OneSummer — User Research Plan

1

Research Objectives

Every session targets one or more of the five core assumptions listed in Section 2. Objectives are prioritized by risk — the ones most likely to invalidate the current product direction are addressed first.

Primary Objectives

O1 — Time savings reality check. Quantify how long parents currently spend finding, comparing, and applying to camps. Determine if "30 minutes to 30 seconds" is credible or directionally right.
O2 — Calendar feature value split. Understand whether the visual calendar planner is a killer feature for Derek (phone-only, time-constrained) or only for Lisa (power planner). Would Derek use it or ignore it?
O3 — Trust threshold for a profile vault. Identify what information parents will and will not pre-fill, what triggers trust, and what triggers abandonment — specifically around medical and insurance data.
O4 — Director appetite for standardized forms. Learn what camps currently collect, which fields they consider non-negotiable, and whether a platform-managed form replaces or supplements their own.
O5 — Willingness to pay. Establish whether parents frame the fee as a "service charge" (bad) or a "time-save" (good), and identify the acceptable price ceiling by segment.

Secondary Objectives

O6 — Prototype navigation clarity. Identify points of confusion in the 7-screen flow (discovery → calendar → profile → search → detail → apply → dashboard).
O7 — Trust signals that matter. Learn which UI elements (reviews, badges, refund policy, SSL indicator, etc.) move the needle on perceived safety.
O8 — Language and mental models. Capture the exact vocabulary parents use to describe the problem — words to use in copy, and words to avoid.
O9 — Channel and timing context. Understand when and where (device, context) parents research camps — critical for Derek's mobile-first scenario.

2

Key Assumptions to Test

These five assumptions are the riskiest bets in the current product thesis. Each session is designed to either confirm, disconfirm, or refine one or more of them.

#	Assumption	Risk if Wrong	Test Method
A1	Parents will create a profile vault and trust it with medical information, insurance details, and emergency contacts.	High — Core value prop collapses if parents won't pre-fill sensitive data	Interview Q-set PI-4; prototype task observing profile screen (Screen 3)
A2	The calendar planner is the killer feature — not just for Lisa but also for Derek, who is time-constrained.	Medium — Feature stays useful for one segment; marketing message must change if Derek doesn't care	Split interview paths; Usability Task 2; direct probe PI-2-D
A3	Camp directors will accept a standardized application form instead of their own intake forms.	High — Supply-side refusal breaks the one-click apply promise entirely	Director interview DI-3; present mock standardized form for reaction
A4	One-click apply saves meaningful time (30-minute process collapses to ~30 seconds).	Medium — Time savings may be real but smaller; still valuable but repositioning required	Interview Q-set PI-1 (baseline timing); Usability Task 3 (timed); post-task perception question
A5	Parents will pay a $2.99–4.99 booking fee per application.	High — Without a monetization mechanism, the business model does not work; must find alternative	Interview Q-set PI-5; post-session survey SQ-7/8; Van Westendorp price sensitivity framing

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Research principle: Never ask "would you pay $X?" directly. Frame willingness-to-pay questions through behavior and comparison — "What did you last pay to save an equivalent amount of time?" and "At what price does this feel like a bad deal?"

3

Research Personas

These three personas anchor every research question. The goal is not to confirm the personas exist — it is to stress-test each assumption against all three.

Derek

Time-constrained hourly worker, phone-only parent

Works shifts, limited flex time during the day. Manages camp research in stolen minutes — waiting rooms, lunch breaks, commute. Never on a laptop. Primary concern: does this actually work on mobile? Does it save him a meaningful amount of time today?

Phone-only 1–2 kids Price sensitive

Lisa

Power planner, 3 kids, spreadsheet user

Runs a spreadsheet tracking 12+ camps across three kids. Coordinates schedules to avoid overlap, align with her work calendar, and maximize summer coverage. The calendar planner is directly solving her current workflow. Likely an early advocate — but represents a smaller slice of the market.

