MSI 2 - ISIS-3510-DreamTeam/Sprint1-DesignThinking GitHub Wiki
MS2 – Design Thinking Process Practice
1. Selected Problems
The four problems selected during MS2-O1 were:
| # | Problem | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Screen Time | University students often want to cut down on their screen time, but built-in tools like Apple's Screen Time or Android's Digital Wellbeing tend to be passive: they show usage stats or send occasional reminders, yet do little to actually change behavior. Without stronger engagement mechanisms, such as gamification, social accountability, or real-time awareness of habits, students find it easy to ignore limits or dismiss warnings, especially during high-stress periods like exam weeks. As a result, the intention to reduce screen time rarely translates into consistent, lasting behavior change. |
| 2 | Parking Lots | It's well known that Los Andes University's parking lots are limited, all potential users (specially students), have to make long lines and wait tens of minutes for being able to park inside the only parking lot that this institution has. One of the biggest problems is not knowing when a parking lot is free, if are they full or what's the approximate time in line for getting a place to park. Knowing the actual situation, if the potential users of the parking lot could get real time information about the parking lot state, statistics about it or even make a reservation, lots of problems related with it could be solved. |
| 3 | Music Discovery | People often notice strangers around them clearly enjoying music through their headphones but have no way to discover what song is playing without approaching them. Music discovery currently happens mostly through algorithms or friends, not through the spontaneous curiosity sparked by seeing a stranger absorbed in a song in a public space. Existing features like Spotify's public listening status are underused and not tied to physical proximity, so this in-the-moment social signal is lost. A location-based app that links to users' streaming accounts and visualizes nearby listeners (with adjustable privacy tiers, from anonymous sound waves to a full profile) could turn everyday public spaces into a live, ambient music discovery experience. |
| 4 | Marketplace | In the university communities there is usually a waste of resources, (i.e.) the academic materials required for the courses. Since frequently, these are bought for a class and once the course is over, they are never used again and instead they are kept and forgotten or thrown away. Additionally, it is sometimes hard to find these resources and buying them brand-new can be very expensive and many students are willing to use second-hand materials provided by their peers. |
2. Interviews
2.1 Screen Time
Interview Structure
Interview Hypothesis: University students who want to reduce their screen time have difficulty doing so consistently because current usage-control tools do not provide enough motivation, engagement, or awareness of their digital habits.
| # | Question | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | How do you normally use your phone during a university day? | To understand the interviewee's general phone usage habits and daily context. |
| 2 | At what moments of the day do you feel you use your phone the most? | To identify situations or moments in which phone use is more frequent. |
| 3 | Which applications do you use most frequently? What do you use them for? | To identify the applications that contribute the most to screen time and understand whether their use is academic, social, or recreational. |
| 4 | Have you ever checked how much screen time you have per day? What did you think when you saw it? | To understand the interviewee's awareness and perception of their current screen time. |
| 5 | How do you feel about the amount of time you spend on your phone? | To determine whether the interviewee perceives their screen time as excessive or problematic. |
| 6 | Are there moments when you feel that you use your phone for longer than you would like? Tell me about the last time this happened. | To understand real situations in which the interviewee loses control of their phone usage and identify possible triggers. |
| 7 | What consequences, if any, have you noticed from spending too much time on your phone? | To identify the impact of screen time on areas such as productivity, studying, sleep, concentration, or social interactions. |
| 8 | Are there moments when you would like to use your phone less? Which ones? | To identify specific contexts in which reducing screen time would be valuable to the interviewee. |
| 9 | Have you ever tried to reduce your screen time? Tell me what you did. | To understand previous attempts and strategies used to manage screen time. |
| 10 | What made you want to reduce it? | To identify the motivations that lead the interviewee to change their behavior. |
| 11 | How well did that strategy work? | To evaluate the effectiveness of strategies the interviewee has already tried. |
| 12 | What made it difficult to maintain that strategy? | To identify barriers that prevent long-term behavior change. |
| 13 | Did you eventually stop using that strategy? Why? | To understand why screen-time reduction strategies may be abandoned over time. |
| 14 | Have you ever used any tool to control your screen time? | To identify whether the interviewee has experience with existing screen-time management solutions. |
| 15 | What did you like and dislike about those tools? | To identify strengths and weaknesses of existing solutions. |
| 16 | What do you normally do when an application tells you that you have reached your screen-time limit? | To understand whether current screen-time restrictions actually influence behavior or are easily ignored. |
| 17 | What would need to happen for you to actually respect that limit? | To identify possible motivational mechanisms that could make screen-time limits more effective. |
| 18 | What usually motivates you to maintain a habit? | To understand the types of motivation that help the interviewee sustain behavioral changes. |
| 19 | What would motivate you the most to reduce your screen time? | To identify motivational mechanisms that could potentially be incorporated into the solution. |
| 20 | Do you think seeing the consequences of your screen-time habits in a more visible way would affect your behavior? Why? | To explore whether visual feedback could influence screen-time decisions without introducing the proposed solution yet. |
| 21 | What do you think would make you lose interest in a screen-time management application after a few days? | To identify possible causes of abandonment and understand what could affect long-term engagement. |
Complete Interviews
What–How–Why
Four relevant situations were identified from the interview.
