AlwaysConnected: Internet is always a click away

May 15, 2018

Wireframing, Research

AlwaysConnected was a business pitch in which we presented an opportunity to rent out residential WiFi for platform users to securely connect to while going about their busy lives. This concept was backed by user and market research, cost analysis, and prototyping which were reported via bi-weekly presentations and graded over five months, culminating in a judged showcase against other student groups.

UX Research

We conducted digital user surveys and market research to establish what our product solutions would be.

User Research

As a team, we discussed what information would be pertinent to our forthcoming development. It was narrowed to a few topics.

Current mobile data plan, whether they go over, and how often they lose coverage
Current ISP plan and their satisfaction with what they pay for
How often they find themselves away from home
What their concerns with the concept of borrowing WiFi would be

We had 57 usable surveys, of which over 65% of people cited security as important or very important to them, with several responders requesting information on safety measures protecting them if they chose to rent out their WiFi.

Market Research

AlwaysConnected required analysis of multiple markets to establish the feasibility of a business plan. We provided a SWOT analysis, comparisons for existing technologies in both digital and physical products, and research exploring the increase in mobile data usage and interest in gig economy opportunities.

Design Choices: User Flows

Our application had to be easy to understand for both users and providers in our network. Irrespective of role, security was a primary concern that led us to incorporate VPNs into our measures. We aimed to make our experience as secure and simple as possible.

Provider Sign-Up Task Flow

Download AlwaysConnected Application
Provider makes an account
Provider selects "Share My Network" + provides info for connection
AC will send a VPN-enabled access point to the Provider
Provider connects the access point to their router via instructions or through technician appointment (made when requesting access point)
Provider's network is now available to connect to through AC's secure User Application

User Sign-Up Task Flow

Download AlwaysConnected Application
User makes an account
Users can connect to secure wifi through AC Application
At any point, User can choose to enroll as a Provider

Outcomes & Reflections

We enjoyed getting to present our project to plenty of skepticism from the panel of judges regarding the financials of the project but the pitch and prototype wooed the crowd.

There was a lot to learn from the work.

Legal proceedings are expensive. If given the chance to restart, we would probably choose a project that would not interfere with as many infrastructures as we did. We stand by the fact that ISPs and carriers do need to be challenged though.
We need to ask more people. Does this actually have a user base? A gig-economy model needs users, so we definitely needed more feedback throughout if it was usable and non-threatening to start.
We need tests on how to use it. Do people who provide their internet use the service themselves? What would the costs of expansion mean? We may never know, or at least not soon.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Rutgers University, my teammates, and our professor.
The header photo by freestocks on Unsplash.