with striking facts. I highlight unnerving findings
like how the tenaculum, a tool used to stabilize the cervix, remains largely unchanged from its original design used to remove bullets from wounds over 100 years ago. Or, despite evidence that 31.3% of women experience moderate pain and 49.7% experience intense pain during IUD insertion, many providers underestimate the procedure's discomfort by over 50%.
By contextualizing IUD procedures within the broader systemic issues of healthcare inequities, particularly concerning women, I highlight the urgent need for reform. My thesis encourages women to seek out information, advocate for themselves, and trust their experiences. With this knowledge, women can better recognize quality care and challenge inequality, fostering a shift toward more equitable healthcare practices in the U.S.
My thesis was awarded honors and currently serving as a reference for future Scripps seniors embarking on their thesis journeys.
Mimente
Mimente (“My Mind” in Spanish) is Latin America’s first digital therapy clinic designed to match patients with skilled mental health professionals based on individual goals and needs. Mimente blends the latest technology solutions with deep cultural familiarity – providing Latinx people with safe access to experienced Spanish-language therapists who truly understand the cultural context of their patients. In this project, we helped Mimente with their strategy to enter the U.S. market.
Description
To support Mimente’s mission of providing culturally competent care to Latinx customers in the U.S., we explored several design challenges: understanding the target market, crafting a market entry strategy, analyzing competitors, identifying essential product features and functionality, addressing local market needs, recognizing barriers to entry, and achieving differentiation. Our research revealed recurring themes within the Latinx community regarding mental health, particularly around the need to build trust, the desire for BIPOC therapists, and challenges related to language, cultural, and financial barriers.
One of the most compelling user personas we identified was a bilingual therapist from Los Angeles who feels unfulfilled at her current clinic and seeks to serve her own community more directly. After weeks of
research synthesis, system mapping, interviews, observations, analysis,—culminating in prototyping and testing—we arrived at a final design solution.
Our solution was a business model in which users purchase two therapy sessions at a slightly higher rate: one for themselves and one to gift to a friend, family member, or someone in need. This approach increases access to mental health care across the community. For inspiration, we looked at models like Costco and Amazon memberships that include benefits for multiple users, as well as TOMS Shoes, which donates a pair of shoes for each pair sold. This model would support low-income Latinx individuals in accessing care while allowing our primary user to (a) serve their community and (b) maintain their earnings.
Our storytelling during the final presentation made our professors and classmates tear up! Watch it here.
Indigenious Website
For Mother Earth Clan (MEC), I designed their new and improved website to reflect who they are as an indigenous grassroots organization, a collective of indigenous women, descendants of the original inhabitants of Southern California. They specialize in cultural and environmental education with an emphasis on traditional core values, practices, and arts.
Description
For this website re-design, I worked closely with the founder of Mother Earth Clan, Lorene Sisquoc. It was important, to both of us to preserve the content that had already been created- including descriptions, and photographs. I used Figma to create a style guide, and wireframes. Those initial designs were then transferred onto HostGator. Some of the pages I created were: Home, Members, Ways, Projects, Books by MEC,
Further Reading, etc. Throughout this endeavor, my positionality remained at the forefront of my considerations, influenced by the readings and discussions like Pedagogy of the Oppressed, and participatory design. I preserved the authenticity of Mother Earth Clan by keeping the same vernacular, writing, content, and photos and avoided creating a sterile website that did not reflect MEC values.
Greenbelt 101
Greenbelt 101 examines the inequities stemming from the creation of interstates and highways through the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956. This act served as a tool for racial segregation, and these infrastructures disproportionately affected Black neighborhoods: demolishing houses, schools, places of worship, and businesses, while also acting as dividers between Black and White neighborhoods. While I researched many case studies of this racial segregation, such as Atlanta, the Bronx, Miami, and New Orleans, my project centered on East Palo Alto in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Description
I learned that the Federal Aid Highway Act led to the widening in East Palo Alto, further segregating the area from Silicon Valley culturally and physically. The resulting discrimination in housing, employment, and education has left East Palo Alto with limited opportunities. My project played with the hypothetical idea of removing of Highway 101, and having a greenbelt park to take its place. Opting for a greenbelt and park stems from my appreciation for parks as catalysts for fostering
connections. Additionally, communities of color are almost 3x more likely than white ones to live in ‘nature deprived’ areas with little to no access to trees, parks, and gardens. I created a 3D model of what this park would look like using the boundaries of the original highway. I included wayfinding signs in both English and Spanish and spaces and activities for all age groups. Underneath would run a subway station to help mitigate traffic and provide solutions on transportation.
Students For A Free Tibet
I am honored to include graphic design work I created for Students for a Free Tibet (SFT), a grassroots non-profit that campaigns for Tibet through non-violent actions. In the spring of 2021, I was their Graphic Design Intern, creating graphical campaigns, distributed via social media, aimed at educating and raising awareness. I designed infographics and illustrations that resonated strongly on social media; most designs were re-tweeted and re-posted by the public. I researched and analyzed international and national news articles to determine how to best portray retainable information. I mainly worked on the campaigns regarding the Beijing Olympics and Tibetan Monastery destructions.
Marathon Art
As someone who spends much of their time completing design projects and the other half of the time running, it never occurred to combine these two passions together. This mixed-media project documents my second Boston Marathon journey from the first training runs to the painful moments of the race itself. Any marathon is challenging, but my mental and physical limits were especially tested during my fourth marathon.
Description
This project is really divided into two projects: the 4-month training journey, and second, documentation of the marathon itself. For this first part, there are five art pieces illustrating different parts of the training - prints of the shoes I used, selfies of different runs, and overlays of different running routes around my college town. The second part is a large map I created of the Boston Marathon course. This 3 x 5 foot map not only shows the 26.2 mile route, but also is a visual representation of
my emotions during the race. Organic laser-cut acrylic pieces are layered to show the complexity of my emotions while running this marathon. Each color stands for an emotion and the tiers show the intensity of emotion. I also included personalized detailed notes of important moments I remembered during the marathon. My research for this project included looking at cartography, scientific articles on pain tolerance and pain memory, maps, and artistic work from Maya Lin.