Situations from interview 1
| Situation | What? | How? | Why? | Who? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The user checks and uses their phone frequently throughout the day, especially when they are bored or have nothing else to do. | They keep the phone close at hand and use apps such as Instagram, YouTube, Spotify, Chrome, and messaging tools. Their use increases during periods of inactivity or boredom. | The phone serves both as a work and communication tool and as an easy source of entertainment when the user has free time. Boredom appears to trigger unintentional screen use. | A university student who uses their phone for work, communication, news, music, and entertainment. |
| 2 | The user checks their screen-time statistics and realizes they spend around six hours per day on their phone. | They recognize that the amount of time may be problematic, but describe feeling somewhat resigned about it and believe that phone use is difficult to avoid in everyday life. | The user may feel that excessive phone use is unavoidable because smartphones are necessary for communication, work, and social interaction. This creates awareness of the problem without a strong sense of control over it. | The same university student, who is aware of their high screen time but feels that phone use is necessary for many daily activities. |
| 3 | The user tries to reduce their screen time by deleting frequently used applications and setting usage limits. | These strategies work temporarily, but they are difficult to maintain because the user is accustomed to using the apps and many of them are also part of their social life. | The user wants to reduce screen time, but habits and the social importance of these applications make sustained behavior change difficult. Their need to stay connected competes with their desire to use the phone less. | A student who has actively attempted to reduce screen time but struggles to maintain the change because of established habits and social needs. |
| 4 | The user reaches an app time limit but extends or bypasses the restriction instead of stopping. | When the limit appears, they simply add more time. They say that current tools are too easy to override and would prefer a system that blocks access more strictly for a predetermined period. | The user believes stronger restrictions would help because self-imposed limits are easy to ignore in the moment. Their motivation for reducing screen time is related to feeling calmer and reducing the anxiety and lack of concentration they associate with excessive phone use. | A student who wants more effective external support to control distracting phone use and reduce feelings of anxiety and distraction. |
Situations from interview 2
| Situation | What? | How? | Why? | Who? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Using his phone during class when he loses focus | He checks notifications, chats with friends on WhatsApp, and watches Reels/TikToks during gaps between lessons | Boredom or disengagement with class content, he notes that the more motivating the class, the more he concentrates and the less he reaches for his phone | Santiago, a university student, during lecture time |
| 2 | Heavy phone use when alone with unstructured time | He scrolls through TikTok and Instagram to "burn time" between classes or once he's home and the day is over | He uses his phone to fill empty time and cope with boredom or the lack of a defined activity | Santiago, alone, in transition periods between activities |
| 3 | Trying to limit his screen time using his iPhone's built-in Screen Time feature | He set up the app-limit/passcode function, but since he knows the password himself, he can override it whenever he wants | The tool only works as a weak reminder, not a real constraint, because he retains control to bypass it, suggesting he needs an external or stricter form of accountability to actually change behavior | Santiago, alone, self-regulating (unsuccessfully) via a built-in phone feature |
| 4 | Naturally spending less time on his phone | This happens when he's sharing a meal with friends, having lunch with more people, or going on dates with his girlfriend | In-person social connection and quality time replace the need to fill time with the phone, thus meaning that social presence outcompetes the phone's pull | Santiago, together with friends or his girlfriend, in social settings |
Interviewee: Santiago Tinjacá, a Master's student in systems and computer engineering Interviewer: Sara Catalina González Date: August 14th, 2026
Summary of the interviews
Summary for interview 1
The interviewee uses their phone throughout the day for work, communication, entertainment, music, and news, particularly Instagram, YouTube, Spotify, and Chrome. They reported approximately six hours of daily screen time and recognized that they sometimes use their phone more than they would like, especially when they are bored or have nothing else to do. They identified distraction and difficulty concentrating as consequences of excessive phone use and described feeling somewhat resigned to their current habits. The interviewee has tried reducing their screen time by deleting frequently used applications and setting schedules, but found it difficult to maintain these strategies because phone use has become a habit and many applications are important for social interaction. They have also used built-in screen-time controls but felt that these restrictions were too easy to bypass. When discussing what could motivate them to reduce their screen time, they emphasized wanting to feel more at ease, explaining that “siento que el uso del celular da como mucha ansiedad en cierta forma.” Overall, the interview suggests that although the participant is aware of their excessive phone use, awareness alone is not enough to produce sustained behavior change, particularly because of habitual use, boredom, social needs, and the ease of bypassing existing restrictions.
