Co-Founder Scott Smith and I, started PayWell becuase we noticed that the current methods that pilate studios were using to calculate payroll was very individualized and could not be done by larger payroll companies. So we decided to create software that would allow for these studios to quickly input their scattered payroll data and compile it based on different parameters they needed within the payroll output.

Our cross-disciplinary team of students was tasked with creating an innovative and captivating event for Miami University which showcased art through the lens of technology while demonstrating our commitment to diversity, inclusion, cultural awareness, and to the democratization of the arts. We created an experience celebrating the spoken word and encouraging everyone to let their voices be heard, to create a more inclusive public discourse for all, not just the privileged few. Due to the ongoing pandemic, safety was a top priority. We focused on crafting a safe, interactive and inclusive environment where social distancing and other safety precautions were employed and emphasized.

Project / Solution

Our solution to the client’s brief went through several iterations until we chose :“The Gathering at the Poet’s Shack”. Our solution focused projection mapping, augmented reality, virtual reality, and webapp development as well as game technologies like Unity and other advanced programs such as touch designer, notch and mapping matter to fulfil the three components of the project: the live event, a virtual reimagining of the event for those who couldn't attend in person or who wanted to revisit the event at a later date, and an interactive web app connecting all of the separate components into one experience.

Our concept explored the idea of the woods and acknowledged all that had been there, starting with its Myaamia roots, moving on to the poet’s shack and then directed peoples eyes and minds towards the future by sharing the poems other participants wrote through the web app on one of the symbols of Miami University: Upham hall. We called everyone, young and old, to participate in the arts.

Observation
Every household is vastly different. However, high functioning households tend to follow similar rhythms, which I set out to identify. I interviewed an array of households including suburban families, freshman dorms, and senior apartments. The rhythms I found in the flourishing households were consistent and intentional communication. Eating together was the most common medium in which these communities communicated. The other medium was some sort of tracker that was in the housesholds common room. This included whiteboards and calendars that were used to keep a running list of “to-dos” and “chores” to be completed. The implicit household rules were to put back what you took out, close what you opened, and the overall expectation that every person was in charge of cleaning up after themselves. What I noticed with this system was that there was no specific or discrete way of knowing what was needed from each person or sense of accountability. These insights allowed me to search for technologies that were meeting these needs.
Research & Analysis
For my research, I decided to focus specifically on parenting tech. I analysed Choremonster, Cozi, and FamCal. Choremonster is a gamified app to get kids to do their chores. FamCal and Cozi are both softwares that combine calendars, events, tasks, notes, contacts and birthday reminders in one place. A common insight I found from each of these softwares was that they required a lot of user input. The problem these products solve is connecting every family members' schedule and having all the lists accessible to everyone at all times. The problem these products failed to solve was helping families balance their schedules, communicate and assign roles/responsibilities, and keeping families updated on accomplished tasks. They just connected the family, but I believed they needed to take it a step further to help families balance their mission of getting chores, dinner, dishes, etc, in a fun and engaging way.

When I was in high school there was a meme going around featuring a kid with a box-shaped, square head. My friends said it looked like me and the nickname Box Head was born. I didn’t love being called Box Head but decided to embrace things that made me self conscious — to own what made me different in a positive way. (First Picture is the meme. Second Picture is my boxy baby picture) I had found a brand called Johnny Cupcakes and fell in love with his message and story of how he started his business and how he interacted and treated his customers like family. I took his blueprint and applied it to Box Head. I used photoshop to design a “self-portrait” and put it on sweatshirts to wear around school. (Photo Below)

I had zero Photoshop experience, But I managed to figure out how to draw a box and put eyes and a mouth Inside. The logo Has not been changed to this day. In fact, The smile in my logo is a little crooked to the left. People think this was done on purpose to make it a smirk, but it was just my poor Photoshop skills.

My senior year of high school I was in a business incubator class and persuaded my teacher to allow me to work on Box Head. I thank my teacher for not laughing at me. It was very challenging for me to present Box Head during my class presentations. Imagine trying to present in front of your whole high school class that you started a brand that is about how you have a box-shaped head. People were looking at me like I was crazy. At this time I had not fully embraced my Box Head and still felt unsure about my out of the box brand idea. I made it to the second round of pitches for the business incubator class. The reason I did not get to the final rounds was that the mentors said I did not make enough progress from the previous round. I had known this, I was just too scared to present in front of the whole theater about how I started a brand called Box Head because I had a Box Head. My own ego prevented me from pitching my business. Before the final pitches, I made 36 navy embroidered sweatshirts and brought them to sell at the pitch night. I set up a little booth and told people about the Box Head story. Most of the people at this convention were over 40 years of age except for my classmates. The moms thought it was cute that I was doing a brand about self-acceptance and the dads were just interested In my entrepreneurial spirit but thought box head was a joke, which it was. I thought people would easily buy my sweatshirts at this convention but I only sold three. This made me sick of the whole thing. On the walk back from the convention to my car, I decided out of pure disappointment to go up to people on the street and tell them about my Box Head brand and if they really liked it and understood it I would give them a free sweatshirt. By the time I got to my car, I had given away all 36 sweatshirts for free. At the time I felt happy giving them away, but by the time I got home, I realized I had wasted $540 worth of sweatshirts and thought entrepreneurship was not for me.

The rest of that summer I had given up on Box Head. People would ask me about it and I would just blow it off and say I started it to pass a dumb high school class, but in reality, I didn't have enough humility and self-confidence to continue Box Head. After the summer ended I attended Miami University and majored in Interactive Media Studies. At the beginning of my freshman year of college, box head was dead and out sight. Then I met a girl named Cammy. Cammy lived on the girl's side of my freshman dorm. I was instantly attracted to her bubbly, infectious, and optimistic outlook on life. Long story short Cammy and I started dating. Then one day Cammy asked me what Box Head was. I was not stoked about it because I had thought I had left it in my past and did not want to be known as Box Head in college. Before winter break Cammy told me she wanted a Box Head sweatshirt when we get back from break. So I was like if I'm going to make a sweatshirt for her I might as well ask the rest of my friends if they wanted one. I got a total of 33 people to buy one. That might not sound like a lot, but for a freshman in college, I felt like the next Mark Zuckerberg. I made the sweatshirts and stored them in my dorm room to sell.

Now, I have sold over 100 sweatshirts to people all across the country and plan on continuing to spread Box Head's message of self-acceptance.
Follow Me: https://www.instagram.com/boxheadapparel/
Order A Hoodie: https://www.boxheadapparel.com/