Week 9 Stand-up

Note on timing. The brief asked for this page before the Week 9 stand-up. We presented in our Week 9 studio on [date, confirm: Tue 22 or Thu 24 Sep 2026] but did not post the page beforehand. It was written up on 13 October 2026 from our stand-up script, team notes and the feedback we received. Nothing below was added with hindsight except section 5, which is marked as such.

1. Where we were

The question had changed. We started with how might context-aware mobile technology and social features support UQ students in making healthier food choices while grocery shopping? Research pushed us to: how might we support students' real grocery decisions around price, time, personal priorities and household needs, without adding effort, judgement or another unnecessary app?

Research done by Week 9

• Round 1 exploratory interviews with UQ students who shop near St Lucia. Themes: price first, time pressure, routine, trust-based social influence. See User Research.
• Literature review: individual focus of food-choice tools (Marshall et al., 2022); inspiration vs action from social media food content (Wang et al., 2024); in-store support without a social dimension (Strecker et al., 2024, ShoppingCoach); social nudges tested online (Di Cosola & Neff, 2022).
• Prototype interviews using v1, an app probe (friend recommendations, group goals, recipes, shopping checklist).
• Thematic synthesis and divergent ideation of non-app concepts (budget device, shopping traffic light, shared list device, trolley-based support).
• Prototype interviews with v2, NutriCart Hub: a Home Dock and a detachable Cart Unit, about half with a physical cardboard Cart Unit and half with an HTML walkthrough of both units, one participant at a time.
• An attempt at shadowing shoppers in store: one session completed, several people declined.

Experience requirements we had settled on

1. Low effort: no constant logging in store.
2. Price aware: budget and price visible when they matter.
3. User-defined priorities: no universal "healthy" verdict.
4. Optional, trusted social input: no public comparison.
5. Fits existing lists and household coordination.
6. Right moment: planning at home, quick decisions in store.
7. Works for solo and shared shopping.
8. Doesn't create another phone task.

Evaluation findings presented

• Keep: shared list, running budget, trusted housemate and friend recommendations, neutral compare, minimal in-store interaction.
• Change: a smaller Cart Unit that works on baskets as well as trolleys; list as the default screen; budget most prominent; compare optional; rare alerts (deals and already-at-home only); faster Dock input; off-list items addable in store; group goals optional.
• Method lesson: shadowing raised privacy, self-consciousness, time burden and observer effects. The low participation was itself a finding.

Functional prototype progress: the v2 HTML Hub (Home Dock and Cart Unit screens, no shared state between devices) and cardboard units. No multi-device version yet.

2. Plan presented

Run lower-burden field testing: participants shop normally with a simplified prototype, then do a short retrospective interview using the list or receipt as a prompt. Build the multi-user version for the tradeshow.

3. Feedback we received

From	Feedback
Tutor	Surprised we hadn't tested with the physical prototype. (In the v2 round, about half the sessions used a physical Cart Unit and half an HTML walkthrough; the Home Dock was only ever on screen, and sessions were one-on-one, not with groups.)
Tutor	A better outcome if the app supports a physical instantiation that people actually use.
Tutor	If people don't understand it, work out why, then build.
Ben (via tutor)	The social aspect is weak: what is the point? Apps are individual by nature. How could a group use a physical device?
Tutor	Keep it location-based and social; stay within the social/mobile literature.

4. Outcomes and next steps (agreed after the stand-up)

• Redesign around group interaction moments where more than one housemate uses the Hub (G1–G6, see Design Process Overview).
• Build v3 as physical units with live-synced screens so several people can use them at once.
• Evaluate with groups, in context: housemates at their own kitchen bench, and pairs shopping.
• Fix data inconsistencies before anything is published (participant counts and IDs).

5. What happened next (added 13 Oct, after the fact)

• Post-stand-up direction document circulated during the mid-semester break (3 Oct).
• James built a working backend with a Home Hub page and an Expo Cart Unit with barcode scanning (files dated 8 Oct, shared with the team 13 Oct, as v0.1 and v0.2).
• v0.3 added the household layer (G1–G6) on top of James's code (13 Oct).