2.2 Parking
Interview Structure
Interview Hypothesis: Students and other potential users of the Los Andes parking lot experience significant uncertainty and frustration because they don't know whether parking spaces are available, how long the queue is, or how long they will have to wait. Real-time information and/or reservations could reduce this problem.
| # | Question | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ¿Cómo llegas normalmente a la Universidad de los Andes? | To understand the interviewee's usual transportation habits and establish whether parking is relevant to their university routine. |
| 2 | ¿Con qué frecuencia vienes en carro a la universidad? | To determine how frequently the interviewee experiences the parking situation and identify regular versus occasional users. |
| 3 | ¿Dónde estacionas normalmente cuando vienes en carro? | To identify the parking options the interviewee currently uses. |
| 4 | ¿Por qué prefieres estacionar allí? | To understand the factors that influence the interviewee's choice of parking location, such as convenience, cost, proximity, or availability. |
| 5 | Cuéntame sobre la última vez que viniste en carro y tuviste que buscar dónde estacionar. | To understand the interviewee's actual recent parking experience and identify the steps, difficulties, and emotions involved. |
| 6 | Antes de venir a la universidad, ¿normalmente sabes si vas a encontrar parqueadero? | To determine how predictable parking availability is from the interviewee's perspective. |
| 7 | ¿Cómo decides si venir en carro o utilizar otro medio de transporte? | To understand the factors that influence the decision to drive or use alternative transportation. |
| 8 | ¿Alguna vez has llegado esperando encontrar parqueadero y no has encontrado? Cuéntame sobre esa situación. | To identify concrete experiences of parking unavailability and understand how the interviewee reacts when this happens. |
| 9 | ¿Hay alguna información que te gustaría conocer antes de salir de casa cuando vienes en carro? | To identify information the interviewee considers useful before beginning their trip. |
| 10 | Pensando en tus experiencias buscando parqueadero, ¿cuál dirías que es el principal inconveniente? | To identify the interviewee's most important pain point in the parking experience. |
| 11 | ¿Alguna vez el tiempo que tardaste en encontrar parqueadero afectó lo que tenías planeado hacer en la universidad? | To determine whether parking difficulties have consequences for the interviewee's academic, work, or personal activities. |
| 12 | ¿Qué tan frecuente ocurre esto? | To understand how often parking-related problems have a meaningful impact on the interviewee. |
| 13 | En un día normal, ¿cuánto tiempo calculas que dedicas a buscar o esperar por un espacio? | To estimate the amount of time the interviewee typically spends dealing with parking and quantify the potential impact of the problem. |
| 14 | Cuando sabes que probablemente será difícil estacionar, ¿qué haces? | To understand how the interviewee currently adapts their behavior when they anticipate parking difficulties. |
| 15 | ¿Actualmente haces algo para evitar perder tiempo buscando parqueadero? | To identify strategies the interviewee already uses to reduce the time or uncertainty associated with parking. |
| 16 | ¿Utilizas alguna aplicación, página web, grupo de WhatsApp u otro medio para saber si hay parqueadero disponible? | To identify existing information sources and tools used to manage parking availability. |
| 17 | ¿Has utilizado anteriormente algún sistema que te permita conocer la disponibilidad de un parqueadero antes de llegar? | To determine whether the interviewee has previous experience with parking availability systems and establish a basis for evaluating existing solutions. |
| 18 | Si has utilizado algún sistema de este tipo, ¿qué tan útil te resultó y qué información te proporcionaba? | To understand the perceived usefulness and functionality of existing parking availability solutions. |
| 19 | Si has utilizado algún sistema de este tipo, ¿qué le cambiarías? | To identify shortcomings and opportunities for improvement in existing parking solutions. |
| 20 | Si nunca has utilizado un sistema de este tipo, ¿cómo manejas actualmente la incertidumbre de no saber si encontrarás parqueadero? | To understand how users without existing parking information tools currently cope with uncertainty. |
| 21 | Si pudieras conocer la disponibilidad del parqueadero antes de llegar, ¿qué tan útil sería para ti? ¿Por qué? | To evaluate the perceived value of having parking availability information before arriving. |
| 22 | ¿Qué información te gustaría conocer antes de llegar al parqueadero? | To identify which types of information users consider most valuable when making parking decisions. |
| 23 | ¿Qué pensarías de poder conocer el número aproximado de espacios disponibles, el tiempo estimado de espera o la longitud de la fila? | To evaluate which specific indicators of parking availability would be useful to the interviewee. |
| 24 | ¿Qué harías con esa información? | To understand how the interviewee would actually use parking information and whether it could change their behavior. |
| 25 | ¿Qué pensarías de poder reservar un espacio antes de llegar? | To explore the interviewee's initial reaction to the possibility of parking reservations without assuming that they would necessarily want one. |
| 26 | ¿En qué situaciones utilizarías una reserva? | To identify the specific circumstances in which a parking reservation would provide value to the interviewee. |
| 27 | ¿Hay alguna razón por la que no utilizarías un sistema de información o reserva de parqueadero? | To identify barriers, concerns, or reasons that could prevent adoption of a potential solution. |
| 28 | Si existiera un sistema de este tipo, ¿qué tendría que ofrecer para que realmente cambiaras la manera en que actualmente manejas el parqueadero? | To identify the conditions and features necessary for the proposed solution to meaningfully change the interviewee's current behavior. |
| 29 | ¿Hay algo más sobre tu experiencia con el parqueadero de la universidad que consideres importante y que no hayamos hablado? | To give the interviewee an opportunity to introduce problems, needs, or experiences that were not anticipated by the interview questions. |
| 30 | Si pudieras cambiar una sola cosa de la experiencia de estacionar en la universidad, ¿qué cambiarías? | To identify the interviewee's highest-priority improvement and validate whether it aligns with the hypothesized problem. |
| 31 | Si existiera una aplicación que te brinde información sobre el estado de los parqueaderos ¿Qué tipo de monetización te parecería aceptable? | To identify the interviewee's preferred monetization model and understand potential barriers to adopting the application. |
Entrevista revisada:
