Amaya W

- Research Program Mentor

Project ideas

How Do Face Masks Impair The Way Humans Read Emotions

COVID-19 has spread across the world, changing our way of life and forcing us to wear face masks. Early research indicates that face masks influence the human ability to infer emotions by observing facial configurations. This project will add to what we know about the impacts to human development and social interactions due to the prevalence of face masks. This project could be a literature review or contribute original research in the form of a) large-scale attitudinal survey, b) behavioral assessment of a particular population not well-understood (e.g. teens), c) long-term impacts and accommodation strategies.

Subscription Service for Fitness Gear

COVID has fundamentally shifted the way consumers work out. When gyms were closed down during lockdowns, many consumers reverted to working out from home. Many struggled to build out a home gym -- finding space and appropriate equipment for their new routine. Still, a recent survey by SWNS indicates that 82% of consumers say they intend to maintain a home-based routine even when things return to normal because of the convenience and flexibility of the many new options for home-based workouts. In addition, the pandemic bolstered consumer demand for D2C subscription services, with rapid growth for brands like Prose (haircare), Birchbox (beauty), KiwiCo (kids ed), and Daily Harvest (meals). Consumers are familiarized with this model and many enjoy both the convenience and delight of getting a surprise package monthly in the mail. This project will explore consumer demand to fulfill an unmet need for the segment of newly dedicated at-home fitness consumers, that of a subscription service for fitness gear, which could include equipment, storage, and athleisure wear. The concept is a monthly service to a curated box of fitness gear that will help to supplement a home gym and keep working out from home novel and fresh. Some questions to explore: --What is the market opportunity for an at-home fitness box subscription service? --What is consumer willingness to pay and ideal price point(s)? --How might this service become financially viable/profitable, via partnerships, affiliate, etc.? --What is the ideal UX for such a service to make the subscription compelling and sticky? The culmination of the project might be a business plan and/or a set of wireframes, mockups, or even a fully functional MVP website with integrations to services like Stripe and Shopify, etc.