2021 Senior Projects
Designing solutions for a better future
The 2021 senior projects were presented during winter quarter. Student teams performed research and consultation with external sponsor organizations, and then presented their research and analysis on March 12 and 19, 2021 via Zoom.
Students were mentored by MS&E faculty members along the way, meeting regularly in groups to refine their work leading up to their final presentations. Faculty mentors included professors Sharad Goel, Ramesh Johari, Riitta Katila, Markus Pelger, Aaron Sidford, and Jim Sweeney.
2021 project summaries
Check out summaries and details of 2021 senior projects using the links below.
*Featured project summaries open in a new page.
Optimizing Bonnier's event monetization
Team members | Camille Dawson, Kyle McCombs, Gabe Reid, Jack Parkin
Bonnier is a multichannel media, events, and professional services company.
Project description
The goal of this senior project is to identify key growth opportunities in Bonnier's events and expand their existing revenue at their sailing events in particular.
Methods used
Competitive landscape data collection, SWOT analyses of three major event sub-spaces (outdoors, motor & sailing), financial modeling of revenue add, go-to-market strategy for short term implementation.
Creating customer personas to inform strategic marketing decisions at Elemeno Health
Team members | Brian Seabrooks, Giovanna Pinciroli, Laura-Sofia Mehta, Sabrina Suster
Elemeno Health is a SaaS platform that provides 'microlearnings' to front-line workers. They streamline an organization's learning content and serve as an effective communication tool for staff.
Project description
The team's objective is to help Elemeno increase its customer base and redefine the customer acquisition strategy, increase its revenue and drive growth.
Solutions, methods, and models used
The team created customer profiles based on interviews with real customers. Based on their findings, the team then recommended who to target for Elemeno's sales and marketing strategy—both which organizations, and which people inside those organizations (middle managers).
Can an angel investor's success be predicted?
Team members | Richa Gupta, Mallika Jhamb, Cameron McClellan, Thea Rosenberg
GGV Capital is a global venture capital firm that invests in seed- to growth-stage organizations across consumer/new retail, social/internet, enterprise/cloud and smart tech sectors. The firm was established in 2000 in Singapore and Silicon Valley.
Project description
Because there is a lot of capital in the market, it can be difficult for venture capital firms to compete. GGV wants to partner with angel investors, who are often outside traditional VC networks. They want to be able to predict the successful investors of the future, in order to develop relationships with both rising angels and up-and-coming VC firms. These predictions will serve as an extra set of criteria with which GGV can evaluate potential deals based on past and current top investors.
Solutions, methods and models used
The team conducted expert interviews to assess and define the past success of angel investors, meaning angels who invested in the top 500 fortune companies. These interviews helped the team create profiles of different angel investor types. They then performed a multiple regression analysis with these archetypes to asses how angels with different attributes and profiles have performed historically. They also looked at how combinations of skill-sets, i.e. angels with aspects from multiple profiles, affected results.
Collecting primary health outcomes for people experiencing homelessness
Team members | Justin Lui, Dan Shevchuk, Isabella Johnson, Kaitlin Ryan
LifeMoves, a leading Bay Area nonprofit that offers services and shelter to people experiencing homelessness, identified the need for assessing health outcomes among their clients. LifeMoves works with homeless population to assess primary health measurements and improve health.
Project description
Our team will assess the effect of LifeMoves services on its clients' primary health outcomes. Are LiveMoves programs creating health benefits for its clients?
Recommendations, solutions, methods and models used
The team needed to identify ways to assess the health of the homeless population. We analyzed client data by creating an effective intake form, and then took data every three months to track progress.
The team also conducted a literature review to determine the best health outcomes to measure, and met with LifeMoves health care groups to understand which procedures are feasible. Lastly, our team recommended an ongoing process for LifeMoves, using off-the-shelf technology and existing analytics tools.
Evaluating consistency in charging decisions
Team members | Catherine Areklett, Cheri Lanham, Kivalu Ramanlal, Sarah Vicol
The Marion County Prosecutor's Office (MCPO) is committed to pursuing justice in a fair and equitable manner. Marion County, home to Indianapolis, is the most populous county in Indiana.
Project description
MCPO wants to improve consistency in its charging decisions. The organization has identified inequities in the policing system, and particularly in low-level marijuana possession charges. In an attempt to remedy these inequities, MCPO recently stopped processing cases of marijuana possession of less than 1 oz. Now, MCPO wants to assess the impact of that decision.
Solutions, methods, and models used
The team analyzed data from 500,000 cases dating back to 2014, and performed deep-dives into 11 charges in detail. They found that MCPO's change in marijuana possession policy did lower arrests of Black people; however they are still more likely (~3x) than others to be charged. Additionally, the policy only decreased cases of possession as the primary charge. Secondary (i.e. after another crime) charges for marijuana possession remained similar to past levels. And inequities still exist in charges for these other crimes. For example, Black people in Marion County are 3-4x more likely to be charged for the lowest-level petty theft (<$20).
Because the data is not easily analyzable, the team recommended that MCPO create more structured paperwork. They also recommended that MCPO create diversion programs for low-level offenders instead of charging them.
Optimizing fundraising for The One Spark Foundation
Team members | Saron Dea, Shawn Filer, Onyi Ozoma, Zach Ryan
One Spark Foundation aims to provide underprivileged Black high schoolers in Denver and Aurura, CO with the tools, resources, and mentorship necessary to pursue opportunities in higher education, empowering them to create real, impactful change in the world. One Spark Foundation is an early-stage impact-focused organization created by student Onyi Ozoma in 2020.
Project description
One Spark Foundation wants to maximize its longevity and gain financial solvency.
