Problem Description (Group)

The current system for buying, selling, or renting academic materials and services within the university is unorganized and inefficient. Students rely on scattered platforms like social media groups and informal communication methods, which lack moderation, transparency, and reliability. This makes it difficult for students to find what they need, connect with trusted individuals, and complete transactions smoothly.

Proposed Solution (Group)

We propose a university marketplace app that centralizes the buying, selling, and renting of academic materials and services. This app will provide a structured and user-friendly platform, integrating advanced search filters, geolocation, user verification, and communication tools. It will enhance accessibility, improve trust among users, and streamline transactions, addressing the unique needs of the student community.

Revenue Model (Group)

To sustain and grow the university marketplace app, we propose a freemium model with multiple revenue streams. The platform will charge small commissions on sales, rentals, and bids (5-10%) while allowing free browsing and listings. Users can also pay for premium listings and featured ads to boost visibility.

Value Proposal (Group)

The university marketplace app provides a structured, secure, and efficient platform for students to buy, sell, and rent academic materials. Unlike scattered social media groups, it streamlines transactions, making it easier to find and exchange items.

Beyond traditional listings, the app supports rentals, student businesses, and bidding, allowing users to request specific items and propose prices. Smart features like image recognition and geolocation matching enhance searchability, while the platform promotes sustainability by reducing waste and supporting student entrepreneurship.

Problems-Alternative-Solutions(PAS)

 

PAS 1 – Natalia A. Ricaurte Pacheco

List	Description
PROBLEM	She needs a lab coat for a class, but finding one to rent is a nightmare. She spends hours checking WhatsApp groups and asking classmates, but either no one responds, or the options are too far away. It’s frustrating, and she ends up buying a new one, even though she’ll only use it for a few weeks.
ALTERNATIVES	- Ask classmates if they have extra lab coats.- Check WhatsApp groups for available rentals.- Search Facebook groups for lab coat rentals.- Solution Alternative: Use a university marketplace app to rent lab coats easily.
SOLUTIONS	A university marketplace app that allows students to rent and buy academic materials easily. The app includes filters by location and course, verified listings, and a messaging system to quickly connect with owners.

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PAS 2 – Natalia A. Ricaurte Pacheco

List	Description
PROBLEM	"He has a bunch of old textbooks and lab equipment taking up space, but selling them is a hassle. He posts in Facebook groups, but people either ghost him or try to negotiate ridiculous prices."
ALTERNATIVES	- Post in multiple Facebook groups.- Share listings in various WhatsApp groups.- Utilize campus bulletin boards.- Solution Alternative: Use a dedicated university marketplace for listing, buying, and selling academic materials with features like price suggestions and ratings.
SOLUTIONS	A dedicated university marketplace where students can list, buy, and sell academic materials easily. The app includes price suggestions, buyer/seller ratings, and a direct messaging system to speed up transactions.

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PAS 3 – Pablo R Santiago Peñaranda

List	Description
PROBLEM	"She needs tutoring for a challenging course but struggles to find a reliable tutor. She asks around in class and checks social media groups, but the tutors are either unavailable, too expensive, or unqualified. This leaves her feeling stressed and unsure about her academic performance."
ALTERNATIVES	- Ask classmates for tutoring recommendations.- Search for tutors on social media platforms.- Rely on free online tutoring resources that may be generic.- Solution Alternative: Use a university marketplace app that provides detailed tutor profiles with qualifications, reviews, and pricing.
SOLUTIONS	A university marketplace app that gives the opportunity to students to provide their services. The app includes profiles with qualifications, reviews, and pricing. This ensures students can find affordable, reliable, and qualified services for their needs.

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PAS 4 – Pablo R Santiago Peñaranda

List	Description
PROBLEM	"He wants to rent a graphing calculator for a semester but doesn’t want to buy one. He checks with friends and posts in WhatsApp groups, but no one has one available. He ends up borrowing one from a classmate, but it’s inconvenient and unreliable."
ALTERNATIVES	- Ask friends or classmates for a spare calculator.- Post inquiries in WhatsApp groups.- Look for listings in Facebook groups.- Solution Alternative: Use a university marketplace app that enables renting academic tools with clear terms, availability filters, and secure payments.
SOLUTIONS	A university marketplace app that allows students to rent academic tools like calculators, lab equipment, or other materials. The app includes a rental system with clear terms, availability filters, and a secure payment process, making it easy for students to find and rent what they need for a specific period.

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PAS 5 – Isabella Sarquis Buitrago

List	Description
PROBLEM	"She takes too long to respond to interested customers on Instagram or WhatsApp because the information is not centralized. Since she doesn’t reply immediately, she loses potential customers. This is challenging because getting new customers is already difficult for starting business."
ALTERNATIVES	- Manually check multiple social media accounts for messages.- Respond individually to direct messages and comments.- Rely on notifications from different platforms, which is inefficient.- Solution Alternative: Use a marketplace app that centralizes communications via direct chat and automated notifications, allowing customers to view product information without direct contact.
SOLUTIONS	A marketplace application where customers can communicate directly with the seller or entrepreneur through a direct chat or a WhatsApp API. The app notifies the seller when a potential customer is interested, allowing them to respond quickly, and lets the customer check product details without direct contact.