| # | Question | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ¿Cómo llegas normalmente a la Universidad de los Andes? | To understand the interviewee's usual transportation habits and establish whether parking is relevant to their university routine. |
| 2 | ¿Con qué frecuencia vienes en carro a la universidad? | To determine how frequently the interviewee experiences the parking situation and identify regular versus occasional users. |
| 3 | ¿Dónde estacionas normalmente cuando vienes en carro? | To identify the parking options the interviewee currently uses. |
| 4 | ¿Por qué prefieres estacionar allí? | To understand the factors that influence the interviewee's choice of parking location, such as convenience, cost, proximity, or availability. |
| 5 | Cuéntame sobre la última vez que viniste en carro y tuviste que buscar dónde estacionar. | To understand the interviewee's actual recent parking experience and identify the steps, difficulties, and emotions involved. |
| 6 | ¿Qué tan fácil o difícil es para ti saber qué esperar del parqueadero antes de venir? | To understand how predictable the parking experience is from the interviewee's perspective without assuming that availability is a problem. |
| 7 | ¿Cómo decides si venir en carro o utilizar otro medio de transporte? | To understand the factors that influence the decision to drive or use alternative transportation. |
| 8 | ¿Alguna vez has llegado esperando encontrar parqueadero y no has encontrado? Cuéntame sobre esa situación. | To identify concrete experiences of parking unavailability and understand how the interviewee reacts when this happens. |
| 9 | ¿Qué haces normalmente para decidir cómo y cuándo venir en carro? | To understand how the interviewee currently prepares for their trip and makes decisions related to parking. |
| 10 | ¿Cómo describirías tu experiencia buscando parqueadero en la universidad? | To allow the interviewee to describe their overall experience and naturally identify positive and negative aspects without presupposing a specific problem. |
| 11 | ¿Alguna vez el tiempo que tardaste en encontrar parqueadero afectó lo que tenías planeado hacer en la universidad? | To determine whether parking-related experiences have consequences for the interviewee's academic, work, or personal activities. |
| 12 | ¿Qué tan frecuente ocurre esto? | To understand how often parking-related experiences have a meaningful impact on the interviewee. |
| 13 | Cuando vienes en carro, ¿cómo describirías el proceso de encontrar dónde estacionar? | To understand the parking process and identify how much time or effort the interviewee typically spends finding a space. |
| 14 | Cuando sabes que probablemente será difícil estacionar, ¿qué haces? | To understand how the interviewee currently adapts their behavior when they anticipate parking difficulties. |
| 15 | ¿Haces algo actualmente para facilitar o hacer más predecible el proceso de estacionar? | To identify strategies the interviewee already uses to make the parking process easier or more predictable. |
| 16 | ¿Utilizas alguna aplicación, página web, grupo de WhatsApp u otro medio para saber si hay parqueadero disponible? | To identify existing information sources and tools used to manage or anticipate the parking situation. |
| 17 | ¿Has utilizado anteriormente algún sistema que te permita conocer la disponibilidad de un parqueadero antes de llegar? | To determine whether the interviewee has previous experience with parking availability systems and establish a basis for evaluating existing solutions. |
| 18 | Si has utilizado algún sistema de este tipo, ¿qué tan útil te resultó y qué información te proporcionaba? | To understand the perceived usefulness and functionality of existing parking availability solutions. |
| 19 | Si has utilizado algún sistema de este tipo, ¿qué le cambiarías? | To identify shortcomings and opportunities for improvement in existing parking solutions. |
| 20 | Si no tienes información sobre el estado del parqueadero antes de llegar, ¿qué haces normalmente? | To understand how the interviewee currently deals with the situation when they do not know what to expect from the parking facility. |
| 21 | ¿Qué información, si alguna, crees que podría hacer más fácil tu decisión de venir en carro? | To identify whether additional information could be valuable to the interviewee without suggesting a specific type of information. |
| 22 | ¿Qué información te gustaría conocer antes de llegar al parqueadero? | To identify which types of information users consider most valuable when making parking-related decisions. |
| 23 | Si pudieras conocer alguna información sobre el estado del parqueadero antes de llegar, ¿qué te gustaría saber? | To identify the specific information the interviewee considers useful without suggesting predefined features. |
| 24 | ¿Qué harías con esa información? | To understand how the interviewee would use parking information and whether it could influence their decisions or behavior. |
| 25 | ¿Qué opinas de la idea de reservar un espacio antes de llegar? | To explore the interviewee's reaction to parking reservations while allowing them to express positive, negative, or neutral opinions. |
| 26 | ¿En qué situaciones, si alguna, utilizarías una reserva? | To identify the circumstances in which a parking reservation could provide value to the interviewee. |
| 27 | ¿Hay alguna razón por la que no utilizarías un sistema de información o reserva de parqueadero? | To identify barriers, concerns, or reasons that could prevent adoption of a potential solution. |
| 28 | ¿Qué características tendría que tener un sistema así para que consideraras utilizarlo? | To identify the conditions and features that could make a potential solution relevant enough for the interviewee to consider using it. |
| 29 | ¿Hay algo más sobre tu experiencia con el parqueadero de la universidad que consideres importante y que no hayamos hablado? | To give the interviewee an opportunity to introduce problems, needs, or experiences that were not anticipated by the interview questions. |
| 30 | Si pudieras cambiar una sola cosa de la experiencia de estacionar en la universidad, ¿qué cambiarías? | To identify the interviewee's highest-priority improvement and determine which aspect of the parking experience they value most. |
| 31 | Si existiera una aplicación que brindara información sobre el estado de los parqueaderos, ¿pagarías por utilizarla? ¿Por qué? | To explore the interviewee's willingness to pay and understand their perception of the value of a potential parking information service. |
**Interview 1: **
Interviewee: Maria Margarita Ruiz Rivera - Physics & Art student who pays a subscription to secure a parking spot daily
Interviewer: Juan Felipe Camelo
Date: 13/08/2026
**Interview 2: **
Interviewee: Maria Paula Orduz Pinilla - Physics student who chooses not to park on SD due to availability.