Solutions, methods and models used
The team devised a strategy for financial support efforts, and recommended that The One Spark Foundation create an advisory board with nine specific types of people, utilizing the "theory of change" framework developed with Paul Best, former dean of Law at Stanford. Because The One Spark Foundation is a new nonprofit with limited resources, the team's recommendations include "return on time" as a factor in its cost-benefit analysis, not just return on financial investment.
Bringing credit perks to debit users with Point.app
Team members | Alice Ballard-Rossiter, Anh Le, Austin Ray, Bao Phan
Point Card is a debit card with rewards, that aims to provide "credit card perks to debit card users." The card gives users points for purchases that can be used for various perks, in exchange for a small annual fee. Point Card is intended to compliment credit cards, not replace them.
Project description
Identify how Point can better reach the 18-24 old market and foster mass user adoption of the debit card and accompanying app in the long-term. Point is already doing well in the 25-35 year old market segment. The guiding principles behind our research were: (1) understanding and identifying the 18-24 year old market, (2) marketing to and onboarding the 18-24 year old market, and (3) capturing and retaining the 18-24 year old market.
Solutions, methods and models used
We conducted market research interviews with, and designed research survey for, members of the target 18-24 year old demographic. We conducted user testing of Point's product marketing and onboarding process. Then we applied design thinking methodology to synthesize our findings.
We identified subsegments or user profiles within the target market. Based on these profiles and our research results, we advised marketing, website, and app changes. The over-arching recommendation? Tell an attention-grabbing and simple story. Surveys and interviews indicated that Point's features, perks and design were not aligned with the target market. We recommended changes to the design of the card itself and Point's website. We also recommended that Point consider prioritizing additional rewards categories more applicable to the 18-24 year old market.
Analysis of personal finance content for Sparrow Lending
Team members | Tyler Abramson, Charlie Goldberg, Daniel McColl, Spencer Nelson
Sparrow is a student loan crowdsourcing platform where students can set their own interest rate and loan amounts. One of the company’s main goals is to aid the transition into sustainable finances for their college student clients.
Project description
The objective is to identify how Sparrow can become the premier financial wellness app on the market. What are the features of successful apps and the best ways to present content? What content do people want to learn about?
Recommendations, solutions, methods and models used
The team identified features of existing successful apps by conducting field research. This research helped them discover opportunities for improvement, as well as potential new markets. They then performed user tests of different user interfaces and methods of presenting Sparrow's content.
Based on this research, the team recommended that Sparrow refine the list of educational topics it presents. They also recommended the specific type of user interface to utilize—multiple choice tests with a hearts-based "lives" scoring system, as well as a progress indicator that tracks a user's score relative to other users.
Driving a critical transition for mobile engagement engine Swrve
Team members | Hannes Boehning, Nicole Orsak, Shubhangi (Gigi) Dutta, Christian Bader
Swrve is a leading contextual, mobile-first customer experience (CX) engagement platform. Swrve partners with large global brands to assist them in managing customer interactions across their mobile applications.
Project description
The objective is to analyze the root source of change in profit from revenue. We will examine the revenue and cost problem to assess profit margins.
Recommendations, solutions, methods and models used
The team identified root sources of change in profit by examining discrepancies where MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue) does not match Swrve's price book expectation. They categorized clients to designate misreporting vs. abnormal behavior, and calculated RMS to determine the magnitude of discrepancies.
Goody Box customer retention at thredUP
Team members | Lauren Green, Hannah Kukurugya, Ryland Pampush, Ashley Volpenhein
thredUP is an online consignment and thrift store that buys and sells second-hand women's and children's clothes.
Project description
How can thredUP increase retention among Goody Box customers? Goody Box is a product offering that consists of 10 items hand-selected by a thredUP stylist and shipped to a customer based on the customer's style preferences.
Recommendations, solutions, methods and models used
The team applied the following methods and modeling:
- Excel Analysis: Customer Segments, Keep Rate & Single Purchases.
Created customer profiles to determine who is the most likely to purchase a Goody Box. Compared date for initial purchases vs. repurchases—what turns people off and what leads them to purchase again? - Define Churning Using R.
Collected thredUP data for exploratory analysis, to determine churn time by customer type and churn time by box order number. - Data Exploration & Model Building in R.
Correlation mapping between variables to eliminate dependency. The team built a model to predict whether a user will be a subscriber, to have more focused targeting efforts. This model utilizes a data-driven timeline of customer behavior.
Strategizing the future of 5G for enterprise
Team members | Brooke Martin, Jessica De Suza, Grant Kessler, Sam Beskind
T-Mobile for Business provides innovative solutions and award-winning service to support teams where they need to go. T-Mobile is leading the 5G revolution, with nearly $30 billion invested in their network to deliver true workforce mobility. And now with Sprint joining forces, T-Mobile is building the largest and most reliable 5G network to power businesses.
Project description
The team assessed market opportunity for 5G private networks, a new product. The case for 5G private networks centers on smart factories. Smart factories are built on communication, and the auto industry is leading the push into this area. Firms need scale and expertise from their networks in order to implement smart manufacturing, and many believe 5G is key to this growth. It is believed that extended reality (XR) will be used across entire auto manufacturing process within 5 years, and XR depends on 5G networks (or similar functionality) to operate. The limitations of non-5G networks—cabling and physical constraints, heat of on-unit processing, latency of streaming—make 5G networks a particularly attractive option.
Recommendations, solutions, methods and models used
The team recommended that T-Mobile for Business become a consultant for firms looking into 5G private networks, with the intention to grow interest and demand for the technology in general, collaboratively with the industry rather than competitively toward other firms. By focusing on the problems 5G can solve in general, T-Mobile for Business can later capitalize on the market opportunity it created while acting in this consulting role.