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The brainstorming process followed by the team has several characteristics that are worth mentioning:
- The team started by identifying the two main problems that were going to be evaluated as potential problems to solve. The problems were defined as the difficulty that students have in finding and acquiring the materials they need for their classes, and the difficulty that students have in finding parking spots near the university.
- The team used the Divergence-convergence Pattern to select the best idea to work on. Thus, the brainstorming process was divided on two stages:
- Divergence: The team started by generating as many ideas as possible for each of the problems. The ideas were registered in a Padlet board. The goal was to generate a wide range of ideas that could potentially solve the problems.
- Convergence: After the divergence stage, the team proceeded to select the best idea to work on. This stage is characterized by the selection and refinement of the most promising ideas.
- The team categorized the ideas generated in both stages of the brainstorming process into four categories: The Rational Choice, The Most Likely to Delight, The Darling, and The Long Shot. This categorization was done to help the team select the best idea to work on and help make the convergence process more efficient.
- Additionally, the team identified some smart features that could be included in the application to enhance the user experience. These features were identified during the brainstorming process and were registered in a separate Padlet board. The goal was to identify features that could help solve the selected problem in a more efficient way.
The brainstorming process enhanced the work done on MS2, ending with a very robust set of ideas that allow for a comprehensive analysis of the problem and the potential solutions.
The choice was initially between two proposals: a marketplace for students who are looking to sell, buy or rent different type of materials that are used in classes, and an application that would aid students with parking spots in the university. To choose which one to work on, the team used the Divergence-convergence Pattern. The team first diverged to generate as many ideas as possible. The ideas generated were registered in the following Padlet board:
After that divergence stage, the team converged to select the best idea. For the convergence stage, the team categorized the ideas into the four categories explored in class:
- The rational choice
- The most likely to delight
- The darling
- The long shot
The categorization is shown in the following table:
| The Rational Choice | The Most Likely to Delight | The Darling | The Long Shot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Show the prices of all the parking lots near the university | Something that allows finding supplies for courses easily | An exchange market inside the university of second hand materials | Chauffeurs that use your car to get you where you want to be |
| Show which parking lots have available slots | Students can LEND the course materials instead of selling them | Create a Bus route for students | A big bucket of common materials that are open to public |
| Integrate with Google Maps or a custom map to display available parking spots | Notify users when a reserved spot is about to become available or when new spots open up | A place where students can sell materials from classes | Delivery system where students can bring the materials to others and make some money for their time |
| Allow students to reserve parking spots in advance | A place where students with unused supplies can earn some money from them | If multiple students want the same item, a bidding will occur | |
| Notify users when a reserved spot is about to become available or when new spots open up | Form for students to discuss open parking slots | ||
| Offer discount codes for parking fees during off-peak times or special events | |||
| Allow students to rate and review parking lots and garages |
The idea that was finally chosen to be worked on during the semester was the creation of a mobile application that would serve as a marketplace for students who are looking to sell, buy or rent different type of materials that are used in classes. The decision is explained in the following section, which describes the convergence stage of the Divergence-convergence Pattern in depth and explains why the team chose to work on the marketplace for students idea.
After having categorized the ideas in the table shown in the previous section, it is evident that the ideas regarding the parking spots were more rational and less innovative than the ideas regarding the marketplace for students. Many of the ideas regarding the parking spots were focused on the same functionalities, such as showing the prices of the parking lots and showing which parking lots have available slots. On the other hand, the ideas regarding the marketplace for students were more diverse and innovative, such as allowing students to lend the course materials instead of selling them, creating an exchange market inside the university of second-hand materials, creating a delivery system where students can bring the materials to others and make some money for their time, and creating a big bucket of common materials that are open to the public.
While many of the ideas on the marketplace are difficult to implement, many fit into the categories of the most likely to delight, the darling, and the long shot. This shows that the marketplace for students is a more innovative idea that could potentially benefit the community more than the parking spots idea. Therefore, the team agreed to work on the marketplace for students.