Interviewer: Hernán Ramírez Rodríguez
Date: 14/08/2026
Complete Interviews
Summary of the interviews
Summary for interview 1
The interviewee is currently paying a membership fee to always have an available parking spot, meaning that the problem of not finding a parking spot is essentially nonexistent for her. As she explains, “A mí personalmente no, porque ya tengo mi parqueadero asegurado.” Her main pain point is instead the traffic caused by other cars queuing to find parking, which she identifies as “el trancón que se genera alrededor de la universidad justamente por la gente que busca parqueadero.” This can significantly affect her commute, even causing her to arrive late to class: “Esos 10 minutos pueden ser en un trancón a pesar de que estoy a 2 minutos del parqueadero. Y pues llego tarde a clase.” To avoid this, she usually leaves home significantly earlier than necessary.
Summar for interview 2
The interviewee usually drives to Universidad de los Andes and parks near Calle 22 because it tends to have available spaces, although she sometimes has to leave behind her car keys. Because of this, she considers the SD parking lot more convenient, and it is also cheaper; however, uncertainty about availability after 8 a.m. makes her avoid relying on it. As she explained, “No, no he hecho fila, porque pues en el SD siempre he querido parquear, pero nunca hago fila porque no tengo certeza de que se vaya a desocupar.” When parking is unavailable, she prefers to use a more expensive alternative such as CityU rather than waiting in line. She considers real-time information about available spaces and waiting lines highly useful, particularly when deciding whether to go to her usual parking lot or not. Additionally, she does not support reservations and would prefer a free platform supported by advertisements.
What–How–Why
Situations from interview 1
| Situation | What? | How? | Why? | Who? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A student drives to the university every day and gets caught in a traffic jam around the university while trying to reach their parking lot | They leave home much earlier than necessary and wait in the traffic before reaching their parking lot | A lot of cars are queuing up to enter parking lots around the university, generating traffic, especially around 8 a.m. | A student who drives to the university every day and has a semester membership in a nearby parking lot |
| 2 | A student arrives at the university and has to wait in traffic even though they already have a guaranteed parking spot | They remain in the traffic and wait for the cars ahead of them to move before reaching their parking lot | Other cars looking for parking create congestion around the university, making the student's journey take longer even though they already have a parking space | A student with a permanent parking spot near the university who regularly arrives during peak hours |
| 3 | A student is trying to avoid being late to class because of traffic around the university | They leave home up to an hour earlier than necessary to compensate for the traffic and possible delays | Traffic around the university occurs frequently and can cause the student to arrive late to class, even when their parking lot is only a few minutes away | A student who regularly drives to university and has experienced arriving late because of traffic |
| 4 | A student wants to know the traffic conditions around the university before leaving home | They would use real-time information about traffic and congestion around their destination to decide when to leave | Knowing the traffic conditions beforehand would allow the student to leave earlier when necessary and avoid unexpected delays | A student who regularly drives to the university and wants to better plan their commute |
Situations from interview 2
| Situation | What? | How? | Why? | Who? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A student arrives at the university in an electric car, but the available charging spaces are already taken, so they leave their car in a regular parking spot instead of looking for another parking lot. Later in the afternoon, they return to find that their car has run out of battery. | They appear concerned since they now have to deal with a car that cannot easily be driven away and may need to find a charging point or another way to solve the situation. | The student chose to park in a regular space because the charging spaces were already full, and finding another parking lot could have made them late for class. The lack of information about electric car friendly spots forced them to make a decision without knowing whether a better option was available | A university student who drives an electric car and depends on access to charging infrastructure during the day. |
| 2 | A student has a class at 9:30 a.m., but arrives one hour early to wait in line for the parking lot, without knowing whether a space will become available before her class starts. | She waits patiently in line for a long period of time, knowing that there is no guarantee that she will eventually be able to enter the parking lot. | She arrives early because she wants to increase her chances of finding a parking space, but the lack of information about availability and waiting time makes her uncertain about whether waiting is actually worthwhile. | A student who drives to university and prioritizes finding a parking space even if it means arriving significantly earlier than necessary. |
| 3 | A student arrives with just enough time to park before class, but the parking lot has a long line and there are no obvious alternative parking options available nearby. | They become stressed and look for someone who can take over their place in the line while they attend class, since they cannot afford to keep waiting themselves. | The student needs to make a decision between finding a parking space and arriving on time to class. Because they do not know how long the line will take or whether a space will become available, they resort to asking another person to wait for them. | A student who has a tight schedule and depends on a car to reach the university on time. |
| 4 | A student arrived to University driving and waits in line until they are allowed to go inside the parking lot. However, once inside they notice all the spots are taken and she was let in by mistake. She now has to look for a parking spot elsewhere and will arrive late to class. | They look annoyed and impatient since they where on time, but the lack of information made them have to look for parking options elsewhere. | The student was allowed to enter despite there being no available spaces, which points to the information about parking availability being inaccurate or not communicated in time. This forces them to repeat the search for parking and increases the chances of arriving late to class. | A student who drives to university and although they were on time, the lack of propper information made them late. |
2.3 Music Discovery
Interview Structure
Interview Hypothesis: University students use music as part of their daily lives and are interested in discovering and sharing music with others. However, current music discovery tools focus mainly on algorithms or existing social connections, making it difficult to discover music spontaneously through people nearby.