Multi-child High engagement Organizer

Marcus

Camp director — supply side

Runs a mid-size day camp (50–200 kids/session). Gets applications through a mix of web forms, PDFs, and email. Main concerns: losing control of the intake process, integration with his existing registration software, and whether OneSummer brings him net-new families or just re-routes existing ones.

Supply side Mid-size camp Tech-moderate

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Recruitment note: Recruit 6 Derek-type parents, 4 Lisa-type parents, and 5 Marcus-type directors. Derek is the swing persona — the platform must work for him or it is a niche tool for Lisa only.

4

Target Participants

Parent Participant Criteria

Screener Qualifications

Parent or primary caregiver of at least one child aged 5–14
Located in Austin, TX metro area (Travis, Williamson, or Hays County)
Has researched or enrolled a child in at least one summer camp in the past 24 months
Derek segment: Household income under $80k; primary device for personal tasks is a smartphone
Lisa segment: Has 2+ children; has used a spreadsheet, notes app, or calendar to track camp options
Available for a 30-minute video or in-person session between May and June 2026

Disqualifiers (do not recruit)

Works for a summer camp operator or camp-adjacent organization
Has previously participated in OneSummer research
Unable to share a screen or navigate a prototype URL during the session

Camp Director Participant Criteria

Screener Qualifications

Operates a day camp or overnight camp serving kids aged 5–14 in the Austin area
Camp has been operating for at least 2 years
Decision-maker or strong influencer on enrollment software and application processes
Camp serves a minimum of 30 kids per session
Available for a 20-minute phone or video call

Recruitment Channels

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School PTAs

Post a 2-sentence ask in PTA newsletters or Slack groups for AISD elementary and middle schools. Target Round Rock, Eanes, and AISD for demographic spread.

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Austin Moms Facebook Group

The Austin Moms group (100k+ members) is the highest-reach single channel. Post a short ask with $25 Venmo incentive for qualifying 30-min sessions.

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Nextdoor

Post in South Austin, North Loop, and Cedar Park neighborhoods. Nextdoor skews toward homeowners with kids — good Derek and Lisa overlap.

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Camp Directors

Cold email to 20 camps listed on Austin Camp Guide and Camp Page. Offer a 15-min "industry insight" framing — not a sales call. Offer to share anonymized findings.

Incentive Structure
Parent sessions (30 min): $25 Venmo or Amazon gift card
Director sessions (20 min): No incentive needed — frame as a peer research call; offer to share findings
Survey-only (5 min): Entry into $100 gift card drawing (1 in 20 chance)

5

Parent Interview Script (~30 min)

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Moderator notes: This is a semi-structured interview. Follow the participant's energy. If they light up on a topic, go deeper — you can skip questions. Never ask "would you use this?" — always ask "tell me about the last time..." The script is a guide, not a checklist. Aim for 60% participant talking time.

Part 1 — Warm-up & Context (5 min)

Script — Copy and use as session guide

MOD Thanks so much for making time. Quick setup: I'm not testing you — I'm testing an idea. There are no right or wrong answers, and honestly the most useful thing you can do is tell me when something is confusing or doesn't make sense. We'll be looking at an early prototype today, so things may be rough around the edges — that's intentional. Cool?

Wait for acknowledgment. Start screen recording if remote.

MOD To start — tell me a little bit about your kids and what summer looks like for your family.

PROBE How many kids? Ages? Do they do different camps or the same?

MOD And what does a typical weekday look like for you — work schedule, commute, that kind of thing?

This establishes Derek vs. Lisa segment context naturally without asking directly.

Part 2 — Camp Discovery & Research (8 min)

Script — Tests A4 (time savings baseline)

MOD Walk me through what it looks like when you start researching camps. Last time you did this — what triggered it, and what did you actually do?

PROBE What device were you on? What did you search for first? How many tabs did you end up with?

PROBE How long did the whole research-to-application process take? Start to finish, including all the back-and-forth?

Key data point for A4. Capture the number specifically. If they say "a few hours" push for a rough estimate.

MOD What's the most frustrating part of that whole process?

PROBE Is there a moment where you think "I wish someone had just figured this out for me"?

MOD When you're looking at a camp's website, what makes you keep reading versus close the tab?

