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TeamK33pJourney

Journey Stories: Our Hackathon Experience

Our Action-Learning Journey

The CATS Hackathon was not just a build sprint for K33P, it was a learning journey that fundamentally reshaped how we understand self-custody, security, and impact. What began as a technical response to seed phrase loss evolved into a mission to build regenerative financial infrastructure that preserves trust, wealth, and continuity for real people.

Week-by-Week Reflections

Week 1: Discovery Phase

Dates: Week 1

What we did:

Framed the initial problem around seed phrase loss and wallet lockouts. Reviewed existing wallet recovery, hardware wallets, and custodial solutions. Aligned as a team on why this problem mattered personally and locally.

Key learnings:

The self-custody problem is not niche, it is systemic and growing. Existing tools assume perfect user behavior and technical literacy.

Challenges faced:

Avoiding solution bias toward “just building a better safe.” Translating personal frustration into a structured problem statement.

Highlights:

Early alignment around focusing on people, not protocols. Clear realization that loss equals permanent economic damage.

Week 2: Research & Insights

Dates: Week 2

What we did:

Conducted 37 interviews and informal surveys across Lagos, Abuja, Uyo, Port Harcourt, and Kaduna. Hosted long-form X Spaces and community discussions. Synthesized quantitative data and emotional user stories.

Key learnings:

18% of users had already lost funds permanently. Wallet loss led to collapsed businesses, lost tuition, and abandonment of crypto tools.

Challenges faced:

Processing emotionally heavy stories of loss and regret. Distilling diverse user experiences into repeatable patterns.

Highlights:

Clear evidence that the problem is grassroots and urgent. Discovery that users fear accidental loss more than hacking.

Week 3: Solution Design

Dates: Week 3

What we did:

Brainstormed multiple solution paths including password managers and account abstraction. Evaluated options using feasibility, impact, and innovation criteria. Reframed K33P from a security tool into regenerative infrastructure.

Key learnings:

Prevention alone is not enough; recovery and continuity are essential. Features like inheritance and crisis recovery are foundational, not optional.

Challenges faced:

Balancing ambition with hackathon constraints. Designing recovery without reintroducing centralized trust.

Highlights:

The “aha” moment: stop the bleeding, then help the ecosystem heal. Alignment on K33P’s long-term purpose beyond the hackathon.

Week 4: Building & Testing

Dates: Week 4

What we did:

Designed the MVP architecture for a zero-trust digital vault. Tested assumptions through feedback loops with early users. Refined onboarding and recovery flows for clarity and trust.

Key learnings:

Users value clarity and reassurance as much as cryptography. Trust is built through transparency and human-centered design.

Challenges faced:

Time constraints while maintaining architectural integrity. Communicating complex ideas simply.

Highlights:

Strong positive feedback on the concept of seedless recovery. Validation of K33P relevance beyond crypto-native users.

Team Dynamics

What worked well:

  • Strong shared mission rooted in real community needs
  • Fast feedback loops and open discussion
  • Ability to challenge assumptions without ego

What we’d improve:

  • Earlier role definition
  • More structured user testing schedules

Roles & Contributions

Sandra Benard: Team Lead/Product Design Lead

Qussim Bakre: Product Information Architect

Precious Omovoiye: Brand Expert

Hadiza Mohammed: Full Stack Developer

Yahaya Abdulrauf: Smart Contract Developer

Pivots & Changes

Major Pivot 1

  • What changed: Shift from secure seed storage to regenerative self-custody vault
  • Why: Research revealed loss as an economic and social crisis, not just a security flaw
  • When: Mid Week 2
  • Impact: Expanded scope to include recovery, inheritance, and long-term resilience

Mentorship & Support

Mentors We Worked With

Hackathon mentors challenged assumptions and encouraged human-centered framing.

Resources That Helped

  • CATS framework materials
  • Community feedback sessions
  • Prior Cardano & Web3 security research

Community Feedback

Feedback Session 1

Date: Ongoing feedback

Participants: Crypto users, students, traders, small business owners

Key feedback:

  • “Paper backups don’t work in real life.”
  • “Recovery matters more than perfect security.”
  • “Inheritance is a real concern we never talk about.”

Actions taken:

Elevated recovery and NOK access as core features.

Breakthrough Moments

Moment 1: Realizing wallet loss equals community wealth loss

Impact: Shifted success metrics from wallets secured to lives protected.

Moment 2: Reframing recovery as regeneration

Impact: Defined K33P long-term mission.

Moment 3: Understanding trust as a design outcome

Impact: Simplified UX and communication.

Challenges Overcome

Challenge 1: Avoiding solution bias

  • Solution: Let research lead design decisions
  • Learning: Listening is more powerful than assumptions

Challenge 2: Designing recovery without custody

  • Solution: Zero-trust, identity-bound architecture
  • Learning: Security and usability can coexist

Challenge 3: Emotional weight of user loss stories

  • Solution: Anchored decisions in responsibility and purpose
  • Learning: Impact-driven products demand empathy

Personal Reflections

K33P Team:

This hackathon transformed K33P from an idea into a responsibility. We are not just building a product, we are protecting futures.

Skills Developed

Technical Skills

  • Secure system architecture
  • Privacy-preserving recovery design
  • Decentralized identity concepts

Soft Skills

  • User research & synthesis
  • Ethical product thinking
  • