Journal entry 2 • Week 4
Last week was very stressful. I was doing the intensive coding class on my own and it was exhausting. The class went fast but it was four hours of instruction that extended into 4 days because I would code as I went through the videos and this took some time to complete.
First, I want to write the list of requirements for the Web App that I was able to come up with from my interviews I did over the weekend and transcribe all the information as part of the research and possible content for the web app as well.
Here are the major requirements I want to achieve on the web app:
DESIGN REQUIREMENTS
The idea is to create a web app that people can access on their desktop, laptops, or mobile phones to acquire information about plant medicine, and preparation for medicine ceremonies, sharing about the different traditions that use these medicines and after-ceremony protocols for processes and integration.
Things that the user should be able to do in the app.
• Search for a specific article or entheogen by keyword
• Filter articles by keyword
• Share an article in PDF format or a link
• View all topics at once
• Have content customized to specific user
• Select classes to view
• View video series by topic (filter)
• Search chemical makeup of each entheogen
• See safety information & precautions
• View Suggested reading
FUTURE Iterations
• Sign up / Log in
• Create / Edit Profile
• Subscription-based workshop modules
• Donation capability
I was also anxious because I was still having trouble writing the Pitch. I woke up at 3am on Thursday morning because I couldn’t sleep and the idea for the Pitch became clearer and I understood that was what my unconscious was trying to get through to me. I woke up and started writing and putting the ideas down and I was able to work for about an hour and a half and after that, I was able to sleep a little more relaxed.
The meetings with Dr. Millet and Prof. Ewing on Friday were very productive and brought so much relief. I have completed the Requirements and now I was able to start working on the wireframes and layout the way I would like the web app to look. It may change after I get some user feedback, but it’s coming along and I’m on track. Then, I get to start coding and really getting into the nitty gritty of the project.
Here is the beginning of the Pitch as it is coming along.
PITCH
1- THE STATUS QUO – SETTING THE SCENE – PROBLEM STATEMENT
Today, I want to talk to you about the amazing healing and therapeutic properties of master plant medicines. Also known as entheogen, these are any plant substance that, when ingested, induces alterations in perception or states of consciousness. Plant medicine is used as a potential catalyst for deep spiritual transformation as well as for therapeutic benefit. I am specifically speaking of Ayahuasca, a sacred brew from the Amazon, Peyote, the sacred cactus of northern Mexico and South of the Rio Grande, Awacolla from the Andes and Psilocybin Mushrooms, that grow wild all over the world.
I want to solve the problem of the unconscious use and misuse of sacred plant medicine. This problem is experienced by people who use these plants as recreation and not in a sacred manner for religious purposes, healing, therapy or spiritual awakening and expansion.
The other problem is the way some plants are being overharvested in the wild. This is another dimension to the misuse of the plants. Not only is the natural life cycle being interrupted, but the wild population of the plants is being depleted without regeneration.
2- THE OBSERVATION – END USERS – QUOTES – IMAGES
There are many different kinds of people who use these master plants. First, there are the people who want to experience them for the first time who have no understanding of what their force is or what to expect. These users are trying to gather information about it to get a clear sense of what they will be getting themselves into once they are in a ceremony setting.
They come from all kinds of backgrounds and all kinds of life experiences. Some people are looking for some kind of healing, be it spiritual, physical, mental or emotional. They have to ask themselves the question of what it is that they are looking to heal, or connect with, or understand about themselves.
Other people come with very specific questions about their lives, they have a clear intention to work on something personal and profound and they are strongly called to sit and surrender to the experience. And then there are other people who need physical healing and are looking for an alternative kind of medicine.
The issue is that there is a lot of misinformation out there and people don’t get a concise explanation of what to expect, how to prepare for certain plant medicine ceremonies and what are some of the questions they should ask to prepare and also ask themselves prior to participating in a ceremony.
3. THE STORY – from your research. What did you hear or see?
– How’s that frustrating the target customer? (The story)These expectations can be a frustrating matter because people can create all kinds of ideas or fears or expectations in someone who has never experienced plant medicine.
Someone’s experience will always be different from another’s as they are unique as a human being’s DNA. Someone may have a very profound experience that shifts their entire perspective of life 180 degrees. There are a lot of stories out there like this and this is not always the case. Oftentimes, the medicine works in such subtle ways that you are looking for those magnificent things and you miss the smaller miracles that happen or they get overlooked because you’re not paying attention.
This is as far as I have gotten on this. I will continue to add as I complete each slide.
