Week 18 - Preparing for the Final Ceremony
Presented our pitch demo to guest lecturers and peers, received key feedback on starting with the problem, and refined both the demo and interface ahead of the final presentation.
Filmed a rough draft for our final project video and continued improving the app based on lecturer feedback - fixing the map view, adding profile editing, and shortening onboarding.
We ran additional iterations with three retirees, enlarged the slider, and rebuilt the event-selection flow. We also drafted the See & Hear script - defining what the viewer sees, hears, and how long each scene runs.
Usability tests with 10 users led to fixes that made the app friendlier. We also started the final-video script and a wider survey to reach more users.
Refined the app after deconstructing our user flow. Reflection questions are now research-based, with emoji color-coding informed by perception research.
Took every screen through visual and cognitive simplification, mapping objectives, actions, and emotions to each step of the user flow.
Storyboarded the user journey, ran MVP interviews, and reshaped the map and activity descriptions around what people actually need to feel comfortable joining.
Qualitative interviews with two users and a domain expert. 100% of 56 link visitors said the app interests them; 7 left contact details.
193 survey respondents validated the gap. Only 1 of 14 flyer-scanners left contact details - surfacing the act of scanning itself as a barrier.
Mentor feedback widened our definition of weak ties; a 151-person survey confirmed strong interest in short, low-commitment neighbourhood activities.
Built a structured pitch and added a knowledge-sharing feature. Reviewed research on weak ties online and conceptualised serendipity as our core mechanism.
Two axes for the competitor map: Personalisation and Interactive Initiative. Users feel empowered when they teach the system, not just use it.
A time-of-day timeline missed the user's moment of real need. We redefined the journey around emotional states: before, during, and after loneliness.
Competitive landscape and Empathy Map. Most existing solutions favour structure over spontaneity - we found an unoccupied space between social and casual.
Presented the problem, persona Dalia, and supporting theories - including RRT: well-being is built through frequent low-intensity interactions.
User-mapping, behavioural insights, and analysis of cohesion-driven apps - translated into actionable design directions rooted in real behaviour.
From broad societal gaps to hyper-local community challenges. Mapped friction points and validated direction with experts.
Team onboarding, shared expectations set, and first alignment around the goals of the MiLab program.