PROBE What's the first thing you look for? What's a dealbreaker?

Part 3 — Planning & Calendar (7 min)

Script — Tests A2 (calendar feature value by segment)

MOD Once you've found a few camps you like, how do you keep track of them? How do you figure out which ones fit in your summer?

PROBE Have you ever applied to a camp and then realized it overlapped with something else? What happened?

PROBE Do you plan the whole summer at once, or week by week?

Derek-specific probe — use if participant shows low planning engagement:

PROBE If you could just see a visual of your whole summer on one screen — which weeks are covered, which aren't — would that change how you research camps? Or is that more detail than you need?

Listen for genuine "that would be useful" vs. polite agreement. Probe: "Do you feel like you don't have that information right now, or you just don't need it in that form?"

MOD If you're thinking about multiple camps at once — maybe for different kids or different weeks — how do you manage that?

Part 4 — Application Experience (5 min)

Script — Tests A4 (time savings) and A3 (form standardization)

MOD Tell me about the last application form you filled out for a camp. What was on it?

PROBE What parts felt unnecessary or repetitive? Was there anything that made you stop and go look something up?

MOD If you've applied to more than one camp — did you have to fill out similar information each time?

PROBE What would it mean to you if you only had to fill that out once, and every future camp could reuse it?

Watch for "that sounds amazing" vs. "I'd still want to check each form." Both are valid and important signals.

Part 5 — Trust & Profile Vault (5 min)

Script — Tests A1 (trust threshold for profile vault)

MOD In a moment I'll show you a profile screen where parents store their child's information — things like allergies, medications, emergency contacts, insurance. Before we get there — what would make you comfortable storing that kind of information with a new platform you just found?

PROBE What would make you immediately not comfortable?

PROBE Are there pieces of information you'd store easily versus ones you'd hesitate on? Walk me through it.

Separate out: name/age (easy) → allergies (medium) → medications (high friction) → insurance info (high friction) → emergency contacts (easy). Map where the cliff is.

MOD Do you use any apps right now that store health information — for you or your kids? What makes you trust those?

Part 6 — Willingness to Pay (5 min)

Script — Tests A5 (willingness to pay $2.99–4.99 booking fee)

MOD Think back to that research and application process you described. If a service existed that genuinely cut that time down significantly — like from a couple hours to a few minutes — what would that be worth to you?

Do NOT mention any price yet. Let them anchor first.

PROBE Is there something you pay for now that saves you time in a similar way? What does that cost?

MOD Imagine this platform charges a small booking fee — like what a ticketing service charges — each time you submit an application through it. At what price does that start to feel like a bad deal?

PROBE At what price does it feel almost too cheap — like something might be off?

Van Westendorp framing. Capture: (1) too cheap threshold, (2) acceptable range, (3) too expensive threshold. Three data points are enough.

MOD Would you rather pay per application, or pay a flat annual fee — like $15–20 a year for unlimited applications?

6

Camp Director Interview Script (~20 min)

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Framing for directors: Do not position this as "would you use our platform." Frame it as "we're doing research on how camp enrollment works." The goal is to understand current operations and supply-side constraints. Save the product framing for the last 5 minutes. Directors are protective of their applicant relationships — listen for territorial signals early.

Intro & Context (2 min)

Script — Director intro

MOD Thanks for taking 20 minutes. I'm doing research on how parents find and apply to summer camps, and how directors manage that process on their end. I want to understand your world before I show you anything. There's no pitch here — I'm genuinely trying to understand how enrollment works for camps your size.

MOD To start — can you give me a quick picture of your camp? How many kids per session, age range, how many sessions per summer?

PROBE How does your enrollment compare to two or three years ago? Growing, flat, or harder to fill?

Current Operations (8 min)

Script — Tests A3 (form standardization) and A4 (actual admin burden)

MOD Walk me through what happens when a family applies to your camp. From the moment they find you to the moment they're confirmed — what does that look like?

PROBE What platform or tool do you use for enrollment? How long have you been on it? How happy are you with it?

MOD What information do you collect from families before the first day of camp?

