Friday, August 31, 2018
Theme: Testing

Test Day!

It has been quite the week, and I’m pretty sad that it’s over.

Having that extra hour in the morning to finalize things was very helpful and necessary to help us get tp the round robin testing. I’m happy we got to practice with our peers (and hear about their cool, and crazy innovations). Had we not gone over everything in front everyone, I probably wouldn’t have been able to give a solid presentation to the Apple Guy (I don’t know how to spell his name, and don’t want to butcher it).

It was interesting to test out our innovation because it was two-fold. It was sensors and an app (which ended up being a website). The sensors were obviously not real, because we had a week, and I don’t even know how a microwave works, so I’m clearly not qualified to build that. So, it was a very nice little paper box, which showed what the sensor would look like in a plot (my cactus) and how that connect to the website.

Testing our product with our friends was crazy because they asked questions that I (and I’m assuming the rest of my group) didn’t think about. For example, “when do I put them in my plots? Can I drive over them with my tractor? Or do I have to put them in once everything has been planted, and can I leave them out in winter”, and all I could think was how on earth did the actual placement of the product not cross my mind. We answered honestly, saying we hadn’t completely thought it through, but are going with, they are weather proof, and should be placed after crops have been planted.

Another big thing is its dependability. As in, can a farmer put their trust into this. Their yield is their income, and if they get screwed over by the app what happens then? Which, is a great question. Do we need to have people agree to some nasty fine print terms and conditions (I hope not).

Last main question was about how much time this would take. Farmers are up early, and in bed late. They have enough on their plates and don’t need to be fiddling around with some app for hours on end. And happily we could answer this one. The initial use of the app will take a little bit of time, that’s when you’re getting all of your sensors connected and your notification settings set. As well as adding any data you want archived, and what crops are in what plots. After the first day, you shouldn’t have to spend all that much time on it. It’s all personal preference.

I think the biggest challenge today was not pitching it, and presenting it in a small amount of time. Although, the smaller amount of time did help us only stick to the important stuff, and helped us to not pitch it. I think the most interesting thing, was that we were asking those testing our innovation questions as to why they were doing whatever and what they thought about it.

Also, one thing Radet asked was if the sensors could detect pesticides, and if they could notify her about the pesticide used in plots nearby. Which once again, never crossed my mind, but is incredibly important to include.

It’s crazy that I’m happy about more homework (the case study), because that means we get to keep working on this. I love global challenges, and am so stoked I get to be a part of it all. Thank you AnneMarie (and the CDCI).

In conclusion, looking back, I really understand how important each days theme was to getting us to test day. And a side note, thanks for letting us take part in the UNIV 201 lunch.