EPA
EPA
Is there to help you
(for the acronym in Spanish: Es Para Ayudarte)
Team
Assistance service for businesses in the center of Medellin, in order to prepare businesses for the change from the dynamics of cash to digital money.
Advantages: it is an initiative that is familiar to the user, adapts what is traditional and known with new technologies in a more analogous way and has an application for more digital users.
Learning: design for the community and social problems, design thinking and human centered design.
Sonia Stefany Valencia de la Portilla, Mateo Arango, Paulina Gómez, Julieta Zuluaga, Maria Alejandra Camargo, Jose Gil.
Reference tools
Taken from the idea book “The Field Guide to Human-Centered Design”.
Starting point
The projects arises from an academic exercise that seeks to improve people's quality of life, providing solutions to problems discovered in the context of downtown Medellín.
From then on, an analysis of the context is made, in search of the problems not yet resolved, in order to select a problem to later move on to a development and evolution of the proposals.
Problem
Starting from the experiences of merchants, frequent and sporadic buyers, workers in the center of Medellín and suppliers, and after analyzing their relationship and perspective regarding banks and cooperatives; We identify certain problems associated with the use of cash. Issue that becomes relevant given the imminent context of the digital transformation of money.
This is why the team resolved to accompany merchants in the process of the digitalization of cash and accompany them with their first approach to the use of digital money and the most recent payment methodologies.
Users
Using the "user persona" tool, four types of user were characterized.
Then, later in the process, it is determined that a solution focused on two of the users will be developed: Senior Trader and Young Trader.
Below is the characterization of the "user person".
Process
It is part of an academic exercise that seeks to improve the quality of life of people, providing solutions to problems discovered in the context of the center of Medellín.
From then on, an analysis of the context is made, in search of the problems not yet resolved, in order to select a problem to later move on to a development and evolution of the proposals.
Empathize
Understand users and context.
Define
Focused on the needs, perspectives, pains of the users.
Ideate
Proposals arise for the defined problem.
Prototype
Representation of the selected and refined idea.
Evaluate
Tests and evaluations to obtain feedback.
Empathize
As stated by Santiago Castro Gómez, president of Asobancaria, there are currently a series of problems within the economic context, which are associated with the overuse of cash. These lead to an evident push for initiatives that promote the use of other alternatives and reduce the use of cash. Seen from a global context, it is an initiative to which various countries have joined, coming to explicitly incorporate (through regulations and state policies), the reduction of cash within public policy. Initiatives that, for its part, the Colombian government has stipulated in future horizons (not yet explicitly implemented).
Thus, after a study by the team in this first phase of empathizing and understanding the context, it was identified within the Colombian context (center of Medellín), that both buyers and merchants were not prepared for this change in dynamics, cultural, governmental barriers and accessibility, limiting acceptance. In Medellin, considered an innovative city, there is great rejection of digital payment methods, specifically in the center, where businesses move large volumes of cash and promote its use, which is why they are not really prepared for this change.
And how did the statements above came about?
18
Merchants of diverse profiles interviewed through a semi-structured interview.
132
Merchants, administrators and workers of commercial premises in the center surveyed.
124
Buyers, users, passers-by, residents of other areas of the city surveyed.
Of the semi-structured interviews and surveys currently mentioned, carried out in order to learn about the dynamics of the center, the perceptions of merchants regarding digital money, banking entities, various problems in the context of the center from Medellin and the motivations and concerns of the users of the center; An analysis was carried out and a board was created with the most relevant quotes from each profile.
Define
At this stage, the clustering of the insights obtained was analyzed and the most recurrent quotes were filtered and highlighted, which were indicators of an important latent problem.
This is how the problem and the challenge to work on were defined, supported by contextual data such as customs, traditions and prejudices obtained in the research .
Ideate
Once the problem to work was defined, te team began with the ideation stage of the design process. Creative brainstorming sessions were held and later the proposals were decanted and evolved in a process also known as double diamond (divergence, convergence, divergence and convergence).
Thus, after the process and refinement of the proposals, a final proposal was reached and the definition of the key principles, which the final proposal had to comply with.
Prototype and test
A series of screens of the initial flow of the proposal interface were developed. Subsequently, aspects of the interface and flow were refined and detailed. Then, the team properly developed prototypes of both the mobile interface (app) and the EPA product interface (local box).
Tools such as Marvelapp, Just-in-mind were used for prototyping. Additionally, tools such as illustrator, power point, among others, were used.
Below, some screens of the EPA interface and its evolution are shown.
After making the prototypes and the model of the proposal, some preliminary tests were carried out .
Subsequently, a series of presentations and exhibitions of the design concept were held in the main square of the University and to merchants of the center of Medellín.
A3-OE Best Project Award
The A3-OE awards are made by the student organization of the EAFIT University to highlight the best projects of each semester of the Product Design Engineering career in the following categories:
- Best project
- Novel project
- Better presentation
- Most innovative project
- People's Award
The projects are evaluated in the final exhibition of each semester that takes place in the main square of the university campus.
Thus, EPA was nominated and won the category: best project, awarded by the student organization from the university .
