What is FAST?
FAST (Forensic Anthropology Skeletal Trauma) was developed in support of a SPARK-funded grant proposal. On an accelerated timeline, the Research User Experience & Design (RUED) team partnered with the Principal Investigator to translate complex forensic research requirements into interactive system mockups and conduct rapid usability testing.
The goal was to demonstrate the feasibility, analytical potential, and user-centered design of a web-based skeletal trauma data repository for grant reviewers.
Image1 - RIT’s design process, from grant requirements to tested and refined prototypes.
Project Needs
FAST needed to communicate a complex research system clearly enough for both representative users and grant reviewers to understand how it could work.
Complex Research Workflows
Translate forensic anthropology requirements into clear workflows for specimen search, filtering, comparison, and analysis.
Interactive System Concept
Show how the proposed repository and its analytical functionality could work through realistic, interactive mockups.
Evidence to Support the Proposal
Evaluate key workflows with representative users and gather feedback that could strengthen the grant proposal.
RIT’s Rapid Grant Support Process
To support the proposal on an accelerated timeline, RIT combined prototyping and formative usability testing to make the proposed system tangible, evaluate key workflows, and provide evidence that could be incorporated into the grant.
System Prototype Development
RIT designed interactive mockups illustrating specimen search, filtering, comparison workflows, and statistical visualization. These mockups were used to communicate system structure and analytical functionality within the proposal.
Image 2 - FAST prototype showing specimen data entry and imaging.
Rapid Remote Usability Testing
Within the same 24-hour sprint, RIT conducted rapid remote usability sessions with representative users. Participants completed core workflows including search, filtering, and specimen comparison.
Image 3 - FAST usability testing results showing task completion rates and times.
Early Validation Demonstrating Feasibility
RIT conducted formative usability testing to evaluate key workflows such as search, filtering, comparison, and navigation. Participants completed representative tasks with high success and minimal confusion, and feedback from the Principal Investigator highlighted the clarity of the interface, the value of comparison tools, and the platform’s potential to support both research and training.
Capabilities Brought Together
Supporting the grant required RIT to combine research translation, interaction design, prototyping, and usability evaluation so reviewers could see both how the proposed system might work and how representative users interacted with its key workflows.
From Research Concept to Grant-Ready Prototype
For researchers developing a new digital research tool or preparing a proposal for a system that does not yet exist, RIT can help turn complex requirements into an interactive concept that can be tested, refined, and communicated to reviewers.