| # | Question | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | How would you describe your relationship with music, and what place does it have in your everyday life? | To understand the interviewee's relationship with music and the role it plays in their daily life and emotional well being. |
| 2 | Tell me about the last time you listened to music outside your home. Where were you and what were you doing? | To understand when, where, and in what contexts the interviewee listens to music in public spaces. |
| 3 | Do you think music helps you concentrate? Tell me about when it does or does not. | To understand how music affects the interviewee's productivity and concentration in different situations. |
| 4 | What type of music do you usually listen to? | To understand the interviewee's musical preferences and whether they tend to listen to popular or less mainstream music. |
| 5 | Tell me about the last time you discovered a new artist. When was it and how did you discover them? | To understand the interviewee's real life process for discovering new music. |
| 6 | What usually makes you want to listen to a new artist or song? | To identify the factors that motivate the interviewee to explore unfamiliar music. |
| 7 | When you discover a song you really like, what do you normally do with it? | To understand what actions the interviewee takes after discovering new music, such as saving, sharing, or recommending it. |
| 8 | Tell me about the last time you discovered a song or artist through another person. How did it happen? | To understand how social interactions currently contribute to music discovery. |
| 9 | How do you usually share or recommend music to other people? | To identify current behaviors and tools used to share musical interests. |
| 10 | Have you ever heard a song in a public place, such as university or public transportation, and wanted to know what it was? What did you do? | To determine whether the interviewee experiences the proposed problem and identify the solution they currently use. |
| 11 | Were you able to find the song? How? | To understand whether current tools effectively solve the problem. |
| 12 | How often do situations like this happen to you? | To estimate the frequency of the problem and determine whether it is relevant to the interviewee. |
| 13 | Have you ever been curious about what another person nearby is listening to? Tell me about it. | To validate the assumption that people are curious about the music strangers around them are listening to. |
| 14 | What did you do when you felt that curiosity? | To understand the interviewee's current behavior and identify barriers to discovering another person's music. |
| 15 | What would make you feel comfortable or uncomfortable asking a stranger what they are listening to? | To identify social barriers such as embarrassment, discomfort, or privacy concerns. |
| 16 | What would you think if you could know what people around you were listening to, even if you did not know them? | To explore the interviewee's reaction to the core concept and identify potential value in discovering music through nearby people. |
| 17 | In what situation could you imagine using something like this? | To identify realistic contexts in which the proposed concept could be useful. |
| 18 | What concerns would you have about sharing or seeing someone's music based on physical proximity? | To identify possible privacy, safety, or social concerns related to the concept. |
| 19 | What would make you want to use a tool for discovering music socially? | To identify the motivations and features that could encourage adoption. |
| 20 | What could make you stop using a tool like this after using it for a while? | To identify possible barriers to continued use and potential causes of abandonment. |
| 21 | Tell me about a recent situation in your everyday life that made you feel stressed, frustrated, or caused you to lose time. | To identify other problems or frustrations that the interviewee experiences outside the specific music related problem. |
| 22 | How did you solve or deal with that situation? | To understand the interviewee's current coping strategies and identify limitations in existing solutions. |
| 23 | If you could make one thing in your everyday life easier or more efficient, what would it be? | To identify other potential problems and opportunities for technological solutions. |
| 24 | What problem would you most like to have a solution for, and why? | To identify and prioritize the problem that the interviewee considers most relevant or impactful. |
| 25 | Is there anything else about music, university life, or your daily routine that you think could be improved? | To give the interviewee an open opportunity to mention problems or needs that were not addressed by the previous questions. |
Interviewee: Laura Martínez, biomedical engineering student Interviewer: Laura Muñoz Date: August 14th, 2026
Complete Interview
Summary of the interviews
Summary for interview 1
The interviewee describes music as “a way to channel my emotions,” using different genres to match her mood and incorporating music into her daily leisure activities. She listens while working and finds that it helps her concentrate when a task “doesn’t require so much critical thinking,” but becomes distracting when she has to write or think deeply. She discovers new artists through television shows and uses Deezer’s song-recognition feature when she hears unfamiliar music in public. She enjoys sharing music with close friends and believes it would be “very fun” to know what nearby people are listening to, especially because the music someone chooses may differ from what others expect. Outside of music, she identified transportation between home and university as a daily challenge and described feeling frustrated and unproductive when technical difficulties prevented her from completing an Excel assignment. Her most important unresolved problem is managing intense stress, since people can “get frustrated, feel blocked, and not be productive,” and she suggested that an application offering an effective strategy could help.