After reaching that agreement, a second board with ideas specific to the marketplace was created. This constitutes the convergence stage of the Divergence-convergence Pattern. The ideas generated were registered in the following Padlet board:
Once again, the ideas were classified into the four categories explored in class:
| The Rational Choice | The Most Likely to Delight | The Darling | The Long Shot |
|---|---|---|---|
| A platform for students to buy, sell, or trade textbooks and other course materials | Reward system for students | A dedicated Uniandes marketplace app could help connect students of the same major | Swap materials between students |
| Allow users to create a wishlist so they can know when the material they're looking for is available | Add a favorites section | The app could utilize the phone's camera to capture images showing the condition of the product | Display a map where they can see the places inside the university destined for the material's exchange |
| Allow users to upload and purchase digital versions of notes and study guides | Add a feature to report if any inappropriate item is listed in the app | It can also have a forum in which they recommend where to buy certain materials | Use GPS to meet with other people to exchange the materials |
| A section for students to find and rent apartments or houses near the university | The application should filter questionable products or offers, such as students who post exams or similar course material | Options to bid over certain materials | |
| Listings for freelance services like graphic design, coding, essay editing, etc. | A platform for university clubs and societies to recruit members and promote their activities | ||
| A section for sharing or selling research materials and lab equipment |
It can be seen from that categorization that the team was able to extract a variety of ideas from the brainstorming process. Many are rational and sound choices, which guarantee that the app will have the basic functionalities needed to be useful. However, the team also came up with ideas that are more likely to delight, such as a reward system for students, a dedicated Uniandes marketplace app that could help connect students of the same major, and a feature to report if any inappropriate item is listed in the app. The team also came up with ideas that are darlings, such as utilizing the phone's camera to capture images showing the condition of the product, and ideas that are long shots, such as displaying a map where they can see the places inside the university destined for the material's exchange, and using GPS to meet with other people to exchange the materials.
As a last refinement step of the convergence stage, the team identified some smart features that could be included in the application to enhance the user experience. These features were identified during the brainstorming process and were registered in a separate Padlet board. The goal was to identify features that could help solve the selected problem in a more efficient way. The smart features identified were written by the team in the following Padlet board:
As expected, some of the ideas are more realistic and easier to implement than others. However, all of them have the potential to enhance the user experience and make the app more useful. They were, once again, classified into the four categories explored in class:
| The Rational Choice | The Most Likely to Delight | The Darling | The Long Shot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provide personalized discounts based on purchasing habits | Crowdsourced ratings and reviews to highlight reliable users | Use AR to preview the condition of materials before purchasing | Program automatic self-navigating robots to deliver the materials to students |
| Provide advanced search filters using natural language queries | Offer chatbot assistance for finding materials and negotiating prices | Suggest materials based on course schedule | Use GPS to meet with other people to exchange the materials |
| Compare prices of similar materials within the app and on other platforms | Material recommendations using the user's purchase history | Implement blockchain for secure transactions and transparent history | |
| Integrate campus maps to show routes to exchange locations with real-time updates |
These were taken into account when exploring the perspectives of the Empathy Maps and Personas, as well as when defining the solution description.
The six empathy maps, each one corresponding to a prospective user of the app, are presented below:
Three personas were identified:
-
Patricia Smith, a diligent student who wants to organize her environment by responsibly selling unused materials, thereby supporting her peers.
-
Sofía Gomez, a very mindful student worried about the constant waste of materials and very interested in finding a place where she can buy the right amount of materials.
-
Martin Law, a budget-conscious student interested in renting out materials he no longer uses to maximize savings and support fellow students.
After a thorough process of brainstorming, during which the team employed the Divergence-Convergence Pattern, we successfully identified a solution tailored to the problem at hand. The outcome of this exercise is the development of a mobile application for both iOS and Android platforms, specifically designed to address the needs of the student population at Universidad de los Andes. The application will function as a marketplace where students can sell, buy, or rent various materials used in their classes.
The use of the Divergence-Convergence Pattern allowed us to explore a wide range of ideas and converge on the most promising solution. The marketplace concept stood out due to its potential to provide a more innovative and impactful solution compared to other proposals, such as those focused on parking issues. The final app design incorporates a blend of practical, delightful, and ambitious ideas, ensuring it meets both the essential needs of students and offers added value through unique features. For illustration purposes, here is what the market place home page will look like:
Key features of the app will include the ability for students to list leftover materials for sale or lend them to others. The latter is particularly beneficial for students who wish to retain ownership of their materials while still supporting other students and gain some extra money. The app will also enable students to browse and purchase materials, with offers organized by class categories such as Math, Music, Science, and Sports. Advanced search and filtering options will help users quickly locate the specific materials they need.
In addition to the core features, the app will include innovative functionalities identified during our decision process, called smart features. These smart features are designed to enhance the user experience and will also address the pain points identified in our user Personas (which can be seen in the section above). A lot of these smart features revolve around personalizing the user experience as well as improving the interaction between the user and the application, these enhancements ensure the app is both practical and innovative.
For example, the smart feature Integrate campus maps to show routes to exchange locations with real-time updates helps solve the problem of lack of communication between students looking to buy materials, like the Persona Sofia, who struggles to find second-hand items efficiently due to limited connections with upperclassmen. This feature facilitates seamless interaction by providing real-time navigation to exchange points, reducing reliance on personal networks and improving the overall accessibility of sustainable resource exchanges.
This solution is expected to significantly benefit the student community by creating a centralized platform for the exchange of materials, ultimately saving time and money for students and also expanding sense of community and collaboration.