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PAS 6 – Isabella Sarquis Buitrago

List	Description
PROBLEM	"The physical spot she used to promote her business now has new regulations, making it harder for her to attract new customers through traditional methods."
ALTERNATIVES	- Promote products by posting regularly on social media (posts, stories, and videos).- Depend on constant social media engagement to stay visible.- Use word-of-mouth promotion, which is limited.- Solution Alternative: Use a marketplace app that promotes businesses effectively via a dedicated search engine and keyword-based discovery.
SOLUTIONS	A marketplace app where businesses can be promoted effectively. Users can find specific businesses by searching with keywords, and an exclusive business search engine makes it easier for entrepreneurs to grow and reach new customers.

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PAS 7 – Pablo Méndez Morales

List	Description
PROBLEM	"She is an entrepreneur who wants to incur in the selling academic materials market. She already has managed to acquire different deals with distributors, but is having issues promoting her enterprise to students."
ALTERNATIVES	- Use an Instagram page to promote her business, though results are mixed.- Rely on word-of-mouth promotion.- Distribute physical flyers with limited reach.- Solution Alternative: Use a university marketplace app that promotes businesses based on their products, enhancing visibility among students.
SOLUTIONS	The application we are developing can promote different businesses depending on what products they are selling. It is an opportunity for new and upcoming businesses to be known by new students.

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PAS 8 – Pablo Méndez Morales

List	Description
PROBLEM	"His classes require him to buy different materials, in his search he has found several different potential stores but he doesn't know how to compare between them. Talking with his classmates only gets him so far, he sometimes has to take the risk of buying from a store and hope for the best."
ALTERNATIVES	- Ask classmates for store recommendations.- Search for store reviews online, which may be unreliable.- Purchase small items as a test, which is cumbersome.- Solution Alternative: Use a marketplace app that centralizes reviews and ratings for stores or providers, enabling more informed purchasing decisions.
SOLUTIONS	The marketplace app centralizes the reviews for a store or provider. This allows interested students to make an informed choice.

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PAS 9 – Nicolas Riveros Velandia

List	Description
PROBLEM	“She wants to buy a used laptop for her engineering courses but finds it difficult to compare options. Many listings on social media lack technical specifications, and she is unsure if the sellers are trustworthy. This makes her hesitant and slows down the process.”
ALTERNATIVES	- Ask friends or professors for laptop recommendations, though choices are limited.- Consider buying a new laptop, which is too costly.- Rely on social media listings that lack detailed specifications.- Solution Alternative: Use a university marketplace app with verified second-hand electronics listings, complete with detailed technical specifications and seller verification.
SOLUTIONS	A university marketplace app with verified second-hand electronics listings. Features include condition-based filters (e.g., battery health, processor speed) and seller verification.

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PAS 10 – Nicolas Riveros Velandia

List	Description
PROBLEM	“He needs access to an extra software tool that would help him with his coursework, but the university does not provide it. Buying a full license is too expensive for just a few assignments, and free alternatives lack key features.”
ALTERNATIVES	- Search for free or trial versions that have restrictions or watermarks.- Consider splitting the cost with classmates, though managing shared access is challenging.- Attempt to complete assignments without the tool, which compromises quality.- Solution Alternative: Use a platform for students to rent or share licensed software via verified university accounts, ensuring legal, cost-effective access.
SOLUTIONS	A platform for students to rent or share licensed software through verified university accounts, reducing costs and ensuring fair access.

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PAS 11 – David Zamora

List	Description
PROBLEM	He wants to print some documents for a project, and he is looking for a fast and inexpensive option.
ALTERNATIVES	- Ask friends for recommendations on local printing services.- Search for printing shops near the university using maps, though prices are unclear.- Visit local stores without prior cost information.- Solution Alternative: Use a bidding feature in a mobile app to post printing needs and receive offers from multiple providers.
SOLUTIONS	A bidding feature in a mobile app that allows him to place his need for printing and receive offers from many people that can print for him.

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PAS 12 – David Zamora

List	Description
PROBLEM	She is looking for a guitar to practice during the semester, but getting a new one might be expensive.
ALTERNATIVES	- Search online for new guitar prices, which are high.- Ask family and friends if they know of used guitars for sale.- Consider buying a new guitar due to the scarcity of rental options.- Solution Alternative: Use a marketplace app that allows renting a guitar for the semester or practice sessions at a fraction of the cost of a new one.
SOLUTIONS	A marketplace app that would allow her to rent the guitar just for the semester or even just for her practice sessions. The price paid is just a fraction of the price of a new guitar.

