Make Them Pay!
An accountability app that helps students with unproductive habits of snacking and impulse spending habits.
Product Experience
Problem Space
Problem Statement
How might we help college students track their spending habits, cut back on unhealthy snacking and stay accountable with friends and families?
Problem Background
College is a unique time in life. For many, college years come with newfound freedom, new friendships, exploring new foods from different cultures. While there are lots of positives to enjoy during these years, there are also plenty of challenges faced by college students.
People often joke about the freshman 15; first-year college students are notorious for putting on extra pounds. Gaining weight certainly isn't naturally unhealthy, but the freshman 15 are often associated with unhealthy habits like binge snacking or impulsive spending.
Read More: https://www.tastingtable.com/974938/reasons-why-college-students-have-a-hard-time-with-healthy-eating/
Research Insights
User Pain Points
When I was in college, I had the following sentiments:
As a university student that loves to try new snacks and sweets, I want to cut back on snacking so that I do not skip healthy meals frequently.
As a university student that loves to try new snacks and sweets, I want to cut back on snacking so that I spend less to stay within my budget.
Supporting Data
“85% of people we spoke to mentioned they were unhappy with the current solution ..”
83% of the users that completed the survey admitted that their mood determined their unhealthy snacking habits
50% said it was in between meals & this was a result of not having an accountability partner
Feedback
Most of the users (not university students) that completed the survey do not see their snacking addiction as a problem or trying to cut back, but all said they do not have an accountability partner
Landing on the Solution
- Join a weekly leaderboard with your friends & family to see who is leading in the pack and if you wager incorrectly, you owe them a reward and if you wager correctly you owe them a punishment
Weekly Rewards
- 1 week of NO leisure shopping = sponsored shopping spree worth $100
- 2 weeks of NO leisure shopping = sponsored shopping spree worth $200
- 1 week of NO junk food = enjoy a guilt-free treat of your choice
- 2 weeks of NO junk food = enjoy 2 guilt-free treat of your choice
Weekly Punishments
- 1 week of leisure shopping = hide their credit card for a week
- 2 weeks of leisure shopping = hide their credit card for 2 weeks
- 1 week of junk food = super healthy snack of your choice for a week
- 2 weeks of junk food = super healthy snack of your choice for 2 weeks
Future Steps
I did not have much time to interview students currently in college but going forward if I was to proceed with this product, I will need to redirect my focus to my target market.
- A weekly graph of their progress with comparison from week to week
- How often do they answer prompts on their phone checking in on their moods & cravings?
- Is the app keeping them on track with their weekly goals of cutting back on junk food and unnecessary spending?
Images
Learnings
Product Manager Learnings:
Samuel Adenekan
Co.Lab was a very interesting experience for me, it was quite a learning curve for me a person with no background whatsoever in product management. The peer reviews really helped me to focus on the mission of my problem statement.
Designer Learnings:
Designer Learnings:
Jo Sturdivant
- Adapting to an Established Team: Joining the team in week 6 of 8 was challenging, as I had to quickly adapt to existing workflows, dynamics, and goals. This mirrors real-world situations where you often integrate into teams mid-project, and flexibility is essential.
- Work-Blocking for Efficiency: With only two weeks to complete the project, I learned the importance of a structured work-blocking system. This approach allowed me to manage my time effectively and meet deadlines under pressure.
- Making Data-Driven Design Decisions: Unlike my past projects, I had to rely on research conducted by others. This was a valuable experience in using pre-existing data to guide design decisions, helping me focus on the core insights without starting from scratch.
Developer Learnings:
Developer Learnings:
Vanady Beard
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As the back-end developer, I learned how important it is to create efficient and reliable systems that support the entire application. This experience also taught me the importance of optimising the database and ensuring the backend is scalable and easy to maintain.
Developer Learnings:
Stephen Asiedu
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As a back-end developer, I've come to understand the importance of being familiar with various database systems and modules. This knowledge enables me to build diverse applications and maintain versatility in my work. I've also learned that the responsibility for making the right choices rests on my shoulders, guided by my best judgement.
Developer Learnings:
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Developer Learnings:
Maurquise Williams
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- Process of Creating an MVP: Developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) taught me how to focus on delivering core functionalities balancing between essential features and avoiding scope creep.
- Collaboration in a Real-World Tech Setting: This experience taught me how to collaborate efficiently in a fast-paced tech environment, keeping the team aligned and productive, even while working remotely across time zones.
- Sharpening Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills: This experience honed my ability to think critically and solve problems efficiently. By tackling challenges and finding quick solutions, I sharpened my decision-making and troubleshooting skills in a dynamic, real-world setting.
Developer Learnings:
Jeremiah Williams
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All in all this experience was very awesome I learned that in coding with others being transparent is key
Developers Learnings:
Justin Farley
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I learned how important communication is when working with a team. Communication provides understanding, advice, ideas, and much more. While working with the product team, I’ve found that communication keeps everything flowing smoothly. Working with a team also showed me that every member brings something different to the table and we all have to work together in order to align and meet our end goal.