Problems Selected

University Marketplace/Bartering App

In university communities, there is often a significant waste of resources, such as academic materials required for courses. These items are frequently bought for a single course and then forgotten or discarded after it ends.

Clothes in Bogotá (Reuse)

The fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries globally. Many discarded clothes are still in good condition and could be reused instead of ending up in landfills.

Campus Interactive Map Application

Newcomers to university campuses often struggle to navigate, locate buildings, find places to eat or study, or determine the best routes to their destinations.

Finance App

Managing finances can be challenging for young adults, particularly university students learning to handle money independently for the first time.

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Interviews

Clothes in Bogotá (Reuse)

Interview by Natalia

Hypothesis: Users are unaware of local opportunities for donating or reusing clothing.

Introduction: Thank you for taking the time to join this interview. My name is Natalia, and we are trying to understand your thoughts on current clothing reuse practices and how we can improve the promotion of sustainable fashion and clothing reuse in Bogotá. Would it be okay to record this interview?

Questions and Purpose:

1. What is the first thing you do when you want to get rid of your clothes? What actions do you typically take?
   Purpose: Identify common practices for disposing of clothing.
2. What do you know about current options for donating or reusing clothing in Bogotá?
   Purpose: Assess awareness of donation and reuse options.
3. Have you ever donated or reused clothing before? If so, can you share your experience?
   Purpose: Gather insights into user experiences with donation/reuse.
4. What motivates you or discourages you from donating or reusing clothing?
   Purpose: Understand factors influencing donation behavior.
5. Are there any reasons you think people don’t donate or reuse clothes more often?
   Purpose: Identify barriers to clothing reuse.
6. Is there anything else you’d like to share about your thoughts on sustainable fashion or how we can encourage more people to participate?
   Purpose: Gather additional insights or suggestions.

Interview by Isabella

Hypotheses:

• The experience of donating clothes takes time, so it is easier to discard clothes that are no longer used.
• The lack of knowledge about how to recycle damaged clothing leads people to dispose of it improperly.

Introduction: Hello, my name is Isabella. Thank you for taking the time to attend this interview. I'm researching what people do with the clothes they no longer wear, with the goal of designing solutions that facilitate the donation or recycling process and help reduce the environmental impact of the fashion industry. Today, the fashion industry generates more than 92 million tons of discarded clothes in landfills, even though some could be recycled.

Questions and Purpose:

1. Is it okay if I record this interview?
   Purpose: Obtain permission to record.
2. What is your name, how old are you, and what do you do?
   Purpose: Understand the interviewee's context.
3. How often do you buy clothes?
   Purpose: Gauge shopping frequency.
4. What do you usually do with clothes you no longer wear or that are damaged?
   Purpose: Identify disposal habits.
5. What has your experience with donating clothes been like? Has it been easy?
   Purpose: Evaluate donation experiences.
6. How often do you clean your closet to donate clothes?
   Purpose: Assess disposal frequency compared to purchase frequency.
7. Do you know what other things can be done with damaged clothes instead of throwing them away? What do you do?
   Purpose: Explore recycling knowledge and behavior.
8. If you were given a tool to leave your damaged clothes with someone else for eco-friendly disposal, would you use it?
   Purpose: Evaluate interest in potential solutions.

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University Marketplace/Bartering App

Interview by Santiago

Hypothesis: A university-specific marketplace would better support student entrepreneurship compared to existing platforms by providing a dedicated, organized space for students to promote their projects, products, and services, addressing the lack of visibility and technological support currently available.

Introduction: Hi, my name is Pablo, it's a pleasure. What's your name?

Questions and Purpose:

1. Are you a student from the University?
   Purpose: Validate university affiliation.
2. Are you an undergraduate or graduate student?
   Purpose: Segment and contextualize academic background.
3. What do you think about the idea of a university marketplace for selling, trading, or promoting entrepreneurial projects and services?
   Purpose: Gauge interest and perceived value.
4. What do you think could be a way to promote student entrepreneurial projects? What is missing for that to happen?
   Purpose: Identify barriers and opportunities.
5. What features would be key for you in a trade app?
   Purpose: Prioritize functionality.
6. How often do you use platforms like Facebook Groups or Instagram for these purposes?
   Purpose: Validate preference for an app over existing alternatives.
7. Why would you use an app like this instead of existing groups or pages?
   Purpose: Identify gaps in current solutions.
8. If you could prioritize one feature for the first version, what should it be?
   Purpose: Gather user preferences for MVP features.

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University Marketplace/Bartering App

Interview By Pablo Méndez

Hypothesis:

Students that have to buy materials for their courses, get annoyed when these materials are not used in their totality, leading them to having issues with their future use.