PROBE Which fields are absolutely required — you couldn't run camp without them? Which are nice-to-have or rarely used?

PROBE Do you collect anything that's specific to your camp — things other camps probably don't ask for?

This is the critical probe for A3. Custom fields are the likely blocker to standardized form acceptance.

MOD How much staff time goes into enrollment admin — reviewing applications, following up on incomplete forms, chasing payments? Roughly, per session?

MOD Where do most families find you? What are your top two or three referral sources?

PROBE What percentage would you guess are net-new families versus returning?

Platform Fit (5 min)

Script — Tests A3 (director acceptance of third-party applications)

MOD I want to share a concept with you and get your honest reaction. Imagine a platform where parents research camps, compare them, and apply — all in one place. Like a Common App for summer camps. Families fill out their child's information once, and it can be reused across multiple camps.

MOD What's your gut reaction to that?

Wait. Let them talk. Do not defend or explain. Just capture the unfiltered reaction.

PROBE What excites you about it, if anything? What concerns you?

PROBE If this platform brought you families you wouldn't have found otherwise — would that change your willingness to work with it?

Standardized Application Form (5 min)

Script — Direct test of A3

MOD For this to work, the platform would need to send you applications in a consistent format — same fields for every camp, plus any custom fields you specify. Your current enrollment system would still receive everything; it would just arrive from the platform instead of your own website form. Does that work for you, or does that create problems?

PROBE What are the two or three custom fields you'd absolutely need to keep, that you don't think a standard form would include?

PROBE If you could add up to 5 custom fields on top of a standard form — would that be enough? Or would you need full control?

MOD If this platform charged families a small booking fee — not you — would that change how you think about it?

This surfaces whether directors see a family-facing fee as competitive friction ("families might go direct to avoid the fee") or irrelevant.

MOD Last question: if a pilot version of this platform listed your camp and started sending you qualified applicants — no cost to you, no integration required — would you want in? What would you need to see first?

7

Prototype Walkthrough

After the interview, share the prototype link: camps.coreyschuman.com. Ask the participant to think aloud throughout. Use a light "tourist" framing before usability tasks — let them explore before you assign tasks.

Orientation Script (2 min)

"I'm going to send you a link — it'll open in your browser. This is a clickable mockup, not a real app. Some buttons work and some don't yet. As you look around, please say out loud what you're thinking — what you notice, what you expect a button to do, anything that's confusing. There's no right way to explore this."

Screen-by-Screen Observation Guide

For each screen, capture the following: (1) what the participant says unprompted, (2) where their cursor/finger hovers before clicking, (3) any expressions of confusion or delight.

Screen	URL	What to Watch For	Target Assumption
1 — Discover	/01-discover	Do they understand the value prop within 10 seconds? Do they click the search or scroll to browse?	O6, O8
2 — Calendar	/02-calendar	Do they immediately understand the visual planner? Do they want to interact or just look? Derek-specific: "Is this useful to you or too much detail?"	A2, O2
3 — Profile	/03-profile	Where do they pause? What fields cause visible hesitation? Do they scroll past medical info or read it?	A1, O3
4 — Search Results	/04-search-results	What card information do they read first? What's missing from the card? Do filters make sense?	O6, O7
5 — Camp Detail	/05-camp-detail	Do they look for reviews? Do they look for price? What makes them click Apply vs. close the tab?	O7, O8
6 — Apply	/06-apply	Do they notice the profile pre-fill? Is the booking fee framing clear? Any payment hesitation?	A4, A5
7 — Dashboard	/07-dashboard	Does the confirmation state feel complete? Do they look for a receipt or next steps?	O6, O9

8

Usability Test — 3 Core Tasks

After the free walkthrough, assign these three tasks in order. Time each task from prompt delivery to task completion or abandonment. Capture verbal confusion points and dead-end clicks.

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Timing methodology: Start the timer when you finish reading the scenario aloud. Stop when the participant says they've completed the task or asks for help. Record both clock time and participant's perceived time ("Did that feel fast or slow to you?").

