A mobile app that motivates University of Michigan students to explore Ann Arbor through a weekly curated location, a points-based rewards system, and social coordination tools.
View Figma PrototypeUniversity of Michigan students consistently underexplore Ann Arbor. Not because they lack curiosity, but because the friction of planning, finding reliable information, and coordinating with friends makes trying something new feel harder than it's worth.
A2Ventures addresses this directly: a mobile app that surfaces one curated location each week, rewards students for visiting, and makes group coordination effortless. The goal was to reduce the cost of exploration without reducing the reward.
We conducted 15 semi-structured interviews in September 2025, each lasting 20 to 35 minutes. Participants were University of Michigan students across diverse years, majors, hometowns, and living situations, from first-year dorm residents to seniors in off-campus apartments.
We asked about motivation, barriers, information-finding habits, transportation, social dynamics, and what would make exploration feel more worthwhile. From there, we synthesised findings into an affinity diagram to identify patterns.
"I only have a certain amount of free time and want to use it wisely."
— Interview participant, Junior"I'm more likely to check out a spot if I'm already nearby than if I have to make a plan for it."
— Interview participant, SeniorTwo clear themes surfaced repeatedly: motivation was tied to social context, and the barrier to exploring wasn't lack of interest. It was the perceived cost in time, money, and effort. Students weren't incurious. They were rationally cautious with limited resources.
After synthesising our interview data into an affinity diagram, we identified two core user needs and two major breakpoints that shaped every design decision that followed.
Students need a way to stay motivated and feel supported even when they cannot coordinate with friends. Exploration was deeply tied to social context. If friends weren't available or interested, exploration didn't happen.
Students need to discover affordable, enjoyable, accessible places that match their schedules and budgets so they can explore confidently without worrying about wasted time or money.
Students without cars relied on friends for rides. Distance significantly impacted willingness to explore. Students defaulted to walkable destinations and were far less likely to visit spots that required active planning to reach.
Event and location information was scattered across social media, flyers, emails, and newsletters. Students often discovered opportunities after the fact, or couldn't tell from brief posts whether an event fit their interests or budget.
Using the IDEO ideation process, we generated over 80 concepts before filtering down to 8 storyboards for speed dating sessions. Each storyboard showed a problem, a proposed solution, and an outcome. We then ran 20-minute sessions with University of Michigan students to validate which ideas actually resonated.
All four speed dating participants responded positively. Even small, tangible incentives like discounts, points, and perks shifted the calculus of whether a new place was "worth it." This became the backbone of our final design.
Consistently validated. Students liked having a single curated recommendation rather than an overwhelming list. It removed decision fatigue. The key ask was making it social, with a way to go with friends.
Participants didn't want another app when Google Calendar already existed. Student forums felt redundant given Reddit and existing social media. We deprioritised features that duplicated tools students already used daily.
Mixed feedback. In-class participants were more receptive; speed dating participants were not. The narrative element felt low-value compared to tangible rewards. We kept the gamification logic but stripped the storytelling layer.
The final direction combined Location of the Week with a rewards system, tying a curated weekly recommendation to real, redeemable incentives at partner stores, with social coordination built in to address the friends barrier directly.
A2Ventures is built around two primary flows: planning a visit to the Location of the Week to earn points, and redeeming those points at partner stores for real discounts. The design prioritises clarity, low friction, and tangible value at every step.
A single curated spot on the home screen each week, tagged with vibe indicators (Chill, Social, Lively, Cozy) so students know what to expect before committing. Planning a visit earns 100 points.
Visit the Location of the Week and earn 100 points redeemable at partner stores including M-36 and Rock Paper Scissors. Partner store visits earn 20 points. Points stack in a Point Bank with full history.
After planning a visit, users receive a QR code saved to their collection, accessible any time. An info overlay explains exactly how to use it, addressing instructor feedback about clarity for first-time users.
A profile-level log of every place visited, with points earned or redeemed per visit. Introduced in the final milestone to support recognition, continuity, and a sense of personal exploration history.
We ran think-aloud usability tests across multiple milestones, each testing two primary tasks: planning a visit to earn points, and redeeming those points at a partner store. By the final milestone, all participants successfully completed both tasks.
Users were unsure whether "vibe" referred to the place or their own mood. Abstract labels like "chill" and "lively" caused hesitation on first use. We relocated vibes to location cards so the app tells the user what to expect, rather than asking them to define it.
Tapping back on the Confirm Visit screen sent users to the home screen instead of the previous step. This violated user control and forced a full restart. Fixed so the back button moves exactly one frame back.
Visit QR codes and redemption QR codes looked identical, causing uncertainty about which to use and when. Added an info overlay explaining usage, with differentiated visual treatments planned for future iterations.
Users received a QR code immediately after confirming a visit, but had no way to access it later. We introduced a QR Code Collection accessible from the profile, so codes persist until used.
Even users unfamiliar with "Location of the Week" understood it from the label and description on the home screen. Clear inline labelling reduced the need for onboarding and bridged the gulf of evaluation quickly.
After redemption, the app showed a confetti animation, an updated point balance, and a rewards history entry. Users explicitly noticed all three layers, citing them as confidence-building. Redundant feedback reduced doubt.
Each round of testing produced concrete changes. Here are the major iterations from Milestone 3 to the final prototype.
Moved vibe from user input to location tag. The vibe selector was removed from the planning flow. Instead, location cards now display vibe tags (Social, Chill, Lively, Cozy) so users understand the atmosphere before committing.
Fixed back button routing. The back button on Confirm Visit now returns users one frame back to time selection, not two frames back to the home screen. A small fix with significant impact on user control.
Added QR Code Collection. Users can now save QR codes and access them any time from their profile, solving the problem of codes being inaccessible after leaving the confirmation screen.
Expanded partner store flows. Added complete visit-planning flows for Pinball Pete's and Miss Kim's, making the Explore page functional rather than disabled. Partner visits earn 20 points.
Added Rock Paper Scissors redemption flow. Includes a redemption denial state so users can see what happens if they attempt to redeem more points than they have, adding robustness to the rewards system.
Introduced Location History. A new profile feature showing every place visited, when, and how many points were earned or redeemed. Gives users a sense of their exploration over time.
Every major design decision traced back to something a user said in an interview. The discovery that motivation was social rather than individual completely changed how we framed the product. Without the research, we'd have built the wrong thing.
A single confusing back button was enough to make a user restart an entire flow. This project reinforced that UX debt compounds quickly. The tiniest ambiguity in a high-frequency interaction is worth spending time on.
The final prototype was meaningfully better than the first not because of clever initial design, but because of systematic testing and honest prioritisation of what to fix. The process was the work.
"The solution meaningfully addresses the core user need of making Ann Arbor exploration more accessible and motivating. Students plan visits, earn points, and redeem rewards."
— Project analysis, Milestone 4