Introduction:

Hello, may I have a moment of your time. My name is Pablo Méndez, is there any problem with me asking you some questions?

Step by step - Interview Format:

1. Introductory Questions Purpose: The objective of these questions is to get to know some basic information about the person being interviewed: like their name, their career, age, etc.

2. Explain the problem Purpose: In this step, the basic premise of the problem is explained. In my case, it was to show that there is a problem in regard to the academic material that students buy for their courses and their use after that course is over.

3. Have you experienced the problem?

If Yes:

• How do you deal with it?

Purpose: The idea is to figure out what the person does today in regards to the problem. Ideally the answer would shed light in regards to the difficulties caused by the problem.

• How difficult/hard to manage is the problem?

Purpose: With this question the objective is to get an idea of how much of a problem we are dealing with. Is it really worth it to try and solve it? Are the actions described in the previous answer a big deal to this person?

• How does it make you feel?

Purpose: Simply put, this question gives some critical information about the feelings of the person regarding the problem. It also allows us to know if the picture we have in our head is consistent with reality.

If No:

• Can you imagine how it must be? Do you know anyone who has experienced it?

Purpose: Even if the person being interviewed hasn't experienced the problem they can still give valuable insight.Through their empathy and their peers, some information relating to the nature of the problem and how it is perceived can be gained.

• Why do you think you haven't experienced it?

Purpose: This question is intended to show some possible factors that make some people less likely to suffer from this problem. The question is meant to show some possible aspects of the problem.

4. Describe the app.

5. Would you be interested in the app? Does it sound appealing? What features would you expect to see on the app? Anything you don't like or feel like it's missing?

Purposes: These questions are meant to give some information regarding how the solution is perceived by potential users. Is a little way to test for the interest for the app.

6. Thanks and Goodbyes

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Campus Interactive Map Application

Interview by Nicolas

Hypothesis:

New students face difficulties in navigating the campus, finding essential services, and discovering study or dining locations.

Introduction:

Hello, my name is Nicolas, and I appreciate you taking the time for this interview. We are making some research about how students navigate the university campus and what challenges they face when finding their way around, locating services, or discovering good study and dining spots.

Would it be okay if we record this interview to analyze your responses better?

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Questions:

1. Are you a new student, or how long have you been at the university?
   Purpose: Identify the experience level with navigating campus.

2. What was your biggest challenge when trying to find buildings or services on campus for the first time?
   Purpose: Understand key difficulties students face when navigating.

3. Have you ever struggled to find places to eat, study, or relax on campus? Can you describe an experience?
   Purpose: Validate if students have difficulties finding social or study spots.

4. If there were an interactive campus map app, what features would be most useful for you?
   Purpose: Identify user priorities for app functionalities.

5. Would you prefer a simple app that just shows buildings and routes or one that includes recommendations
   Purpose: Understand preference for basic vs. enhanced functionality.

6. What would make an app like this more engaging or useful for you on a daily basis?
   Purpose: Gather ideas on features that would increase user engagement.

7. Is there anything else you would like to add about your experience navigating campus or how we could improve it?
   Purpose: Capture additional insights or feedback.

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Finance App

Interview by David

Hypothesis

Young adults, particularly students, struggle with managing their finances effectively due to a lack of financial education and budgeting tools.

Introduction

Thank you for taking the time for this interview. My name is David Zamora, and we are conducting research on how students manage their finances and what tools could help them improve their financial management. We want to understand your experience and needs to design a potential solution in the form of an application.

Would it be okay if we record this interview to analyze your responses better?

Interview Questions

How do you currently manage your money?

Purpose: Identify financial habits and whether students track their income and expenses. How do you decide how much to spend on different categories such as food, transportation, or entertainment?

Purpose: Understand if they follow a budget or make spontaneous decisions. Do you usually save money? If so, how do you do it and how often?

Purpose: Assess the importance of savings in their financial life. Do you have any debts, such as student loans or credit cards? If so, how do you manage them?

Purpose: Understand students' experience with debt and their approach to repayment. What are the biggest challenges you face when managing your money?

Purpose: Identify major financial difficulties that an app could help address.

Do you use any tools or apps to manage your finances? Why or why not?

Purpose: Learn if they already use existing tools and what they like or dislike about them. If there were an app to help you improve your money management, what features would you like it to have?

Purpose: Gather ideas from users on desired functionalities. Would you find notifications or reminders about your expenses, savings, or debts helpful?

Purpose: Assess whether these features would be useful or intrusive. Would you be interested in having educational content about personal finance within the app? What format would you prefer (articles, videos, interactive courses, etc.)?