Context Canvas (Group)

 

Personas

Prospective

Buyer - David Zamora

 

Seller - Natalia A. Ricaurte Pacheco

   

Entrepreneur - Isabella Sarquis Buitrago

 

Analytics - Natalia A. Ricaurte Pacheco

Empathy Maps

 

Pablo R Peñaranda

   

Natalia A. Ricaurte Pacheco

   

David Zamora

   User: a biology student that lost his lab coat and is looking for another one.    

Isabella Sarquis Buitrago

 

Nicolas Riveros

   

Pablo Méndez Morales

   

Business question (Group)

Type 1

• How much time does it take for the material list to be available for users? Is it under 100ms on average? Purpose: Measures system performance and ensures fast query response time for a seamless user experience.

• How does the app handle multiple users searching for the same material simultaneously? Purpose: Evaluates system stability and scalability under high search demand.

Type 2

• How useful do you find the calendar notifications for tracking rental or purchase deadlines? Purpose: The questions aims to understand if this inclusion adds value to the user.  

• How easy is it for you to coordinate and complete the pickup process when renting or buying an item? Purpose: Identifies pain points in scheduling, communication, or location arrangements that need improvement.  

• How easy was it for you to find the product you were looking for? Did it take more than 5 seconds? Purpose: Measures the efficiency of the search functionality, helping identify if filters, keywords, or product organization need optimization.  

• How many steps did you go through before completing a purchase? Did you feel any were unnecessary? Purpose: Assesses the complexity of the buying process to detect unnecessary steps that may slow users down or cause drop-offs.  

• When you couldn’t find a product, was it clear where you could place a request or bid? How long did it take you to do so? Purpose: Determines whether the bid/request feature is easily discoverable and intuitive, ensuring users can seamlessly request unavailable items.

• At which step do users most frequently abandon their cart before completing a purchase? Purpose: Identifies where drop-offs happen in the checkout process to optimize user flow and increase conversions.

Type 3

 

• Which marketplace features (filters, entrepreneurship, messaging) are used the most and the least? Purpose: Low engagement with a feature may indicate it needs improvement or removal.  

• How often do users report scams or unreliable sellers? Purpose: If the rate is high, we may need to introduce additional security measures such as verified listings or mandatory reviews.  

• What is the ratio of views/transactions for each feature? Is there a feature that receives a lot of traffic but low quantity of transactions? Purpose: Identifies features with high traffic but low conversions, signaling potential usability issues or lack of trust that may require optimization

• Which payment methods are most frequently used? Are there any that users avoid? Purpose: Helps determine if users prefer one payment method over another, guiding future integration decisions.  

Type 4

 

• Given the data recompiled from the marketplace, which materials/type of materials are being sold the most? Purpose: This information can be sold to many distributors so that they may focus on these products or that they may be able to advertise more effectively.

• What is the most popular price range for different academic materials? Purpose: Allows distributors or sellers to price items competitively and offer promotions.  

Type 5

• Where do users spend the most time within the app, and how can we optimize these sections for better engagement? Purpose: This helps with feature prioritization and revenue opportunities through targeted ads or premium listings.

• Which listing attributes (images, descriptions, seller rating) impact purchase decisions the most? Purpose: Determines what factors influence purchases the most so sellers can optimize their listings accordingly.  

VD Map (Group)

FS Functional Scenarios

Nicolas Riveros

Functional Scenario 1

Selling an Old Laptop Through the App

Persona: Juan, a fourth-year engineering student

Scenario Description: Juan recently upgraded his laptop and wants to sell his old but functional one to another student.

Steps:

1.	Juan opens the app and navigates to the “Sell” section.
2.	He uploads photos of his laptop, writes a description, and sets a price.
3.	Once the listing is live, interested buyers start messaging him.
4.	A buyer decides to purchase, and Juan marks the laptop as sold.
5.	The transaction is finalized through the app, and Juan hands over the laptop.

Outcome: Juan sells his laptop efficiently without needing to post on multiple platforms.

Functional Scenario 2

Renting a Graphing Calculator for a Semester

Persona: Nicolas, a second-semester engineering student

Scenario Description: Nicolas needs a graphing calculator for his math class but doesn’t want to buy one because he will only use it for one semester.

Steps:

1.	Nicolas searches for a calculator in the app.
2.	He finds several listings for rental calculators and selects one based on price and location.
3.	He contacts the owner through the in-app chat to confirm the rental conditions.
4.	Both agree on a rental period and price, and Nicolas makes the payment securely through the app.
5.	The app notifies them about the scheduled pickup.
6.	Nicolas picks up the calculator and marks the transaction as completed.

Outcome: Nicolas gets the calculator at a lower cost, and the owner earns money from renting it out.

