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WEEK 1 (FEBRUARY 21- FEBRUARY 25, 2023)

PRODUCT PLANNING AND ASSESSMENT OF 7 POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS

For our group, starting this activity was both exhilarating and stressful. We didn't complete the chores assigned to each of us right away since we considered they were easier than the other main topics' exercises and plates. We had a lot on our plates, so we (individually) selected to list the conceivable (but simple) current difficulties that the students are having these days and think of a possible solution or product that might fix the aforementioned problem as well. When we decided to meet in person, we talked about everything and panicked when we remembered the deadline.

Understanding this allowed me to realize that if we had worked on and discussed the assigned task right away, we might have been able to generate more ideas. I can't deny that I overestimated the difficulty of interacting with others, as well as detecting and resolving possible real-world issues. Nonetheless, we chose something related to an environmental issue, specifically something that can help with the elimination of plastic waste. Even though we have three preliminary product concepts, we are continuously exploring for new methods to improve our present ones.

 WEEK 2 (FEBRUARY 28- MARCH 3, 2023)

QUESTIONING STRANGERS AND REJECTION

I was hesitant to begin my role as soon as it was assigned to us since I am not fond talking to strangers, which makes this task a huge difficulty for me. Fast forward to conducting this task; owing to time restrictions, a heavy plate load provided to us by each of our subjects, and so on, we opted to narrow our participants, which ended in us asking just a group of Ketkai arki students. It's weird to think that we asked strangers if they could draw and then asked them if they could make an impromptu portrait sketch of us at the same time.

We were able to approach (four) arki strangers with that enjoyable yet weird activity and obtained just one refusal out of four. Just thinking about it, doing interviews with an unlimited number of participants would be much more exciting, and I believe our rejection rate would be considerably higher than the previous one if that were the case. Our lecturer instructed us a few days later that we should keep working on that job. So, my coworker and I decided that we should not impose any restrictions on our participants this time.

WEEK 3 (MARCH 7, 2023- MARCH 10, 2023)

I was enthusiastic about the possibility to engage with my peers and produce something creative when we were charged as a group to build a product. We have three promising products, and it took us a long time to determine which one to pursue. We held group brainstorming sessions to create ideas, conducted interviews to get input from potential consumers, and collaborated to make sense of the material we had acquired as part of the development process.

Perhaps the most difficult challenges we had was attempting to comprehend and cope with our interviewees' responses. Their comments were often difficult to understand, or they presented contradictory information that was difficult to reconcile. We also had some trouble correctly transcribing their responses, which made it difficult to evaluate the data and make significant conclusions.

We were able to overcome these issues and build a deeper knowledge of our target consumers via patience and teamwork. We learned how to conduct great interviews by being patient and persistent, as well as how to ask effective questions that produced important insights. We also learned transcribing and data analysis skills, which helped us make sense of the material we acquired.

A further significant lesson from this experience was the value of efficient team cooperation and communication. We wanted to collaborate to synthesize the information we had acquired and find critical insights and patterns that would help us improve our product. We also needed to communicate effectively with one another to ensure that everyone was on the same page and working toward the same objectives.

To summarize, producing a product as a group might be difficult, but it can also be a good learning experience. We were able to overcome the hardships and obstacles we experienced and build a deeper understanding of our target consumers via successful teamwork, dedication, and effective communication.

WEEK 4 (MARCH 14, 2023- MARCH 17, 2023)

I was pleased about the challenge and willing to add my skills and knowledge to the team when we were charged as a group to design a product. However, as the project progressed, it became clear that we were missing some critical points and that the value of our product was lacking. We understood we needed to pivot our plans and construct an entirely new plan. One of the most difficult challenges we faced was dealing with the disappointment of failure. Accepting that our previous strategy had failed and that we needed to start over was difficult. There were also some disputes among team members regarding the best approach to proceed, which caused some friction inside the group.

We were able to overcome these problems and begin to construct a new plan via open communication and a willingness to listen to each other's opinions. We reevaluated our aims and objectives, performed further research, and generated new concepts. One of the most important lessons I took away from this experience was the value of adaptability and flexibility. We had to be prepared to abandon our initial strategy and pursue a new path, which took a great deal of ingenuity and teamwork. We also learnt the importance of good communication, both within the team and with the people we were interviewing, in order to ensure that everyone was on the same page about the changes we were implementing.

Ultimately, despite the fact that our first product was a flop, we were able to reorganize and produce something that we were all pleased of. Failure, we realized, is not the end of the journey, but rather a chance to learn and grow as a team.

WEEK 5 (MARCH 21, 2023- MARCH 24, 2023)

I was puzzled and stressed since we were still in the process of brainstorming fresh concepts and creating new sets of interviews from scratch. We'd previously done some interviews, but we recognized we needed to go back to the drawing board and come up with some fresh ideas. This necessitated more study and brainstorming meetings, which consumed a significant amount of time and energy.

Furthermore, due to our hectic class schedules, we had some difficulties conducting interviews. We were frequently overburdened with class loads and other academic obligations, making it difficult to find time for interviews. As a result, we had to carefully manage our calendars and be flexible when it came to arranging interviews.

Regardless of these difficulties, we learned a great deal from the process of brainstorming new ideas and conducting additional interviews. We learnt the significance of being tenacious and adaptive in our problem-solving approach, as well as the need of conducting comprehensive research and analysis. We also learned how to successfully coordinate schedules and communicate with one another in order to guarantee that everyone was on the same page and working toward the same objectives.