Purpose: Determine the interest in financial education within the app. Is there anything else you would like to share about how you manage your money or how we could make financial management easier for students?

Purpose: Allow the interviewee to provide additional relevant insights

Interview Audio's

Summary Audio

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/4345dc7d-6846-499a-8d9f-024ee715a246

Clothes in Bogotá (Reuse)

Interview by Natalia

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/cf031cda-3e54-4738-9b44-6a6f16c2132b

4 Insights

Situation	What?	How?	Why?	Who?
1	The person doesn’t know much about options for donating or reusing clothing in Bogotá. They usually donate in Santa Marta but are unaware of local charities or organizations promoting sustainable fashion.	They appear uncertain and disconnected from local donation systems, relying on past habits rather than exploring new options in Bogotá.	This could be due to a lack of visible information about donation or reuse options in Bogotá, combined with the convenience of established habits formed in Santa Marta.	A young adult who values helping others but feels discouraged by the lack of accessible and clear donation platforms in Bogotá.
2	When deciding to get rid of clothes, they sort through them and separate items they no longer use to donate to organizations like the church or Cruz Roja.	They follow a structured approach, showing they are organized and intentional in their efforts to donate, ensuring the clothes can be reused by others.	This action is motivated by a desire to give the clothes a second life and help others in need.	Someone with a strong sense of social responsibility and care for sustainability but limited by the availability of donation options nearby.
3	They feel motivated to donate because it feels good to help others, but they sometimes feel discouraged when they don’t know where to donate.	This emotional mix of motivation and frustration shows that their willingness to donate is hindered by a lack of clear donation infrastructure or information.	The lack of visible, well-promoted donation centers or campaigns creates a barrier, despite their good intentions.	A motivated donor who requires more accessible and visible opportunities to act on their intentions.
4	They believe that people don’t donate more often because they don’t know where to donate, are uncomfortable with second-hand clothes, or don’t understand the impact of fast fashion.	They express empathy and insight into the broader challenges of clothing donation, highlighting social perceptions and lack of awareness as key barriers.	This is rooted in a cultural stigma around second-hand clothing and the absence of education about sustainable fashion practices.	Someone aware of the systemic issues surrounding clothing reuse, emphasizing the importance of raising awareness and education.

Interview by Isabella

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/c49e4a86-fb53-466a-8527-f6ea1c7e348a

4 Insights

Situation	What?	How?	Why?	Who?
1	The user is organizing old clothes to donate to children with cancer.	She contacts her sister-in-law. She seems calm and takes the time to do it, it is an easy process.	She feels good when helping children.	A young woman with a sister-in-law that volunteers in a child with cancer charity.
2	The volunteers at the charity are promoting it with their relatives and friends via social media-	She is worried about not getting enough support to give remarkable experiences to the kids because people usually help once and then stop.	Clothes are too expensive to buy. The charity is not known around. People don’t know clothes are as useful as money.	A young woman that works with children with cancer charity.
3	People throw away the clothes they don’t need.	She is exhausted from cleaning her closet; she does not have the time nor the energy to reutilize the clothes; she looks desperate.	Recycling takes too much time, but, as a college student, she doesn’t have time. She wants to end as fast as possible and not let old clothes accumulate.	Mariana, an 18-year-old student with no free time trying to get rid of her old clothes.
4	The user is categorizing old clothes into warm and cold climate.	She is used to the process. She feels useful to society.	She feels safe and has certainty that she is helping someone. She is aware of the situation in her grandmother’s town.	A young woman that that cleans her closet every 6 months and has a grandmother that helps in her town.

University Marketplace/Bartering App

Interview By Santiago

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/764f773e-48a2-400b-8d0e-87dfc3ca53fa

4 Insights

Situation	What?	How?	Why?	Who?
1	Students use Instagram/Facebook for informal sales but struggle with disorganized listings.	They scroll through cluttered feeds, waste time searching for relevant posts, and deal with outdated listings.	No centralized platform exists for university-specific transactions, leading to inefficiency and frustration.	Sofía, an Industrial Engineering student trying to sell a textbook.
2	Students fear scams during transactions and lack trust in sellers/buyers.	They hesitate to meet strangers off-campus and worry about product authenticity.	Current platforms lack accountability (e.g., anonymous users, no ratings or dispute resolution).	A buyer negotiating with Sofía for her textbook, suspicious of unverified profiles.
3	Students want price flexibility but struggle to set fair values.	Sellers manually adjust prices or reject offers, leading to stalled negotiations.	No algorithmic guidance exists to suggest market-aligned prices based on demand and listing duration.	Sofía, unsure if her textbook’s price is too high for buyers.
4	Students receive irrelevant listings (e.g., lab gear for non-science majors).	They see posts unrelated to their academic needs, leading to frustration.	Platforms don’t segment users by profiles (e.g., major, interests).	Sofía, annoyed by lab equipment ads despite studying Industrial Engineering.