T1

Find a Camp

"Your daughter is 9 years old and loves art. You want to find a day camp in Austin that has at least one week available in July. Using this app, find one that looks promising and tell me when you've found it."

What to capture: Does the participant start from discovery or search? How many screens do they visit before declaring success? Do they use filters? What information makes them "pick" a camp?

Time to completion Number of screens visited Filter usage Y/N Self-reported confidence (1–5) Confusion verbalized Y/N

T2

Add to Calendar

"Great — now add that camp to your summer calendar so you can see how it fits. Tell me when you've done it."

What to capture: Can they find the calendar add action? Do they understand the visual result? Derek-specific follow-up after task: "Was that useful? Would you come back to that calendar view, or was it just a step you had to take?"

Time to completion Found action without help Y/N Expressed value of calendar Y/N Would revisit calendar (self-reported)

T3

Apply

"Now go ahead and apply to that camp as if you were really doing it. You don't need to enter real payment info — just go through the steps and tell me when it feels like it's done."

What to capture: Do they notice profile pre-fill and react positively? How long does the form feel vs. how long it actually takes? Do they hesitate on the booking fee? Is the confirmation state satisfying?

Time to completion Noticed pre-fill Y/N Hesitated at fee Y/N Abandonment point (if any) Post-task: "Was that faster than expected?"

Post-Task Debrief (3 min)

Script — Post-usability debrief

MOD Overall — if this were a real app and you'd just applied to a camp through it, how would you describe the experience to a friend? What would you say?

PROBE What was the best part? What was the most confusing part?

MOD If you had a magic wand and could change one thing about this app, what would it be?

MOD Is there anything this app does that you didn't expect — either a good surprise or something that felt off?

9

Post-Session Survey

Send via Google Form within 1 hour of session completion. Takes approximately 5 minutes. The survey captures quantitative signals that are hard to get in a conversational interview — especially willingness to pay and NPS-style signals.

Demographics & Context

SQ-1. How many children do you have between ages 5–14?

Multiple choice: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4+

SQ-2. Roughly how many summer camps did your family research last year?

Multiple choice: 0–2 / 3–5 / 6–10 / More than 10

SQ-3. Which device do you use most for personal tasks like research and shopping?

Multiple choice: Smartphone / Tablet / Laptop / Desktop

Time & Friction Baseline

SQ-4. How long did the full camp research and application process take last summer, across all camps?

Scale: Under 1 hour / 1–3 hours / 3–8 hours / More than 8 hours / I lost count

SQ-5. How frustrated were you with the camp research and application process last year?

Scale: 1 (Not at all) → 5 (Extremely frustrated)

Prototype Reaction

SQ-6. After seeing the prototype, how likely are you to use something like OneSummer when it launches?

Scale: 1 (Definitely not) → 5 (Definitely yes)

Willingness to Pay

SQ-7. If OneSummer charged a per-application booking fee (like a ticketing service), what is the most you'd pay per application before it feels like a bad deal?

Multiple choice: I wouldn't pay anything / $0.99 / $1.99 / $2.99 / $3.99 / $4.99 / $5–9.99 / More than $10

SQ-8. Alternatively, would you prefer an annual subscription for unlimited applications?

Multiple choice: Yes — prefer annual / Yes — if under $10/year / Yes — if under $20/year / No — prefer pay-per-use / No preference

Feature Prioritization

SQ-9. Which of these features would be most valuable to you? (Pick 2)

Checkbox: Visual summer calendar / One-click reuse of child's profile / Camp reviews and ratings / Side-by-side camp comparison / Price and availability filters / Automated camp reminders and deadlines

Open-Ended

SQ-10. In your own words, what problem does OneSummer solve — if any?

Open text — this is gold for landing page copy

SQ-11. What would make you trust this platform with your child's medical information?

Open text

SQ-12. Is there anything else about your summer camp experience you'd want us to know?

Open text — optional

10

Analysis Framework

Analyze after every 3 sessions — do not wait until all 15 are done. Early patterns may change interview direction for subsequent sessions. Use the following framework per assumption.

