Timeline
True to my reflection in my last post, I added a few more tasks to next week's to-do list. I now have additional plans to have an informal conversation with my stream partner the Empathic Computing Lab (ECL), do some brain training game research, and initiate my first round of co-design feedback. While I was reflecting on my process I added a few more tasks, and I comment to that later.
My to-do list for next week, Own Image.
This is my 'Immerse and Align' stage in my methodology, where I collect what I know and find gaps in my knowledge. My first orange 'key milestone' task comes in here. I believe that performing extensive rapid prototyping in this week will strengthen my hypothetical vision and make it easier to progress.
Week 2's Tasks
I went to undertake research into methods, software, and materials I could use to prototype, however, I believe my prototyping could be better informed by my stream partner. In the weekend I sent an email to her contact at the ECL as encouraged by my supervisor.
It was encouraged to explore business strategies for our projects. I decided to work with the Business Model Canvas. I used this canvas to present a normative framework to succinctly communicate my project vision to peers.
Figure 1. Business Model Canvas with personal project notes. Own work adapted from Smart Insights, by D. Chaffey, 2021, https://www.smartinsights.com/digital-marketing-strategy/online-business-revenue-models/summarising-business-models-use-the-business-model-canvas-diagram/.
Figure 1 implies that designers that focus their intentions on the nine sections in the model will see a higher chance of venture success. However, a study done by T. Ladd in the Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship (2018) found that validating the hypotheses of the Customer Segment, Value Proposition, Channel, Key Activities, and Key Partners are the only predictors of success. Although my project does not follow the 'venture competition' nature of the study, I believe understanding this factor helps me to work with this model. Following this, I resolve to place a higher emphasis on validating my hypotheses where I can, through conversations with my stream partner, demographic, and peers; and scientific research and evaluation. I have added a new task for the following week to reflect this: 'Validate hypotheses with research.'
I outlined my scope of my project on my Miro board and found it the most useful for making my hypothetical vision clear. Through this process I identified key limitations, such as gaps in my development knowledge and ambitious scope. I think it would be beneficial to expand on these limitations, and have added the task for Week 3: 'Limitations.' In this scope I explore my vision for a respectful mental health chatbot, accompanied by well-designed brain training, readings, and accessibility design choices. I feel that accessibility is a core part of my app, however, I see most of these choices in the ambitious scope. This is because the extra work to implement alternative responses and text-to-speech may be out of my timeframe. This definitely makes me uneasy as accessibility is such a crucial part of designing for older adults. I'll focus my priorities and reassess after I have a chance to talk to my stream partner about technologies.
References
Ladd, T. (2018). Does the business model canvas drive venture success? Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, 20(1), 57-69. https://doi.org/10.1108/jrme-11-2016-0046
D. Chaffey, 2021. Smart Insights. https://www.smartinsights.com/digital-marketing-strategy/online-business-revenue-models/summarising-business-models-use-the-business-model-canvas-diagram/