Interview By Pablo Méndez

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/0f047320-ed42-43fa-9950-bbb7e13eddab

4 Insights

Situation	What?	How?	Why?	Who?
1	A student is storing leftover materials that were used in a class.	The student keeps them around in case that they could be used again one day.	To minimize their losses; To not waste them.	A young student whose main concern is to have good grades.
2	A student is in need of materials for a class.	She gathers information about the materials she is going to buy, she looks for them in different stores, she buys them potentially spending a lot of money.	Because it is the best way that she has to do things; She doesn’t have any friends who have had this class before.	A 20 year old girl. She is fulfilling her responsibilities, but at the same time doesn’t want to spend more money than the strictly necessary
3	A student is constantly having to store different textbooks and materials.	He is annoyed at the space it takes; He doesn’t want to store all of it; He wishes to get rid of some of it.	He has bought several guides and textbooks throughout his time in university.	He is a linguistic student in the 6th semester of his career.
4	A student struggles to acquire the materials he needs for a class.	He cannot find the materials he requires, that or they are too expensive for him to be able to buy them.	Because he doesn’t have that much money and he also isn’t used to these types of activities.	He is a 1st semester student, he isn’t used to the city and this type of courses.

Campus Interactive Map Application

Interview by Nicolas

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/9c42fb72-f857-473e-98bf-0e138d3daf4d

4 Insights

Situation	What?	How?	Why?	Who?
1	New students feel lost when navigating the campus for the first time.	They walk around looking for directions or ask other students, often wasting time.	There are no clear signs or interactive maps to help them find their way easily.	A first-semester student carrying heavy textbooks and looking stressed.
2	Students struggle to find study spaces that fit their needs (quiet, comfortable, etc.).	They roam through different buildings or end up in overcrowded areas like cafeterias.	Lack of information on available spaces and their specific characteristics (e.g., quiet areas vs. collaborative spaces).	A student preparing for exams, carrying a laptop and notes, visibly frustrated.
3	Students find it difficult to locate nearby dining options that fit their schedule and budget.	They visit cafeterias only to discover they’re full or that they don’t offer affordable meals.	There is no real-time information on dining availability or recommendations based on proximity and preferences.	A group of students, tired after class, looking for a quick and affordable lunch option.
4	Students are unaware of shortcut routes to get to classes or buildings on time.	They take longer routes or frequently arrive late to their destinations.	The campus layout is complex, and there’s no system to guide them through optimal paths.	A student in a rush, carrying a backpack, checking their phone for directions while running.

Finance App

Interview by David

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/f6437f04-ed85-4011-bb54-823239386a5a

4 Insights

Situation	What?	How?	Why?	Who?
1	It is hard for students to save money	They usually get money from their parents each month.	They try to distribute the money in a way that at least covers each day of the month. It is hard to track where they are spending the money.	A mechanical engineering student from National University of 8th semester
2	There is a lack of interest in saving money	The lack of interest and the comfort zone restricts the student from trying to investigate which are the main money pits.	The constant flow of money from the parents and their protection creates a comfort zone.	A son of preoccupied parents, student of 8th semester
3	It is difficult to track unnecessary expenses	The student knows they spend on things like parties and alcohol but struggles to control it.	There is no clear visibility of expenses, and money is received in Nequi and saved in Nu.	A mechanical engineering student who would like to save more but finds it challenging to manage expenses.
4	There is no tool that integrates banking services for better financial control	The student would find it useful to have an app that connects to banking providers like Nequi and Nu.	A system that automatically categorizes expenses would help understand where the money goes.	A student looking for a better way to track spending and improve savings.

Journey Maps

Marketplace Journey Map

Clothes in Bogotá (Reuse)

Brainstorming Process

The brainstorming process was based on the previously selected situations from our analysis. Out of the four identified problems, we chose to focus on two: Marketplace and Clothing Donation.

To structure the brainstorming, we followed this process:

Individual Idea Generation: Each team member wrote their ideas on post-it notes without discussing them with others. This initial phase aimed to encourage creativity without external influence, allowing for a wide variety of approaches to each problem.

Selection and Filtering of Ideas: Once all ideas were collected, we began narrowing them down. We analyzed which ideas were most aligned with the specific challenges of Marketplace and Clothing Donation, discarding those that did not fit the direction we wanted to pursue at this stage of the project.

Prototype video

https://youtu.be/9ret0uXtDb0