Summar for interview 2
The interviewee describes their music habits as mood-driven and essential for activities like exercising, noting that music provides crucial motivation and focus. While they often wonder what strangers in public are listening to, they view their own music choices as intimate, opting to keep their Apple Music activity private and only selectively sharing songs with close loved ones. When presented with the concept of a proximity-based music discovery app, they expressed strong interest and a willingness to use it in settings like airports or public transport to find new music. However, they emphasized that their adoption of the app would depend heavily on strict privacy controls, specifically the ability to toggle visibility on and off, protect their identity, and prevent unwanted contact from strangers.
What–How–Why
Four relevant situations were identified from the interview.
Situations from Interview 1
| Situation | What? | How? | Why? | Who? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The user considers music an important part of their everyday life and uses it as a way to channel emotions and for leisure. | She listens to music throughout her daily routine, including while working or being at university. | Music helps the user regulate emotions, enjoy her free time, and accompany different daily activities. | A university student who considers music an important part of her emotional and recreational routine. |
| 2 | The user is highly curious about what music other people around her are listening to. | When she notices someone listening to music, she may wonder what song or type of music that person is listening to, especially because her own music taste is not very mainstream. | The user finds it interesting and entertaining to discover unexpected musical preferences in other people. | A university student who enjoys discovering and sharing less mainstream music. |
| 3 | The user experiences frustration when technological tools or academic tasks do not work as expected, affecting her productivity. | During an Excel assignment, she encountered difficulties with the tool and had to move to another space and work alone and calmly until she completed the task. | The situation generated stress and frustration because it interrupted her productivity and required additional time and effort. | A university student who experiences stress and frustration while completing academic tasks. |
| 4 | The user would like to find a more effective way to deal with moments of stress or frustration. | She currently relies on personal strategies, such as changing environments and taking time to work calmly, but feels that existing applications or strategies are not effective enough. | The user perceives a need for a more effective way to manage stress and frustration in everyday life. | A university student looking for practical strategies to manage stress and frustration more effectively. |
Situations from Interview 2
| Situation | What? | How? | Why? | Who? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The interviewee is at the gym, working out, and instead of listening to his usual music he starts switching between genres (electronic, rap, and others) while training. | He appears tired of his own musical routine, actively searching for new rhythms that give him back his drive. It's not a passive background activity but a deliberate exploration in the middle of physical effort. | Music likely serves an almost functional purpose for him (motivation, performance), not just accompaniment. When the music stops producing that effect, he feels the need to actively "refresh" it. This suggests his relationship with music is tied to mood and performance, not loyalty to a genre or artist. | A physically active person who trains regularly, a musical explorer by nature, linked to specific activities and moods. |
| 2 | The interviewee recounts that, upon seeing someone wearing headphones on the street, he wonders what they're listening to. He also spontaneously mentions viral videos and memes about this same phenomenon (asking strangers what they're listening to, or the contrast between someone's appearance and their music). | He speaks enthusiastically and recognizes the surprise as a pleasurable part of the experience ("oh, no, I never would have guessed"). It's not anxious curiosity, but playful. | The fact that he brings up social media content on the same topic, unprompted, suggests this curiosity isn't an isolated event but a broader cultural phenomenon he already identifies with and passively consumes. It's a need for connection or surprise stemming from the contrast between a person's image and their real tastes. | Someone who actively consumes entertainment content related to music on social media. |
| 3 | The interviewee shares songs only with his girlfriend and family. He avoids posting meaningful songs on social media and keeps the public playlists option disabled on Apple Music. | He describes himself as "jealous" and "selective" with the music that matters to him. There is a conscious care not to "burn out" certain songs by exposing them to just anyone or any context. | There is a tension between the desire to share (with his close circle) and the desire to protect (from strangers or casual contexts). He verbalizes it himself: he perceives music as something "intimate," and worries that others might have unfiltered access to everything he listens to, instead of only what he chooses to show. This reveals that, for him, a song's emotional value degrades when shared without control over context or audience. | A person with a well-defined intimate circle versus an undifferentiated external public. He understands music as a form of emotional intimacy, not just entertainment. |
| 4 | Upon hearing the app's proposal, the interviewee reacts with immediate interest, mentions concrete scenarios where he would use it (public transport, airports, trips), and then, when asked directly, expresses concerns about what information is shared, with whom, and whether nearby users could identify or contact him. | He moves from spontaneous enthusiasm to a more cautious, analytical stance when explicitly asked about the risks. He doesn't reject the idea, but conditions his interest on being able to control when it's activated and what it exposes. | The initial enthusiasm confirms that curiosity about other people's music (validated in Situation 2) is a real driver of interest in the app. But the later caution, combined with his behavior already observed in Situation 3 (selective privacy), suggests this isn't a new objection but an extension of an existing behavior pattern: he wants to discover and be discovered on his own terms, not automatically or passively. | A potential user genuinely interested in the product, but who will act as an active "gatekeeper" of his own information. Not a passive user who accepts default settings, but someone who will consciously evaluate privacy controls before adopting the app with confidence. |
3. Interview Summary
A podcast-style summary was created using the most relevant excerpts from the interviews.