Natalia A. Ricaurte Pacheco

Functional Scenario 3

Requesting a Second-Hand Textbook

Persona: Laura, a first semester economics student

Scenario Description: Laura needs a specific economics textbook for her upcoming course, but she prefers to buy a used one thats cheaper than a new one.

Steps:

1.	Laura opens the app and searches for the textbook using keywords and filters.
2.	She doesn’t find the exact book she needs, so she uses the "Request an Item" feature to post a listing.
3.	A seller sees Laura’s request and offers the book at a competitive price.
4.	Laura receives a notification and reviews the seller’s offer.
5.	She accepts the offer and completes the payment through the app.
6.	The app provides pickup details, and Laura meets with the seller to receive the book.
7.	She marks the transaction as completed and leaves a review for the seller.
8.	The app provides pickup details, and Laura meets with the seller to receive the book.

Outcome: Laura successfully finds the textbook without wasting time searching on multiple platforms, and the seller benefits from an easy sale.

Functional Scenario 4

Selling Homemade Cookies as a Student Startup

Persona: Daniel, a second semester business student and small business owner

Scenario Description: Daniel runs a small business where he sells homemade cookies to students on campus. He wants to use the marketplace to reach more customers and increase his sales.

Steps:

1.	Daniel opens the app and navigates to the Entrepreneurship section.
2.	He creates a listing for his cookies, uploads photos, and adds a description with pricing options.
3.	He enables the “Promote Listing” feature to boost visibility, paying a small fee for a featured spot.
4.	Students browsing the marketplace see his listing at the top of their feed.
5.	Interested buyers message him through the app or visit his Instagram page linked in the listing.
6.	He finalizes orders and arranges for delivery or campus pickup.
7.	The app tracks his sales, and he receives insights on which flavors are the most popular.

David Ernesto Zamora Cortés

Functional Scenario 5

Finding a Last-Minute Rental for a Graduation Outfit

Persona: Mateo, a final-year law student

Scenario Description:
Mateo forgot to get a suit for his graduation ceremony, and buying a new one is too expensive. He needs a last-minute rental.

Steps:

1. Mateo searches for “formal wear rental” in the app.
2. He filters by urgent availability and finds listings with same-day pickup options.
3. He selects a suit in his size and messages the owner to confirm availability.
4. The owner accepts, and Mateo makes an instant payment through the app.
5. The app generates a rental agreement and provides pickup details.
6. Mateo picks up the suit on time for his ceremony.

Outcome:
Mateo secures an affordable suit rental in time for his graduation, avoiding the high cost of a new suit.

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Functional Scenario 6

Offering Tutoring Services as a Student Startup

Persona: Sebastián, a third-year economics student

Scenario Description:
Sebastián is struggling with advanced microeconomics and needs tutoring support to pass his upcoming exam. He wants to find a qualified tutor within the student marketplace.

Steps:

1. Sebastián opens the app and navigates to the “Tutoring & Academic Support” section.
2. He searches for “Microeconomics Tutors” and filters results by rating and price.
3. He selects a tutor with high ratings and messages them for availability.
4. The tutor responds, and they agree on a virtual or in-person session.
5. Sebastián makes the payment securely through the app.
6. After the session, he leaves a rating and review to help future students.

Outcome:
Sebastián finds the right tutoring support, improving his understanding of microeconomics and contributing to a better academic performance.

Pablo R Santiago Peñaranda Urbina

Functional Scenario 7

Promoting a Tutoring Service

Persona: Carlos, a graduate student offering math tutoring

Scenario Description: DCarlos wants to attract more students by boosting his tutoring service’s visibility.

Steps:

1.	Carlos creates a tutoring listing in the "Startups (services)" section.
2.	He adds qualifications, availability, and rates.
3.	He purchases a premium listing to feature his service.
4.	Students see his listing first in searches, complete with ratings.
5.	Interested students contact him via in-app chat to schedule sessions.
6.	He finalizes orders and arranges for delivery or campus pickup.
7.	Positive reviews further boost his visibility.

Outcome: Carlos gains more clients through featured listings and reviews.

Functional Scenario 8

Purchasing a Verified Textbook with Advanced Search

Persona: Laura, a first-year economics student

Scenario Description: Laura needs a specific economics textbook but wants to avoid unreliable sellers on social media. She uses the app’s advanced filters, seller verification, and secure payment features to find and purchase the book confidently. Steps:

1.	Laura opens the app and searches for the textbook using keywords (e.g., “Economics 101, 5th Edition”).
2.	The app displays listings matching her criteria, including seller ratings and item condition.
3.	Laura selects a seller with a 5-star rating, reviews the book’s photos/description, and uses in-app chat to confirm availability.
4.	She completes the purchase via the app’s secure payment gateway, receiving a digital receipt.
5.	Interested students contact him via in-app chat to schedule sessions.
6.	The app provides a meetup location on campus for pickup, and Laura marks the transaction as successful after verifying the book’s quality.

