Semester #2 Week #5 From Prototype to Product 🥐⚡

This week felt different. Things are starting to feel real.

After weeks of iteration, we're finally seeing the product come together physically, technically, and experientially.

🛠️ The Croissant Comes to Life

The biggest milestone this week: we successfully embedded the technology inside the croissant.

The components are in. The vibration works. The product has a pulse.

Seeing everything housed inside the final form — not scattered on a table, but actually inside the croissant — was a genuinely exciting moment for the team. We're no longer looking at a prototype. We're looking at a product.

⚙️ Technology Update

On the technical side, working closely with our tech mentor, we made significant progress this week:

• The soldered model is fully functional, including the vibration pattern selected by users in previous rounds

• We reduced the number of boards to fit everything inside the chosen croissant form factor

• Usage counters were added to the code — tracking how many times the user activates the vibration, and how many times they press the button overall. This data will be key to understanding real usage patterns during the experiment

• To protect the components, we 3D printed custom holders that allow the electronics to sit securely inside the croissant — without gluing anything, so they can be easily removed or adjusted

  

  
  

Next week: printing the final holders and the croissant itself as one unified model, ready for user testing.

📋 Refining the Experiment Protocol

In parallel, we finalized and refined our full-day experiment protocol based on feedback we received.

The protocol is built around one core question: 👉 How does a student actually live with this product throughout a real day?

The structure includes:

• A pre-day questionnaire to capture baseline stress and routine

• Free, intuitive use throughout the day — no fixed schedule

• A shared WhatsApp group for real-time check-ins after each use

• An end-of-day questionnaire before sleep

• A closing interview the following morning

One smart addition: the usage counter built into the device will cross-reference what users self-report, giving us a more honest picture of actual behavior.

💡 Key Takeaways

This week showed us what it means to converge:

• Hardware decisions unlock design decisions — and vice versa

• Measuring behavior (not just feelings) leads to better insights

• A product that's ready to be tested feels completely different from one that's still being figured out

  
  

🔜 What's Next?

We're heading into user testing week.

The protocol is ready. The product is (almost) ready. Time to put it in someone's hands and see what actually happens.