Listen to the Interview Summary
The summary highlights the main problems, behaviors, motivations and needs identified across the interviews.
4. Journey Maps
Based on the information obtained from the interviews, two journey maps were developed to represent the experiences of potential users.
4.1 Journey Map 1 – [User / Problem]
Description
A university student who recognizes that they spend more time on their phone than intended and has tried, or considered trying, different ways to reduce their screen time. Although they are aware of the problem, they struggle to turn this awareness into sustained behavioral change because phone use is habitual, entertaining, and difficult to interrupt.
Key Insights
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Awareness does not necessarily lead to behavior change. Students may notice their high screen-time statistics and feel concerned, but this awareness alone is often insufficient to motivate sustained action.
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Students often intend to reduce their phone use but struggle to maintain it. They may set limits, silence notifications, put their phone away, or decide to use it less, but these strategies can be difficult to sustain when they encounter tempting or habitual phone use.
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The biggest difficulty occurs during everyday phone use. Notifications, social media, entertainment, and habitual checking can cause students to use their phones for longer than they originally intended, even when they are aware that they should stop.
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Repeated unsuccessful attempts can lead to frustration and discouragement. When students repeatedly exceed their intended screen time, they may feel guilty or frustrated and perceive existing strategies as ineffective, which can make it harder to maintain their motivation.
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There is an opportunity to support sustained behavior change rather than simply providing more information. Students may benefit from interventions that transform awareness into realistic goals and provide motivation at the moment when they are tempted to continue using their phones.
4.2 Journey Map 2 – [User / Problem]
Description
A university student (likely a driver) deciding whether to drive to campus, navigating the uncertainty of parking availability, and reflecting afterward on whether it was worth it.
Key Insights:
- The core pain point is a total lack of real-time information, since users don't know availability, queue length, or wait time until they're already committed to driving and searching.
- The emotional low point is "Frustrated/stressed" during the searching/queueing stage, driven by uncertainty rather than the parking itself.
- A single bad experience has lasting impact, because it can make users avoid the lot entirely or over-compensate by arriving unnecessarily early next time, which shows how strongly the "Leaving/Future Decision" stage is shaped by the immediately prior stage.
- The clearest opportunity is real-time, continuously updated availability (before and during the trip), plus differentiating spaces by vehicle type, which would remove most of the friction and turn "Uncertain/Frustrated" into "Expectant/Relieved" earlier in the journey.
5. Brainstorming Process
The brainstorming process was carried out through a team meeting in which we discussed the results obtained from the interviews, situations, and journey maps. Each team member shared the most relevant findings from the interviews they conducted, focusing especially on recurring problems, pain points, and situations that seemed important to the users.
After discussing the different findings, we identified and selected the two problems that we considered the most realistic and relevant to address: Parking and Screen Time. We chose these problems because the interviews showed clear pain points and situations where users experienced difficulties in their everyday lives.
Once the problems were selected, we went through the relevant points from the interviews again and used them as starting points for brainstorming. We identified specific needs and pain points and then proposed different ideas that could potentially address them. These ideas included possible app features, recommendations mentioned by interviewees, improvements to existing solutions, and possible monetization strategies.
The brainstorming was a dynamic and collaborative process. Whenever a team member came up with an idea, they could explain it to the rest of the team or add it directly to the shared digital board. Other members could then build on the idea, suggest changes, combine it with another idea, or propose a different approach to the same problem.
This allowed us to generate multiple possible solutions while keeping the ideas connected to the problems and needs identified during the interviews rather than creating solutions based only on assumptions.
5.1 Solutions Generated
Based on the brainstorming process, we generated several possible solutions for the two selected problems.
Parking
The ideas focused mainly on helping university students find available parking spaces more easily and reducing the time and uncertainty involved in finding a parking spot. We also considered different features that could improve the experience, as well as possible monetization strategies.
Screen Time
The ideas focused on helping users become more aware of their phone usage and encouraging them to reduce unnecessary screen time. We considered features such as stronger usage limits, motivational mechanisms, personalized feedback, and other strategies based on the difficulties identified during the interviews.
The ideas generated during the brainstorming session were later used as the basis for evaluating and selecting the solutions to develop in the following stages of the Design Thinking process.
Evidence:
Evidence of teamwork
6. First Solution – Low-Fidelity Prototype
The following video presents the first proposed solution and its low-fidelity prototype (blueprint).