Outcome: Laura purchases the textbook from a trusted seller quickly, avoiding scams or inflated prices.

Isabella Sarquis Buitrago

Functional Scenario 9

Searching for a rare textbook through bidding

Persona: Carlos, an economics student struggles to find a rare textbook for his Macreeconomics class.

Scenario Description: Carlos searches for the book in the marketplace but as he can not find it, he creates a bid to insentivate possible sellers.

Steps:

1.	Carlos selects "Request an item" and enters the book title, auther and edition.
2.	He sets the price he is willing to pay (70.000COP)
3.	After 2 days, Raul responds and offers him the book for 70.000COP
4.	Daniela makes another offer to Carlos and gives him the book for 65.000COP.
5.	Carlos selects Daniela's book as it is cheaper. 
6.	He contacts Daniela and completes the payment process. 

Outcome: Carlos gets the book he needs at a fair after not finding it.

Functional Scenario 10

Dealing with a dispute for a damage item

Persona: Emma, a student who bought a used calculator but recieved a broken one

Scenario Description: Emma bought a calculator for 50.000 COP but when she tried to used it, the display was not working correctly. She files a dispute in the app via comments.

Steps:

1.	Emma gives a bad review to the seller and uploads a comment on the his profile.
2.	She uploads evidence that the calculator does not work well and asks for her money back.
3.	The seller denies responsability.
4.	Emma writes to the app regulators asking for a refund.
5.	The app moderators check Emma's case and the evidence she has provided. 
6.	Emma recieves a refund. 
7.	The seller is warned and banned if he does not refund the money.

Outcome: Emma gets her money back and the seller is punished for scamming a buyer.

Pablo Méndez

Functional Scenario 11

Buying leftover materials from another student Persona: Esteban, first semester design student

Scenario Description: Esteban needs to buy some specific materials for his classes and doesn't mind if they are not new.

Steps:.

1.	Esteban opesn the app and goes to the search tab, there he looks for what he needs.
2.	He looks for the available options and their characteristics.
3.	He finds a great offer for the materials he is looking for, he detail page tells him that they have been used.
4.	He contacts the seller.
5.	He is able to buy the materials on time allowing him to be ready for his course.

Outcome: He aquires the materials he needs at a fraction of their usual cost and at basically the same quality.

Functional Scenario 12

A student has leftover cables from a circuits class and sells them Persona: Jose, third semester of Electrical engineering

Scenario Description: He bought several parts for a class he had a couple of semesters ago, currently they are laying around and not seeing to much use. He would like to get rid of them.

Steps:.

1.	He opens the app and goes to the "Listing" part.
2.	Then he fills the info and lists the parts he wants to sell.
3.	After a while, he recieves an offer that he accepts.
4.	The buyer and him agree on a metting place and the transaction takes place.
5.	He returns home after this meeting.

Outcome: He is able to get rid of the Materials while also having a profit.

QS Quality Scenarios

David Zamora

Quality Scenario 1

Internet Disconnection While Placing a Bid

Item	Description
Scenario name	Loss of internet connection while placing a bid
Quality attributes	Eventual connectivity, resilience
App status and context	The user is placing a bid on an item in the marketplace. They have already entered the amount and are about to confirm the transaction
Changes in the context	The internet connection is lost right as the user attempts to submit the bid
System reaction	The app notifies the user about the lost connection and stores the bid in a local queue for automatic resubmission once the connection is restored. If the bid expires before reconnecting, the app informs the user so they can try again

Quality Scenario 2

Item	Description
Scenario name	High memory usage due to multiple images
Quality attributes	Eventual connectivity, resilience
App status and context	The user is browsing the marketplace and accessing multiple listings with high-resolution images
Changes in the context	The device’s memory fills up due to the loading of too many images, potentially slowing down the app or causing the operating system to close it to free up resources
System reaction	The app uses lazy loading to only load images when they are visible on the screen and compresses cached images to reduce memory usage. If the app is closed by the system, the browsing state is saved so it can be restored when the user reopens it

Nicolas Riveros

Quality Scenario 3

Item	Description
Scenario name	High Traffic During Peak Usage
Quality attributes	Performance, usability
App status and context	At the beginning of the semester, thousands of students are searching for materials simultaneously
Changes in the context	The app experiences slow loading times as the number of active users peaks, some users struggle to complete transactions due to delays in server responses
System reaction	A load balancer ensures that requests are distributed across multiple servers and a possible temporary message might be displayed to users

Quality Scenario 4

Item	Description
Scenario name	User Tries to Log In with an Incorrect Password Multiple Times
Quality attributes	Security, usability
App status and context	A user is attempting to log into their account but forgets their password
Changes in the context	After multiple incorrect attempts, the system detects unusual login activity
System reaction	A password reset option is provided via email or SMS and the app temporarily locks the account after 5 failed attempts

Natalia A. Ricaurte Pacheco

Quality Scenario 5

Item	Description
Scenario name	User Gets Confused About How to Place a Bid
Quality attributes	Usability, accessibility
App status and context	A user wants to place a bid on a product but is unsure how the bidding process works. They hesitate and navigate between different sections of the app, trying to find instructions.
Changes in the context	The user spends excessive time trying to understand the bidding feature, potentially leading to frustration or abandonment.
System reaction	The app provides a clear, step-by-step guided tutorial or pop-up hints when a user first attempts to place a bid.

