HiThinkr at the European Innovation Academy

Our question was how students could engage more actively with AI. We reported 42 prospective-user interviews as a team. The interview notes capture a useful tension: people valued AI for structure, explanations and speed, but differed on whether it weakened their own thinking. The 42 interviews informed an evidence-backed product thesis, product requirements and three prioritized gameplay loops.

The team mapped concerns about originality and confidence to proposed features: rewriting a weak AI response, earning originality points and tracking progress. That gave the concept a more specific direction than a general promise to improve thinking.

The planning work explored asking a player to attempt a task before help unlocked, or explicitly accept, modify or reject an AI suggestion. Proposed measures included spotting an error and choosing to override a suggestion. The pitch developed four named game concepts, shown below.

In my research and ideas work, I explored a practical tradeoff: random, AI-generated and human-written prompts offer different balances of speed, control, relevance and cost. We considered starting with text responses. Reliable scoring and evidence of benefit remained open product questions.

We ran promotional tests across several outreach channels, primarily word of mouth, directing website visitors toward the prelaunch waitlist for HiThinkr's first games and generating 430 signups at a 31% visitor-to-waitlist conversion rate. This gave us a way to assess interest before the product and business model were mature.

We outlined free access and two paid tiers, exploring game access, play limits, skill tracking and a customized training plan as differentiators. The proposed rollout started with the University of Alabama and expanded to neighboring campuses. The financial plan staged campus events and peer referrals before broader digital marketing, with feedback and game iteration preceding heavier spending. It remained a forecast for a proposed launch.

I focused on problem and competitor research, metrics and presenting our validation work. Teammates led development, product design, game ideas and other pitch sections.

I invited André to join the team, and Mahnoor and I spent hours refining the pitch. I pitched HiThinkr's critical-thinking game concept, 42-interview customer evidence and launch-test results to 500+ business leaders. Our team reached the Top 10 of 62 ventures and received the Nixon Peabody Trademark Artisan Award. The team tried to continue after EIA, but geographic separation stopped the venture. HiThinkr is inactive.