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MS3
To generate possible solutions for the Lost and Found problem, we started from the findings collected during our interviews and Journey Maps. The main problems identified were the lack of information about whether a lost item had already been found, the need to visit the Lost and Found office several times, the difficulty of reporting lost items, and the difficulty of verifying ownership.
Following the Design Thinking process used in class, we first focused on divergence, generating different alternatives without selecting a final solution. We used the problems and opportunities identified in the previous activities as inputs for the brainstorming process.
After generating the ideas, we organized them according to their feasibility and potential impact. This allowed us to keep different types of alternatives, from simple and realistic solutions to more ambitious ideas.
The ideas were also designed to consider possible smart features that could make the process more efficient, such as automatic matching, notifications, and image recognition.
The solutions were derived from the situations and opportunities identified in our interviews and Journey Maps.
| Finding / Problem | Opportunity | Proposed solution |
|---|---|---|
| Students do not know if their lost item has already reached Lost and Found. | Allow students to report a lost item without going to the office. | Digital Lost Item Report |
| Students may lose an item while they are in a university building. | Make reporting faster and easier from different locations. | QR Reporting Points |
| Students have to visit the office to check if an item was found. | Allow students to check found items remotely. | Found Items Catalog |
| Students may not know where a lost or found item is located. | Provide location information about reported items. | Campus Lost-Item Map |
| Students may need to return several times to check the status of an item. | Provide updates during the recovery process. | Item Status Tracking |
| Students do not know when a possible match is found. | Automatically notify them about possible matches. | Match Notifications |
| Other students may see a lost item but do not know how to report it. | Allow students to share information about items they have seen. | “I Saw This Item” |
| Lost and found reports may contain information that can be compared. | Connect lost-item reports with found-item reports automatically. | Automatic Matching |
| Similar objects can make it difficult to identify the real owner. | Use private information to verify ownership. | Private Verification Questions |
| Some objects have unique identification numbers. | Use existing identifiers to confirm ownership. | Serial Number Verification |
Some of the proposed solutions can include smart features to improve the efficiency of the process.
The system could compare lost and found reports based on characteristics such as location, date, object type, and description.
When the system identifies a possible match, it could automatically notify the student who reported the item as lost.
A future version could allow students to upload a photo of the lost item and use image recognition to identify visually similar found items.
The system could use private characteristics provided by the user when reporting the item to help determine whether a claim is legitimate.
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Problem / Current Alternative — This shows the main problems identified in the current Lost and Found process and the alternatives students currently use. View the evidence
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Journey Map — This shows the main stages, feelings, needs, and opportunities for improvement during the Lost and Found process. View the evidence
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Brainstorming and Classification — This shows the new solution ideas generated during MS3 and their classification according to the brainstorming process.
The students at Los Andes University who lose personal belongings on campus often need to physically visit the Lost and Found office without knowing whether their item has already been recovered. The process also offers limited ways to report items, receive updates, and verify ownership securely. This creates unnecessary trips, uncertainty, and inefficient record keeping.
This problem was confirmed as our final one for the semester based on the interviews and Journey Map (see Journey Map), which showed repeated visits to the office, no status visibility, and no reliable way to verify ownership.
After the divergence phase, we moved into convergence to select which idea would shape our solution for the semester. We classified every idea from the brainstorming session using a feasibility and impact matrix, grouping them into four categories: Rational, Darling, Long Shot, and Likely to Delight (see the classification diagram in Section 3).
We prioritized the Rational ideas (Digital Lost Item Report, Found Items Catalog, Item Status Tracking) because they directly address the pain points found in our research and are feasible this semester. We added the Darling ideas (QR Reporting Points, Campus Lost-Item Map, Match Notifications) as differentiators the team is excited to build. The Long Shot and Likely to Delight ideas (Automatic Matching, Serial Number Verification, "I Saw This Item", Private Verification Questions) were kept as smart or future features rather than core scope, since they need more data or infrastructure than we can guarantee this semester.
As a team, we reached consensus by favoring ideas placed in both the Rational and Darling quadrants, since they offer the best balance of feasibility and impact for our users. This is the solution we selected for the rest of the semester.
Our solution is a mobile app that lets students report, search, and track lost and found items on campus, without needing to visit the Lost and Found office for every step.
The app will let a student:
- Report a lost item digitally with its type, location, date, and distinguishing details, avoiding an initial in-person visit.
- Browse a catalog of found items registered by the office or by other students, to check remotely if their item has turned up.
- Track the status of their report (reported, found, ready to pick up) instead of visiting repeatedly.
- Receive a notification when a found item matches something they reported lost, closing the loop automatically.
To make the process more efficient, the app will include smart features such as automatic matching of lost and found reports (by location, date, object type, and description) and, in a later iteration, image recognition to compare photos. Ownership will be verified through private questions provided by the student who reports the item, adding security beyond a simple description match.
This solution responds directly to the pain points found in our interviews and Journey Map: unnecessary trips, uncertainty about an item's status, and no secure way to verify ownership.