Quality Scenario 6

Item	Description
Scenario name	User Is Uncertain About a Seller’s Trustworthiness
Quality attributes	Trust, security, usability
App status and context	A buyer finds a product listing but hesitates to proceed because they are unsure if the seller is reliable.
Changes in the context	The user spends time checking the seller’s profile and past reviews, but there isn’t enough visible information to confirm trustworthiness. This may lead them to abandon the purchase.
System reaction	The app highlights verified sellers with a badge, provides an easy-to-read summary of seller ratings, and showcases past successful transactions.

Pablo Méndez

Quality Scenario 7

Item	Description
Scenario name	The user uses the search bar to try to find a material but the app take to long to respond.
Quality attributes	Usability, performance
App status and context	The app is not on an optimal state.
Changes in the context	This could be caused by connectivity problems by the user or by the app being in an overloaded state.
System reaction	The app should notify the user about potencial causes for the issue, while also saving the information for the query in order to execute as soon as posible.

Quality Scenario 8

Item	Description
Scenario name	The user is attempting to create an account.
Quality attributes	Security, usability
App status and context	The app is connected to the Internet and is under normal conditions.
Changes in the context	While the user is filling out the information the app is in the process of storing the information before sending it to be processed.
System reaction	It should connect adequately to the back-end in order to perform the necessary validations, in a correct and timely manner.

Pablo R Santiago Peñaranda Urbina

Quality Scenario 9

Item	Description
Scenario name	Image Recognition Search Performance
Quality attributes	Performance, Reliability
App status and context	Users upload images to search for items during high traffic.
Changes in the context	Simultaneous uploads slow down processing.
System reaction	The app scales cloud resources, provides wait-time estimates, and notifies users when results are ready.

Quality Scenario 10

Item	Description
Scenario name	Security Breach Attempt During Payment
Quality attributes	Security, Privacy
App status and context	A user enters payment details; the app temporarily stores sensitive data.
Changes in the context	A breach attempt intercepts transaction data.
System reaction	The app encrypts data end-to-end, uses tokenization, and alerts security teams. Users are prompted to reset passwords if a threat is detected.

Isabella Sarquis Buitrago

Quality Scenario 11

Item	Description
Scenario name	Seller's phone runs out of storage when uploading a product image
Quality attributes	Availability
App status and context	A seller is uploading photos of the object he wants to sell; The seller's phone has low storage space, which afects the image uploading process
Changes in the context	The user tries to upload multiple high resolution images but he can not select all of them due to lack of storage
System reaction	The app compresses the images before uploading them, saves the images that were able to be uploaded and notifies the user that he has not enough space to upload more photos

Quality Scenario 12

Item	Description
Scenario name	International student faces language barriers when using the app
Quality attributes	Usability
App status and context	An exchange student tries to use the app.
Changes in the context	The student has difficulties to understand the description of the item, navigate the app and contact the seller.
System reaction	The app detects the language of the user's phone and translates the interface to make it easier for the student to navigate.

Viva voce

Pablo R Santiago Peñaranda Urbina

This app addresses the chaotic, inefficient systems students currently use for buying, selling, or renting academic materials. Today, students waste hours scrolling through unmoderated social media groups or negotiating unreliable deals, as seen in PAS people struggle to rent a lab things as lab coats, o selling stuff they wont use again.

The app’s design was driven by user pain points uncovered in Personas and Empathy Maps. For example, buyer persona inspired the bidding system led to keyword based business discovery tools. Features like geolocation matching, verified seller badges, and rental agreements directly respond to issues like unreliable pickups or distrust in social media sellers.

Ethically, the app promotes sustainability by reducing waste through rentals and reuse, while algorithms ensure fair visibility for student startups, promoting a culture where students can think of the idea of reusing or giving something a 2nd chance or a new life.

This app transforms academic resource management by solving real problems, saving time, building trust, and empowering student entrepreneurship all within a secure, student focused centralized ecosystem.

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Natalia A. Ricaurte Pacheco

Questions + VD map

Type 1: Performance and scalability that evaluates the system’s efficiency in handling queries. Type 2: User Experience and Process optimization identifies friction points in product searches, rentals, and the checkout process. Type 3: Feature Engagement and Security, Measures how users interact with marketplace tools and the level of trust in transactions. Type 4: Market Trends and pricing that Helps sellers adjust their strategies based on demand. Type 5: Engagement and optimization and analyzes user behavior to improve navigation and increase conversions.