Assumption-Level Verdict System

Verdict Definitions

Confirmed (Green): 7+ of 10 parent participants validate without prompting. Signals are unprompted, specific, and consistent across segments.
Partially Confirmed (Yellow): Signal is real for one segment (Lisa) but absent or weak for another (Derek). Assumption holds but scope narrows.
Disconfirmed (Red): 6+ of 10 participants show avoidance, hesitation, or direct rejection. A disconfirmed assumption requires immediate product response.
Inconclusive: Mixed signals. Run 3 more sessions with targeted probe before issuing verdict.

Per-Session Capture Template

Quotes (Verbatim)

Capture exact words for A1 (trust language)
Capture exact words for SQ-10 (problem framing)
Note any spontaneous "I hate when..." moments

Behaviors (Observed)

Task completion times (T1, T2, T3)
Scroll depth on Profile screen
Hesitation points during Apply flow

Assumptions Status

Mark A1–A5 as: Confirmed / Partial / Disconfirmed
Note which segment gave the signal
Flag contradictory evidence

Open Questions

What did this session not answer?
What new question surfaced?
Adjust next interview script?

Affinity Mapping (Post All Sessions)

After all 15 sessions, run a full affinity mapping exercise on sticky notes (physical or FigJam). Cluster by: (1) Pain points, (2) Trust triggers, (3) Willingness to pay signals, (4) Calendar feature sentiment by segment, (5) Director concerns about standardization. Each cluster maps to one or more of the five core assumptions.

Priority Decisions the Research Should Unlock

If A1 (profile vault) is disconfirmed: Redesign the apply flow to allow per-application form fill — one-click apply becomes a saved-info shortcut, not a mandatory vault.
If A2 (calendar) is Partial (Lisa-only): Position calendar as a power feature, not the hero. Rewrite homepage copy for Derek around "apply in 30 seconds" not "plan your whole summer."
If A3 (standardized form) is disconfirmed by directors: Pivot to a "smart import" model — pull from camp's existing form and pre-fill from parent profile. Directors keep their form; families save the re-entering.
If A5 (booking fee) is disconfirmed: Test freemium model (free for families, charge camps for leads) before any other pivot. Do not assume "they'd pay more" without evidence.

11

First 10 Families Plan

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Goal: Run 10 parent sessions, produce assumption verdicts for A1, A2, A4, and A5, and generate verbatim quotes suitable for landing page copy and investor decks. Deliver within 5 weeks of kickoff.

Recruitment Target Mix

6 Derek-type parents (phone-primary, 1–2 kids, hourly or shift work, HHI under $80k) — recruited via Nextdoor and Austin Moms Facebook
4 Lisa-type parents (multi-child, planning-oriented, have used a spreadsheet or notes app for camps) — recruited via PTAs and Austin Moms Facebook
Target 50% in-person (coffee shop / library), 50% remote (Zoom with screen share)
Minimum: 4 completed sessions before any analysis; do not wait for all 10

Session Logistics

Screener: 5-question Google Form linked in recruitment posts. Auto-disqualify non-Austin, non-camp-researching respondents. Reply to qualifiers within 24 hours.
Scheduling: Use Calendly with 30-minute slots, 15-minute buffers. Offer morning, evening, and Saturday slots for Derek segment compatibility.
Remote setup: Zoom. Ask participant to share their screen and open the prototype URL before the session starts. Have a backup link ready.
Recording: Always ask permission. Record locally, not to cloud. Transcribe key moments only — full transcription is not necessary.
Payment: Send $25 Venmo or Amazon gift card within 2 hours of session completion.
Debrief: Write a 5-bullet session summary within 1 hour while memory is fresh. Update the assumption tracker after each session.

Deliverable After 10 Sessions

Assumption verdicts (Confirmed / Partial / Disconfirmed) for A1, A2, A4, A5
Top 10 verbatim quotes (the best direct-speech descriptions of the problem and reaction)
Feature priority ranking from SQ-9 data
Willingness-to-pay histogram from SQ-7/SQ-8 data
Recommended copy framing for Derek vs. Lisa homepage variant

12

First 5 Camps Plan

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Goal: Run 5 director sessions, produce an assumption verdict for A3 (standardized form acceptance), and identify the minimum viable data model for a camp profile that satisfies both platform standardization and director customization needs. Deliver within 5 weeks of kickoff.

