BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Project - ECPv6.18.2//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-WR-CALNAME:Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Project
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://detroitsmallbusiness.umich.edu
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Project
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/Detroit
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20240310T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20241103T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20250309T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20251102T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20260308T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20261101T060000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20251014T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20251014T160000
DTSTAMP:20250828T152448Z
CREATED:20250826T225416Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250828T152448Z
UID:34458-1760432400-1760457600@detroitsmallbusiness.umich.edu
SUMMARY:ALT-Fall Break - UMSI Students Offer Free Website Evaluations & Data Analysis to Detroit businesses
DESCRIPTION:The University of Michigan School of Information (UMSI)\, in partnership with DNEP\, is seeking metro Detroit small business owners to participate in UMSI’s Alternative Fall Break on Tuesday\, October 14\, 2025. Through this pilot project\, Information students will apply their classroom knowledge to either: (1) Analyze business’ data to help them make informed decisions\, or (2) Evaluate their websites to enhance user experience. This is a one-time\, free event\, supported by U-M Engage Detroit and the U-M Detroit Center. \n\nMenu of Services Available \n☝️ Option 1: Business Data Analysis\nStudents can analyze sales\, CRM\, inventory\, booking\, or marketing data to help you make informed decisions.  \nTypes of Data You Might Want Analyzed: \n\nSales data (from point of sale systems\, website payment processor\, Venmo\, CashApp or other third-party payment processors)\nCustomer data (location\, purchase history\, customer reviews\, loyalty program data)\nBooking and appointment data (schedules\, no-show rates\, peak booking times)\nInventory data (inventory turnover rates\, supplier information\, product return rates\, stock levels)\nMarketing data (website analytics\, email campaign performance\, social media engagement)\nOperational data (worker schedules\, production timelines\, equipment maintenance)\n\nTypes of Questions Students Can Answer\, If You Have the Data: \n\nWhat are my best and worst performing products/services\, sorted by month?\nWho are my most loyal clients and what are their scheduling and service preferences? \nHow often do customers return? How much do they spend\, on average\, per visit?\nHow long does it take me to sell each product? Which products have the highest return rates?\nHow can I optimize employee schedules to meet customer demand?\nWhat are the trends in my revenue and expenses over the last two years?\n\nWhat Students Need to Do this Work: \n\nMinimum of two years of data or 1\,000 records\nThe actual dataset(s)\, exported to Excel\, Google Sheets\, or CSV format\nClear labels or a simple document explaining what each column means\nA relatively clean dataset\, without excessive duplicates or errors\n2-3 key questions you want answered\nOne hour of your time (broken into two 30-minute blocks) over a 3 hour block on October 14\, 2025 for an interview and to share results\n\nWhat Students Will Do: \n\nInterview you to learn more about the data and what you hope to learn from it\,\nUse a guided worksheet to analyze your data\,\nProvide a high-level summary of the data and answer your questions\, and\nRefer you to resources for further support.\n\n\n\n✌️Option 2: Website UX Heuristics Review \nStudents can analyze the back-end of your website to identify what is working well and what could be better from a user experience perspective. \nTypes of Questions Students Can Answer\, If You Have the Data: \n\nIs my website easy to navigate for first-time users?\nWhere do people linger on the site?\nAre there sections of the site where people might get confused or misinterpret information?\nWhy are people adding things to their shopping cart on my site\, but not buying?\n\nWhat Students Need to Do this Work: \n\nAccess to view your live website that has been established for at least one year or has many pages \nPages or sections identified for students to focus on\, with 2-3 key questions you want answered about those pages\nOne hour of your time on October 14\, 2025 for an interview\n\nWhat Students Will Do: \n\nInterview you to learn more about the website\, your goals\, and any feedback you have received in the past about the site\,\nConduct a heuristic evaluation to identify what is working and what could be improved from a user experience perspective\,\nProvide 1-2 simple fix recommendations that could be implemented right away\, \nMake suggestions for larger recommendations from a user experience perspective\, \nRefer you to resources for further support.\n \n\n\n\nApplication Process & Timeline \n\n\n\nApply Online: Interested businesses should complete an Application. [*Note: if you have never completed a business intake form for the Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Project\, you must do this first.] \nReview and Verification: UMSI Engaged Learning Office staff will review applications as they are received. They will review the data you uploaded with your application (if a data analysis project) or website information (if a user experience project) to confirm that they can access it and that there is enough there for students to be able to analyze. They will also review privacy protocols in place to protect your confidential information and answer any questions.\nScheduling and Follow-up: A UMSI staff member will review your application and reach out to you. If your application is a good fit for the UMSI Alternative Fall Break program\, you may be asked to schedule a virtual meeting to go over preparations and questions. Selected applicants will be scheduled for an October 14 time slot.\n\n\n\nWhat Happens on Tuesday\, October 14\, 2025   \n\nClients check in at the U-M Detroit Center\, 3663 Woodward Ave\, Detroit\, MI 48201 before your appointment  (validated parking available in DSO deck) \nStudents will interview you for 30 minutes\, then get to work! \n\nClients are welcome to leave and come back in 2 hours\, or to co-work at UMDC for the day\n\n\nClients meet with students again for 30 minutes to share results of data analysis or recommendations\, and answer client questions\nStudents will refer businesses to additional resources for follow-up support and implementation\n\n\nContact Information \nQuestions? Please contact Angie Zill at azill@umich.edu or visit the DNEP website. \nApply online. \nThis opportunity is offered at no cost to business owners as a result of support from the University of Michigan Engage Detroit office and the University of Michigan Detroit Center.
URL:https://detroitsmallbusiness.umich.edu/event/2025/alt-fall-break-umsi-students-offer-free-website-evaluations-data-analysis-to-detroit-businesses/
LOCATION:University of Michigan Detroit Center\, 3663 Woodward Ave\, Detroit\, MI\, 48201\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://detroitsmallbusiness.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/UMSI_AFB_MailchimpSize.jpg
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR