Case Study: Munch Mates - Fall 2023
Problem:
Many students, especially freshman and transfer students, struggle to find affordable dining options on and off campus with meal companions. This app aims to match users with like-minded individuals to explore and share cost-effective dining experiences with other students on campus.
Addressing this problem can help users, especially students, save money, build social connections, and discover budget-friendly dining options on and off campus.
Roles:
In this project, my role was the facilitator where I moderate the discussion, keep the group on task, distribute work, and remind the group on what and when assignments are due.
List of Team Members: Gavin Thortenberry, Miriam Lopez, Aaron Hardy, and Haley Thornhill
Duration: 40 hours
Contributions:
During the semester, I have kept the group on task, distributed work when necessary, and provided useful information towards assignments and tasks. I have also stayed open-minded with ideas from the group and let all ideas and observations be heard throughout the semester. As the facilitator, I have not only been a leader for my group, but a member who has contributed their fair share of duties with assignments that couldn’t be dealt with by another member due to time, and help with the absence of knowledge on the assignment. All assignments, done in class, were completed by the due date and completed by each member's contribution to the proper assignment (if present, including myself).
I also designed and put together the final scenario video, created the first scenario drawing, the journey map, persona, and designed the branding. However, the voice was not done by me.
Research:
For my research, I created a form stating questions that could help solve our problem. I focused on safety, personal information, dining options, and a social life.
Key Findings:
34% of students would use an app that uses DUO as a form of authorization, while 18% would not due to the use of logging in multiple times.
72% of students would use an app that combines food and friends, but 54% would not eat with random people. According to my research method, this information is only provided by 11 students.
About 50% of students would enjoy a Red Flag feature for safety concerns, as well as a safety button if the user might be in danger.
Most of the responses are worried about catfishing and being scammed. They suggest background screenings, ID verification, and validation of students IDs.
Solution:
A solution that solved the problem was creating an app that combines food and friends. The app focuses on Chico State students, ranging from 18 years and older, featuring a swiping method where students can choose their ideal food spot, find a match, and build social connections with other students on campus.
Branding:
Persona & Journey Map:
Blueprint:
Challenges:
A few challenges I faced were the features that I wanted to include in the app. I wanted to make sure the app had every little detail incorporated so the user would feel safe while using the app. Every time a new question would pop up with a different perspective, I challenged myself with the “what if” question, but also took the time in figuring out which question had the most reasonable answer.
Another challenge I faced was the layout portion of the project. There were so many nooks and crannies that I wanted to incorporate into the design that it steered away from the problem we were trying to solve within the app. The last challenge that I faced was the journey. I wasn’t sure how to complete the journey map and what it was asking me to do. I added a few things that I believe helped solve our problem, but it was one of the most difficult pieces in the entire project that I had trouble with.
Strategies:
A strategy I used was to focus on problems within our main problem, such as safety, personal information, dining options, and social life.
For safety, I created a Red Flag feature where an icon would pop up if there are any red flags with the user match. I also created a Location feature where users can share their location with the app to prevent them from a potential kidnapping or worse. This feature would only be allowed if the user allows it first.
For personal information, Miriam and I created an idea for users to scan their student ID’s as a way to verify that the user was an actual student of Chico State. At one moment, a question was asked, “how would the user know if their match is old enough to drink?”. With this in mind, I created the idea with students also scanning their personal ID cards into the app to verify their correct age. I also suggested that we have users agree to a terms of conditions where all their information stays private within the app.
For dining options, my main focus was to focus on off campus dining options. With this being the only option, I had to consider options for the students who didn’t have access to a means of transportation. With that, myself and another member suggested we include on and off campus dining options.
For social life, the problem was solved within the entire team. As a transfer student myself, it was hard making friends in the first semester, and I only went out to eat with my boyfriend. Each member of the team had their own examples of why social life needed to be included with the app. I suggested that users connect with students they have never met before, so the user could make their own social connections. With the extra nudge for transfer students and freshmen, I think our app can make a difference in
someone’s life.
Learnings:
For me, overall, I think I did well on completing things on time and making sure my team was getting their work done. I also think I did a good job on being the facilitator and I would do it again. Something that I could improve on is not waiting until the last minute to get things done.
For my team, I think they did well on putting their best foot forward and contributing to each assignment. Everyone had a say in what was accomplished and what needed to get done. They were also up to do anything.