The VD Map was structured using a combination of Top-down and Bottom-up approaches to define key questions and ensure data is properly aggregated into meaningful insights. The three main databases supporting this analysis are User DB, which tracks interactions, feature usage, and session durations, Product DB, which records listings, searches, and user engagement., Transactions DB, which monitors payments, completed purchases, abandoned carts, and fraud reports.

Persona, empathy maps, PAS, context canvas

The solution’s context was defined through user research, using Personas, Empathy Maps, PAS (Problem-Alternative-Solution), and the Context Canvas. These elements structured the app’s user-centered design.

Personas Representative user profiles were created, including Andrea Torres (academic materials seller), Alejandro Ríos (data analyst), and a computer science student looking for a second-hand laptop. These profiles helped identify key needs, motivations, and frustrations.

Empathy Maps User thoughts, feelings, and behaviors were analyzed to uncover issues such as lack of trust in sellers, disorganized social media listings, and difficulties finding affordable products.

PAS (Problem-Alternative-Solution) Real problems were documented, such as the struggle to rent lab coats or sell textbooks, along with current alternatives like WhatsApp and Facebook groups. The analysis confirmed these options were inefficient and unreliable, validating the need for a centralized marketplace.

Context Canvas Key factors were mapped, including market competitors (Facebook Marketplace, WhatsApp, MercadoLibre), necessary integrations (calendar, maps, messaging), and technical constraints. This helped define differentiating features, such as user verification, advanced filters, and a notification system.

Quality and functional scenarios

Functional scenarios

• One example is Requesting a Second-Hand Textbook (Laura), which helps students find affordable books and connect with sellers more easily. The decision to include the "Request an Item" feature was made to handle cases where a search is unsuccessful, whether because the item is currently rented or unavailable. The moment it becomes available, the system notifies the user, reducing the need for repeated searches.

• Another example is Selling Homemade Cookies (Daniel), designed to support student entrepreneurship through promoted listings and customer engagement tools. Sales tracking and order management features were added to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses more effectively.

Quality scenarios

• User Gets Confused About How to Place a Bid addresses usability issues that could lead to frustration and abandonment. To improve clarity, we implemented step-by-step guided tutorials and pop-up hints for first-time users.

• Similarly, User Is Uncertain About a Seller’s Trustworthiness tackles the issue of low transaction completion rates due to a lack of trust. To boost confidence, we highlight verified sellers, display seller ratings, and showcase successful past transactions, ensuring a more reliable marketplace experience.

Design processes and artifact to convert observations into solutions

David Ernesto Zamora Cortés

Questions + VD map

The questions were formulated given the basic principles for each type. Type 1: App’s telemetry Type 2: Direct user experience improvement Type 3: New or deprecated/updated features Type 4: Benefits from data Type 5: combination of two or more types

https://se4ma.gitbook.io/book/chapter4/information_knowledge_in_our_mobile_context

The visualization data map was created using the best practices described in https://se4ma.gitbook.io/book/chapter4/the-visualization-data-map

You can start by determining the "business objectives" and a simple way for defining the objectives is to make a list of the questions that should be answered with the analytics engine. For example, if you are designing an app for bikers, some of the questions supported by the analytics engine are: what are the most frequent paths followed by bikers?, What are the rush hours in Bogotá for bikers? What are the most dangerous routes/zones for bikers?, etc.. . Given the questions you expect to answer with your analytics engine, in a first iteration of the map each question is represented by a question node; the question can be answered with a chart, message, notification, or a textual report that is the visualization node. Then you have to identify what information, what sources you need to answer the question, raw data node. Then, you have to identify what type of processing you need to do from this raw source to make possible the visualization, with a aggregated/generated information node, this node can represent, filtering information, deleting information, adding information, calculating averages, maximums and minimums, etc..

Persona, empathy maps, PAS, context canvas

Personas

The personas were defined according to the definition A persona is a fictional profile that represents a particular audience segment (i.e., a users group). It is a way to personify your users with the purpose of promoting collaborative work in your team around a given persona. A "persona" helps you to empathize and to create "hypotheses" about a set of representative users that will contribute to identify situations problems that are suitable for being improved/fixed. … https://se4ma.gitbook.io/book/chapter3/personas

Empathy maps We define our users in a canvas from the point of view of what they think, see, feel, and do

https://se4ma.gitbook.io/book/chapter3/empathy-map

Context canvas

The context canvas helps us understand the context on which personas will use our product. The context canvas is organized in three columns, that describe aspects related to the personas, the app, and the backend services required by the app. Its purpose is to help you to identify how your app interacts with the context, i.e., (i) how the app is used by the personas and how is the interaction (e.g., via gestures, sensors), (ii) how the app interacts with the device and other apps in the device, and (iii) how the app interacts with the backend services. The context canvas is also a design artifact very useful to identify quality/contextual scenarios and the constraints imposed on the app.

https://se4ma.gitbook.io/book/chapter3/the-context-canvas

PAS

We defined PAS as a list in which problem, alternatives and the solution that personas take. Each solution has a value proposition and the sum of all value propositions (of each solution for each problem) is the whole system value proposition.