Target Camp Profile

Day camps preferred for round 1 (lower operational complexity than overnight camps)
50–250 kids per session — large enough to have an enrollment process, small enough to be nimble
Austin metro: Travis County preferred; Williamson and Hays County acceptable
Mix of: arts, STEM, sports, and general interest camps — avoid one-category concentration
At least 2 camps that currently use a third-party enrollment platform (CampBrain, Active Network, Jackrabbit, etc.) — to test integration feasibility

Outreach Sequence

Identify 20 camps from Austin Camp Guide, the Austin Chamber list, and Googling "summer camp Austin [activity type]." Build a simple spreadsheet: camp name, director name, email, size estimate, current enrollment tool (if findable).
Send cold email (Week 1). Subject: "5-min call about how Austin families find camps — sharing findings with participants." Keep to 3 sentences. No product pitch. Position as peer research.
Follow up once (Day 5). One-sentence nudge. If no response after follow-up, move to the next camp on the list.
First call framing: "I'm doing research on camp enrollment processes — specifically how families find camps and how directors manage applications. I want to understand your world first. I'll share what we're building at the end and get your honest reaction."
After call: Send a one-page summary of what you heard (anonymized). This builds goodwill and positions OneSummer as a thoughtful operator, not a cold vendor.

Key Questions the 5 Sessions Must Answer

What are the 5–8 fields that every Austin area camp considers mandatory for enrollment?
How many camps use a third-party enrollment system, and how integrated is it with their operations?
What is the real blocker to accepting a third-party application — data format, liability, control, or distrust?
Would directors accept a "shared application" model if they can add 3–5 custom fields?
What would make a camp actively promote OneSummer to families instead of just tolerating it?

Deliverable After 5 Sessions

Assumption verdict for A3 (standardized form)
Candidate standard field list — the fields every camp needs, likely candidates to include in the OneSummer application data model
Inventory of "non-negotiable custom fields" — what camps insist on adding (informs custom fields feature design)
Director acquisition channel hypothesis — which value prop gets a director to say yes (net-new families? admin time savings? visibility?)
2–3 camps willing to participate in a pilot as early partners

13

Research Timeline

All 15 sessions should complete within 5 weeks. Interim analysis after session 5 (week 2) and session 10 (week 4) ensures findings can influence subsequent interviews.

Week 1 — April 7–11

Recruitment Launch

Post screener links to Austin Moms Facebook, Nextdoor (3 neighborhoods), and 2 PTA Slack groups. Send 20 cold emails to camp directors. Target: 30+ screener responses, 5+ director replies.

Week 2 — April 14–18

Sessions 1–5 + Interim Analysis

Complete first 5 parent sessions. Run 2 director sessions if possible. After session 5: update assumption tracker, adjust interview script if a strong pattern has emerged.

Week 3 — April 21–25

Sessions 6–10

Complete remaining parent sessions. Run 2 more director sessions. Send post-session surveys and follow up on non-responders.

Week 4 — April 28–May 2

Sessions 11–15 + Interim Analysis

Final 5 sessions (mix of remaining parents and directors). After session 10: produce preliminary verdicts on A1–A5. Adjust director sessions based on early supply-side patterns.

Week 5 — May 5–9

Analysis Sprint

Affinity mapping. Survey data aggregation. Assumption verdicts finalized. WTP histogram. Top quotes extracted. Recommendation memo drafted.

Week 6 — May 12–14

Findings Readout

Deliver: assumption verdicts, recommended product pivots (if any), copy framing recommendations, early partner camp contacts, and priority feature ranking for next build sprint.

Definition of Success

This research program is successful if, at the end of Week 6, we can make a confident go/no-go decision on each of the five core assumptions — and we have enough verbatim evidence to write a compelling one-page problem statement that a first-time reader understands without context. If any assumption is disconfirmed, success means having a clear recommended pivot, not a crisis.