Week 2 - Oct 2. 2024

By Chelsea Woo

Introduction

As the Harmony App development progresses, our team is excited to share weekly updates on our journey. In this blog, we’ll cover the latest progress from various teams, including:

  • Framework selection
  • Research insights
  • Design development
  • Competitor analysis

Stay tuned as we refine our approach and continue building an app that empowers caregivers and connects families!

Research

The Research team had a productive week, conducting interviews with participants to gather insights for the user research assignment. In addition to these interviews, the team reviewed academic research focused on the intersection of caregiving and technology. This dual approach allowed them to gather well-rounded, comprehensive insights that will help guide the development process.

Competitor Analysis

The Competitor team kicked off the week by exploring different caregiving apps in the market. They initiated the competitive analysis process by focusing on features such as:

  • Client scheduling
  • Appointment details
  • Care plan information

These insights will be essential in distinguishing Harmony from competitors and refining the app’s functionality.

Design & Ideation

The Design & Ideation team made significant progress this week by starting to create low-fidelity wireframes and beginning work on user flow charts. To further inspire their design, they collected screenshots from similar apps. Additionally, the team began exploring style and branding options, which will help ensure visual consistency as the app develops.

Sandbox

The Sandbox team spent this week evaluating different frameworks to find the best fit for the Harmony project. After thorough consideration, they narrowed down their options to the following:

  • React + TanStack: Known for its high-performance libraries, including TanStack Router, this option stands out for robust JavaScript/TypeScript functionalities.
  • Svelte + SvelteKit: Offers faster performance by compiling components at build time and supports full-stack web development.
  • Solid + SolidStart: Focuses on fine-grained reactivity, with efficient UI updates, and aims to be lightweight like Svelte while offering a React-like API.

Next Steps

  • Research Team:

    • Complete the remaining scheduled interviews
    • Hold a team meeting to discuss the findings.

  • Competitor Team:

    • Continue researching similar apps
    • Build out the competitive analysis.

  • Design & Ideation Team:

    • Continue refining the style, branding guide, and user flows
    • Make progress on the low-fidelity wireframe
    • Start working on user personas.

  • Sandbox Team:

    • Dive deeper into AI models
    • Explore mobile alternatives for Google Calendar and authentication integration.

Stay tuned for next week’s update as the team continues to refine and develop Harmony!