A value proposition is a positioning statement that explains what benefit you provide, for whom, and how you do it uniquely well. It describes your target buyer, the pain point you solve, and why you’re distinctly better than the alternatives.

https://bloqueneon.uniandes.edu.co/d2l/le/lessons/334343/topics/2377224

Quality and functional scenarios

A scenario contain three key elements: (i) what the persona is doing, (ii) the system reaction, (iii) the execution context (or context at runtime). Remember that the internal state (e.g., variables states) of an app is also part of its context. Lets take a look in the definition of both types of scenarios:

Functional scenarios are described like user stories (easy cake), i.e., functional scenarios are focused more on how a persona uses the app. So, functional scenarios are very similar to the features described in the canvas. However, those scenarios are more verbose, and contain more "real" data and context. When describing the functional scenarios you must impersonate a persona. You can use the same templates we described previously for listing features in the context canvas. Functional scenarios must describe a path followed by a persona through single or multiple features.

Quality scenarios should be described from a potential race condition: what if the phone is running out of memory? what if the luminosity is very low? what if a lot of data is pushed to the server? what if the user is blind? what if...? Your scenarios must cover all the quality attributes related to your app (i.e., accessibility, usability, performance, eventual connectivity, resilience, availability, scalability, security, internationalization, GUI responsiveness, etc.).

Quality scenarios are described using the following template: • Scenario name • Quality attributes involved in the scenario • App status and context • Changes in the context (includes what the persona is doing) • System reaction to the changes in the context

https://se4ma.gitbook.io/book/chapter4/on-the-scene-describing-how-personas-interact-with-your-app

Isabella Sarquis Buitrago

Questions

Questions are made thinking of the user experience and the conditions the app will have to respond to. Each type of question was fundamental to either add and evaluate features or understand how the app should work considering the environment and the context.
The VD map helped us to visualize the features the app needed to have in a technical way. It structured ideas and integrated information bases to organize data.

Empathy Maps, PAS, Context Canvas

Personas, empathy maps, PAS and context canvas were made from the interviews made to the user. This allowed us to understand the problems and the actual necessities of the client. The context canvas reunites all the findings from the personas, empathy maps and PAS, reflecting the use of smart features with specific purposes to support the user’s needs.

Quality and functional scenarios

With the purpose of designing a functional application, the scenarios where key to deciding the quality attributes that each feature needs to accomplish. As our app is a university marketplace it was important to identify which aspects are non-negotiable, such as availability and usability. Also, the functional scenarios where useful to understand what the user wants and how he interacts with the application, this was reinforced with the guerilla interviewing methodology made in class, which gave us feedback on how the user works with the application and who he expects it to work.

Design processes and artifact to convert observations into solutions

Nicolas Riveros Velandia

Questions + VD map

Persona, empathy maps, PAS, context canvas

Quality and functional scenarios

Design processes and artifact to convert observations into solutions

This app addresses the inefficiencies students face when buying, selling, or renting academic materials. Students often waste hours in disorganized social media groups or negotiating unreliable deals. For example, as an example of a PAS setting, students struggle with renting lab equipment, like lab coats, or selling books and materials they no longer need. The app solves these problems by creating an organized marketplace with features like bidding, geolocation, and verified seller badges, making transactions easier and more trustworthy.

The design of the app is based on real user needs identified through Personas and Empathy Maps. This led to the creation of features like a bidding system and keyword-based business discovery tools, which help students find what they're looking for. Additionally, features like the rental agreements address trust issues, making the platform safer and more reliable for users.

The app also promotes sustainability by allowing students to rent and reuse materials, reducing waste. The algorithms ensure fair visibility for student entrepreneurs, encouraging a culture of reusing and giving items a second life. This not only helps students save money but also supports student-driven businesses within the app's ecosystem.

Functional and quality scenarios are designed to improve the user experience. Features like requesting second-hand textbooks or selling homemade products help students find what they need more easily. The app also includes tools like sales tracking and seller ratings to build trust between buyers and sellers. To reduce confusion, step-by-step guides and pop-up hints are included to help users understand how to use the app, ensuring smooth and successful transactions.

Kanban Board

https://sharing.clickup.com/9013611725/b/h/4-90132484080-2/5692e7208db9dc9

Ethics Video

https://youtu.be/T10EO_fw-3M