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PDF: Wendy’s Lean Canvas

Problem:

To this day, many college students tend to procrastinate even when the deadlines are coming close, the reason being that it is hard to actually motivate students to stop procrastinating instead of doing work early. As much as they all want to be more productive and get more work done, it is difficult when there are so many deadlines ahead of them, which can be quite overwhelming. Because of how overwhelming it can get, a lot of them depend on procrastination to get deadlines off their minds. They all treasure their free time, which they don’t have much of because of the workload they get from classes.

Solution:

The solution I came up with is to create an incentive for students to procrastinate less by rewarding them with coupons. Initially I thought about deducting money from their bank account to get users feel forced to do work, but I think it is important to use positive motivation instead of negative. Not everyone is committed to lose money like that, which is why I think it is the most logical to reward users with coupons instead. I don’t want users to feel forced to do assignments, but rather I want them to do it so that they can be rewarded for their hard work and productivity. Punishing users by deducting money can be triggering for certain people, which is why I want to avoid the idea of negative motivation.

Unique Value Proposition:

We are different from the many apps out there because we actually reward users for being productive, whereas other apps either only assist users to help them finally get started on their assignments or they just block out websites to prevent users from procrastinating. Users may succeed in being more productive from these existing apps, but the real question is, will these apps be productive in the long run? Will these users stay productive in the long run if there is no actual reward in it for them? Results may differ per user, but I believe that people want to be rewarded for their hard work, so it is crucial for us to reward users for their productivity.

Unfair Advantage:

Our unfair advantage would be that it is hard for other apps to try to copy our app because major companies such as H&M, Zara, and others can’t afford to lose too much profit by offering too many coupons to these other apps that are trying to copy our idea. These companies can only offer to a certain extent where they won’t lose a significant amount of profit, which is why it might be difficult for other apps to copy our idea.

Customer Segments:

This phone app is mainly targeted to Baruch college students around the ages of 18-24 because it is mainly college students that deal with procrastination. College students always have a lot of deadlines ahead of them and that causes a lot of stress, which makes them want to procrastinate so that they don’t have to face reality at the moment. Adults with jobs do not really face the problem of procrastination because at work, they have priorities that have to be done on the spot and can’t be left for later. Whereas for students, they are assigned a due date in the near future, which makes us feel that we can always leave the assignment for later.

Existing Alternatives:

There are only two alternatives at the moment, one of them being students trying to use their brain power to stop procrastinating, and the other one being that they use apps that help them become more productive. The first alternative is not that helpful unfortunately, as there are many students that struggle with procrastinating to this very day. There are also apps that try to help students be more productive, such as apps that block out addictive websites or apps that help students to finally get started on their assignments, since getting started is definitely the hardest part of trying to be productive.

Key Metrics:

The key activity that we measure is the student’s daily screen time on their phone. It is quite unexpected, but we spend more time on our phones than we think we actually do. When students go on their phone for a “quick break,” they think they take around five minutes, but time flies quicker than we think it does. Before they know it, they have been on their phone for over an hour or so. Phone apps like Instagram and Twitter can be quite addicting to be on, which is why time flies by quicker than usual. Because of this, it is crucial that our app tracks our user’s screen time, with hopes that they can slowly lower their screen time over time.

High-Level Concept:

The reason why I say my app is a better version of the Forest app is because this app gives you actual rewards, such as coupons that can be used to spend on shops. The Forest app only shows your achievements based on how productive you are, but it does not give you a reward that you can use in real life. You may feel accomplished looking at how productive you have been, but I think it would be better if users actually got a reward from their hard work.

Channels:

I plan on having this app reach our users by emailing students through their Baruch email, since our customer segment is strictly Baruch college students. By emailing students about this new phone app that motivates students to be more productive, students that tend to procrastinate often may feel interested about learning more about this app, since they feel that they are often not productive enough. If the email about our app really does intrigue them, they will most likely download our app to give it a try.

Early Adopters:

Ideally, I want my early adopters to be determined and/or goal-oriented. It is crucial for them to have either of these traits, because if they are not determined to get any work done, they will not be attracted to this app. If they are not goal-oriented either, they will probably lack motivation to do any work to begin with, as they probably do not have any goals in mind. If they are both determined and goal-oriented that struggles with procrastination, they will most likely be interested in trying this app, since they have a goal to procrastinate less and be more productive.

Assumptions:

1. Students are willing to not use their phone as often to decrease procrastination levels.
2. Rewarding coupons will make students motivated to procrastinate less and be more productive.
3. Students want to get their work done ahead of time, not right before the deadline.