👩🏽💻 Hello! I'm Rachel
I shape educational experiences, mission-driven technology, and community-focused design
Kaona
Bridging interactive learning with Hawaiian lore with through a role-playing game and digital “Storyteller”
UX Design • Game Design • In Development
Kumu Connect
Empowering culturally relevant CS education with asset-based AI tools for teachers
UX Research • UX Design • In Progress
About Me
I'm Rachel, a UX Designer and Researcher in educational technology and community-based design, with a focus on the intersections of culturally revitalizing education, AI for low-resource languages, and game-based learning.
I bring robust experience in human-centered design, participatory research, and project leadership, with two rigorous design degrees and 6+ years co-designing with communities. My work is informed by my multidisciplinary background and Latina hertiage, aiming to provide equitable, engaging, and culturally affirming educational experiences to K-12 students.
I currently lead the Education and Public Interest HCI research group of Georgia Tech's Ka Moamoa Ubiquitous Computing Lab, under the guidance of Dr. Josiah Hester. I was recently awarded the College of Computing's Outstanding Research Scientist Award for 2025.
Projects
Facilitating cultural (re)connection and exploration through a recipe exchange platform
IODA
Transforming how a global audience understands internet shutdowns through a data dashboard redesign
UX Design • Data Visualization
Mastering language nuances with an app for learning idioms and slang
Pickrick Project
Educating and engaging through AR storytelling of Atlanta’s civil rights history
UX Design • Game Design
Reimagining architectural co-design with a video conference app blending sketching and digital drafting
Crafting Consistency
Transforming the U.S. Asylum Office's design system for improved functionality and user experience.
UX Design • Design Systems
Fostering friendships for introverted international students via a dedicated social app
Research
IDC 2026 • Full Paper
★ Honorable Mention for Best Full Paper
Rachel Baker-Ramos, Manas Mhasakar, Viswak Raja, Evyn-Bree Helekahi-Kaiwi, William Gelder, Benjamin Carter, Rebecca Diego, Alex Cabral, Josiah Hester. 25th Annual ACM Interaction Design and Children Conference (IDC '26). (Acceptance rate: 23%)
RESPECT 2025 • Full Paper
Rachel Baker-Ramos, Will Gelder, Leah Cho, Jahnavi Kolakaluri, Josiah Hester. 2025 ACM Conference on Research on Equitable and Sustained Participation in Engineering, Computing, and Technology (RESPECT '25).
CHI 2026 • Full Paper
Noondawind: Co-Designed Dashboard for Indigenous Data Access and Environmental Policy Implementation
Julia Aileen McKenna, Gabriela Buraglia, Jahanvi Kolakaluri, Rachel Baker-Ramos, Samantha Carter, Joe Graveen, Jonathan Gilbert, James Rasmussen, Brandon Byrne, Darren Vogt, Josiah Hester, Kim Marion Suiseeya, Alex Cabral. ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ’26)
CHI 2025 • Late-Breaking Work
Manas Mhasakar*, Rachel Baker-Ramos*, Ben Carter, Evyn-Bree Helekahi-Kaiwi, Josiah Hester. ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA '25) *denotes equal contribution
RESPECT 2024 • Full Paper
William Gelder, Rachel Baker-Ramos, Ayoung Cho, Jahnavi Kolakaluri, Judith Uchidiuno, Josiah Hester. 2024 ACM Conference on Research on Equitable and Sustained Participation in Engineering, Computing, and Technology (RESPECT '24).
CHI 2026 • Full Paper
Whose Knowledge Counts? Co-Designing Community-Centered AI Auditing Tools with Educators in Hawai‘i
Dora Zhao, Hannah Cha, Michael J Ryan, Angelina Wang, Rachel Baker-Ramos, Evyn-Bree Helekahi-Kaiwi, Rebecca Diego, Josiah Hester, Diyi Yang. ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ’26)
CHI PLAY 2024 • Work-in-Progress
Rachel Baker-Ramos, Michael Parkin, Angelica Raza-Furtado, Alika S. Naihe, Jack Hobbs, Jeffrey Vierra, Aarom Ramirez, Chantel Rubin-Molina, Cheradean Kaaialii, Celeste Mason, Yaman Sangar, May Okihiro, Josiah Hester. 2024 ACM Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play (CHI PLAY '24)
Koli Calling 2023 • Full Paper
Keeping Mindful of Modality: A Comparison of Computer Science Education Resources for Learning
Michael J. Johnson, Rachel Baker-Ramos, Christopher L. Hovey, Betsy DiSalvo. 23rd ACM Koli Calling International Conference on Computing Education Research (Koli Calling '23)
Illustration & Graphic Design
Kaona Game Art
Bridging interactive learning with Hawaiian lore with through a role-playing game and digital “Storyteller”
Game Art • UX Design
Veggie Mijas
Elevating the identity of a food justice org through strategic branding and logo redesign
Illustration • Graphic Design
Birthing Rights Zines
Distributing critical maternal health information via accessible and engaging zines
Illustration • Research
The Archive
Lloyds: Erosion and Reoccupation
A projection of erosion and reoccupation of Lloyds of London
Architecture
Eco-Morphology
An architectural study on connectivity, symbiosis, and weaving the built environment with the land
Architecture
Birth Rights: Design Proposal
A birthing community center, focused on dignity and continuous support systems
Architecture
Conservation on Aisle Four
The Rise and Failure of Eco-Commerce in the 1980s and 1990s
Research • History
