Responsible AI for Social Impact

The product team at Submittable needed foundational research to make sure our approach to integrating AI in our platform aligned with customer needs.

Through generative research into the grant making industry’s attitudes, concerns, and expectations about AI, I led research that refined Submittable’s Responsible AI framework and strategy.

OVERVIEW

Sample slide from research report (PII & confidential info redacted)

Marketing video for Submittable’s AI Launch

CONTEXT

As Submittable began exploring where AI fit into our product suite, we crafted a set of public facing ‘Responsible AI’ principles to guide our approach. They helped to inform our first steps toward AI integration, but as a product team, we lacked a concrete understanding of customer expectations, beliefs, and concerns surrounding AI.

Working closely with our Director of Science, I led foundational research to better understand user perceptions of AI in grant making and how our existing approach resonated.

MY WORK

I planned and led semi-structured interviews with 5 grant makers and 5 grant seekers that uncovered critical insights about how we should (and shouldn’t) leverage AI within our platform.

🙋 Recruited both existing and prospective users to ensure representation of perspectives from the industry at large

📝 Structured a 2 pronged interview approach: both open ended discovery & evaluation of Submittable’s Responsible AI principles

🔍 Exposed critical gaps in trust surrounding AI-driven funding processes and identified strategies to build user confidence

IMPACT

I distilled the findings from this research into actionable recommendations for the product team that drove feature direction and informed our AI launch strategy.

💡 Wrote HMW statements that mobilized the research to shape critical product decision making for our beta AI features

📽️ Produced clip reel highlighting impactful participant quotes to quickly immerse busy stakeholders into the research & build user empathy

⚡ Collaborated with cross functional leadership to infuse insights into our marketing & sales enablement efforts via our launch site, industry thought pieces, and Microsoft sponsored webinar.