Designing with empathy: How research shaped a future UX professional

When Andrew George Geevarghese, a fourth-year student in Sheridan’s Honours Bachelor of Interaction Design program, joined the project ‘Intergenerational Homesharing’ led by Generator at Sheridan’s Centre for Elder Research, he knew he would gain valuable experience — but he didn’t anticipate just how much it would shape his academic journey and career goals.

Partnering with SpacesShared, a virtual homesharing coordination service that connects student renters with older-adult hosts who have an extra bedroom, and funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the research project explored the impact that homesharing could have on addressing two pressing challenges faced by Canadians: access to safe, affordable housing for students and older adults’ ability to age in place while staying connected to community.

Under the guidance of Dr. Lia Tsotsos, Director of Research and Innovation overseeing the Centre, Geevarghese contributed to the research by supporting qualitative interviews and analyzing collected data which helped determine the needs of current and potential future SpacesShared users. With these findings, Andrew was then able to design visually engaging informational and community-based resources that could be used to help best serve the company’s older adult target audience, as well as Sheridan’s diverse student population.

Through the project, he refined a range of academic and professional skills — from communication and collaboration to research coding and methodologies. He also developed new strategies for time management, task organization and confidence in team settings. What once felt intimidating, like presenting updates in meetings, quickly became opportunities to grow his professional voice.

“Real-life experience through my research role has pushed me to put... skills into practice and trained me to tackle hurdles I will face in my future career.”

– Andrew George Geevarghese

“My experience working in research helped me build better organizational practices like maintaining a detailed calendar and task list. It has made larger goals feel more approachable, and I know these skills will be useful in my academics and further career,” reflects Geevarghese. “While academic experience helps provide foundational knowledge and skills, real-life experience through my research role has pushed me to put those skills into practice and trained me to tackle hurdles I will face in my future career.”

Perhaps the most impactful part of the process for Andrew was the chance to directly engage with the community members involved in the project. By listening to the feedback from the participants, he was able to put empathy behind the data, ensuring that the resources he designed were not only functional but also genuinely responsive to identified user needs. This experience ultimately deepened his understanding of how to connect user insights with design decisions and confirmed his passion for a career in user experience (UX) research.

As Geevarghese looks ahead to graduation and beyond, his time with the ‘Intergenerational Homesharing’ project has become a defining chapter in his journey as a designer and researcher. More than just a line on his résumé, the experience gave him a lens into the power of human-centered design — one that blends empathy, research and creativity to make real-world impact. Armed with new skills, a deeper understanding of community needs and a clearer sense of purpose, Geevarghese leaves the project not only more prepared for his career in UX research, but more committed than ever to using design as a tool for social good.

Interested in learning more about how to get involved as a student in research, innovation and entrepreneurship at Sheridan? Visit sheridancollege.ca/generator.