SpecialGuest designed the first-ever STEM personality test with IBM to show underrepresented and marginalized adults that everyone has a place in STEM and guide them towards IBM SkillsBuild online courses. This personalized, fun approach enhanced the accessibility and appeal of STEM education, breaking down barriers by tailoring the learning experience to individuals’ preferences and needs.
Serving marginalized communities, the personality quiz matched specific interests to specific tech skills. To reach an audience curious about STEM, SpecialGuest created a mobile-optimized quiz and distributed it through strategic partnerships with influential content creators like Zahra Hashimee and Forbes 30 under 30 awardee, Astro Alexandra. Each creator was selected because of their diverse background and relevancy in a specific area or expertise in science, technology, engineering or math. The initiative utilizes major social channels, especially TikTok and Instagram, to jumpstart a movement dedicated to addressing the pervasive issue of underrepresentation in STEM. A crucial design element is the incorporation of an engaging quiz. The quiz guides individuals toward specific "tech types" while tapping into the innate human desire to explore and understand more about themselves. At the end of the quiz, participants would receive a tech personality type linked to specific roles and jobs within STEM best suited to their personality. Emails captured from the campaign and quiz unlocked access to IBM’s comprehensive learning hub, IBM SkillsBuild, a free online platform to teach adults about STEM. Making STEM accessible through personality quizzes, partnership through diverse STEM creators, combatting imposter syndrome, and delivering added resources makes the project an ideal candidate for Shorty Awards - Education category.
The quiz received over 420,000 views across TikTok and Instagram and was organically shared over 5,000 times. Thousands of adults took the quiz and subsequently signed up to IBM Skillshare to learn more about the fields. Adults who took the quiz and registered for IBM SkillsBuild automatically received lessons built into their profile that corresponded with their personality results.
