Pace University Students Complete Industry UX Research Collaboration with Mentage

Students in the Human Factors & Usability Metrics course at Pace University's Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems successfully completed a 15-week industry collaboration with cognitive wellness company Mentage, delivering structured usability research and UX recommendations for the company's platform, MEVA.

Led by instructor Karen Joy Abraham, the initiative provided students with a rare opportunity to work directly with a product in development and real users in a client-facing research environment. The collaboration focused on evaluating MEVA, a cognitive wellness application designed to support cognitive vitality and well-being for older adults through accessible, research-informed activities.

"I made this initiative to give students the opportunity to engage in meaningful human-centered research while learning how UX work functions in real organizational settings," said Abraham. "Students were able to practice hands-on research methods, usability evaluation, collaborative analysis, and professional presentation skills in a way that mirrors industry expectations."

The project was structured as a two-phase usability testing initiative that immersed students in the full UX research lifecycle—from expert evaluation and heuristic analysis to live usability interviews and client-ready reporting.

During the first phase, student teams conducted cognitive walkthroughs and heuristic evaluations of the MEVA app. Applying established usability principles, students analyzed core user tasks, identified friction points, and assessed the effectiveness of the app's interaction design.

Pace, at its best, is exactly this: a place where future clinicians, designers, and researchers are learning how to observe carefully, listen well, and design around the realities of the society they hope to serve.

One student, Yuliya Semika, said the experience demonstrated how research directly influences design decisions.

"The Mentage collaboration taught me how research can influence the design process," Semika said. "I learned that every company approaches branding, accessibility, onboarding, personalization, and user trust differently. This was helpful in understanding how design affects user perception, engagement, and overall comfort in using a product."

In the second phase, students conducted live usability testing sessions with adults aged 40 and older. Working in teams, students facilitated interviews, observed participant interactions, synthesized findings, and developed evidence-based UX recommendations for the Mentage team.

As part of the collaboration, participating students understood the value of consent and confidentiality agreements and followed structured research protocols to ensure ethical handling of participant information and proprietary product materials. The project was reviewed and approved in its entirety through Pace University's Institutional Review Board process.

For student Yash Prajapathi, the project provided an opportunity to apply classroom concepts to a real-world design challenge.

"The Mentage project was one of the most fulfilling and professional experiences of the semester," Prajapathi said. "Working with a real client provided our class with a tangible application of our UX knowledge to address an authentic design challenge. I used to interpret accessibility solely on a functional level, but the project made me realize the power of design to influence a user's feelings of comfort and confidence."

Students ultimately delivered comprehensive usability reports, task analyses, interface recommendations, and client-facing presentations that translated their research findings into actionable insights for the Mentage team.

The collaboration emphasized not only technical UX skills, but also professional research ethics, participant privacy, stakeholder communication, and real-world project management. Students gained hands-on experience using industry-standard UX methodologies while producing portfolio-quality deliverables under authentic product constraints.

The initiative helped bridge the gap between academic learning and professional UX practice, allowing students to contribute directly to a startup product while gaining experience relevant to careers in UX research, human-computer interaction, and product design.

Aimee Pathyil, chief health education officer of Mentage and a faculty member in Pace University's Physician Assistant Program, reflected on the significance of the collaboration.

"As faculty in Pace University's Physician Assistant Program, I try to teach future clinicians to observe carefully, ask the second question, and take seriously what a family is describing before it becomes an emergency," Pathyil said.

"That is why this collaboration with Karen's Human Factors and Usability Metrics class was so meaningful. Karen's students brought genuine human-factors knowledge and suggested recommendations grounded in direct observation of real users.

"Pace, at its best, is exactly this: a place where future clinicians, designers, and researchers are learning how to observe carefully, listen well, and design around the realities of the society they hope to serve."

The successful completion of the initiative marks an important milestone for both the students and the partnership between Pace University and Mentage, demonstrating how experiential learning within the Seidenberg School prepares emerging UX professionals to contribute meaningful insights to real-world products and organizations.