Embedded Files
Problem
Problem
People often delay or overlook software, system, and firmware updates because keeping track of them is confusing, annoying, and easy to put off. That creates security gaps attackers can exploit and leaves devices exposed to preventable risks.
The problem we explored this semester is how easily people fall behind on important updates. Most users are not trying to be careless, it is just annoying and confusing to keep track of software, system, and firmware updates across different devices, so people put them off.
That leads to security gaps, weaker protection, and problems that could have been avoided. It is a human problem because everyone knows what it feels like to ignore something small until it becomes a bigger issue. Since almost everyone uses connected devices, the market is huge, and we believe people would pay for a simple tool that saves time, lowers stress, and helps keep them safe.
The Design Thinking Process
The Design Thinking Process
Building Empathy
Building Empathy
We wanted to focus on a cybersecurity problem that isn’t talked about as much as phishing but still affects a lot of people. That led us to software updates, since many users don’t keep their devices up to date. At first, we thought people just ignored updates, but after talking to others, we realized it’s more about confusion and inconvenience.
A lot of users don’t know what an update does or how important it is. Some said they just press “remind me later” because they’re busy or unsure if it matters. This helped us understand that the problem isn’t laziness—it’s that updates aren’t clearly explained.
Thinking from the user’s perspective changed how we saw the problem. Instead of blaming users, we realized they just want something simple and easy to understand.
Our target users are everyday people like students who use their devices a lot but don’t pay much attention to updates. Because of this, we came up with an app that shows what needs updating, how important it is, and adds a points system to encourage users to stay up to date.
Overall, this phase helped us better understand users and design something that actually helps them instead of overwhelming them.
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