MFA Graduate Research Project | Sarah Sterner-Hausknecht, CreateHER Stories

As a graphic designer and educator, Sarah is fascinated with the impact design has on the learning experience and how learners process information. She pursued her MFA in Communication Design to become a better educator and broaden her design portfolio. When she isn’t in the classroom, Sarah runs her freelance business, practices hand-lettering, is vice-president of the American Advertising Federation of the Greater Lehigh Valley, enjoys gardening, and chasing after her two kiddos.

Women currently represent about 11% of creative directors in the United States. Although that figure is rising, women are under-represented in higher-ranking positions, and the creative industry is no exception. However, women have been essential in the creative industry for centuries. 

This slot-stacking educational card game, geared towards girls ages 7-14, focuses on global women who have contributed to design history. Bringing attention to the contributions of diverse women throughout history empowers girls to follow their passion and builds resilience. The boxed starter pack features 16 women from the six world regions. To play, players take turns connecting cards by their corresponding woman’s traits into a structure with countless configuration possibilities. Learners also develop fine motor and basic engineering skills while building their card structures. Teamwork is encouraged through a collaborative play option. Other ways to play the game include advanced quiz techniques.

Learning extends through the website, where users can filter women into groups by their traits, observing how these women’s connections transcend time and geographical constraints. Each woman has a “fairy-tale-like” story explaining their triumphs, challenges, and inspiring life lessons that we can learn from their stories. Activity suggestions to extend learning are on individual pages.

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