How to map user needs and discover business opportunities? Where do user needs meet business goals? How do you uncover users’ frustrations and desires to create a great product?

From this perspective, the UX group will look at all other projects of the summer university and decide whether the teams are making a product that is both the best solution to the “problem” AND the most profitable.

During the two weeks, the UX team must answer the following questions: What was the problem? Does the end-user really think there was a problem in the first place? Was the problem correctly defined? What should the solution change? What will the solution change? Will the end-user really use the final product? Will it be easy to use? Will it be acceptable to a user? Is the solution sustainable? Could there be a better solution? What about the business opportunities? Will it profitable? Who will buy it? How to market the product best?

The UX group will come up with alternative solutions and prototypes.

Project goal
The project goal is to decide whether the other teams have designed a product which will generate a successful user experience and new business opportunities. If the answer is no, the UX team should come up with alternative solutions.

The success of the implementation of new sustainable solutions depends on the acceptance of the end user. Especially, at a time when each investment is considered carefully, you want to create a sustainable solution that is effective. From large-scale analysis (Chaos report 2012, Standish Group) we learn that up to fifty percent of the failure or success of a project is caused by the lack of communication skills  and involvement of the end users.

To identify the real problem and user needs, UX students (preferably in pairs) will regularly participate in the different sustainability projects right from the start. Based on this the UX students will work out the chosen alternative in a prototype keeping an account of the preconditions such as tangible and non-tangible benefits, impact on different areas, and acceptance of the end user.

The UX group will meet regularly for workshop and to exchange experiences and ideas.

Study areas
The dream team for the project should include students with skills in ecology ,technical computing, electronics, pedagogy, business or human centered design. Most importantly, students must be creative thinkers. While all  individual expertise will contribute to the project outcome, interaction between the study areas is required in order to achieve a successful project result.

Program

• Problem analysis
• Change analysis
• Business Case, how to justify the project?
• Requirements
• Design, prototype (mock ups)
• Implications and recommendations

Apply to the project

Contact
Jan Hein Eggers, HvA
E-mail: j.h.eggers@hva.nl

Read more about the lecturers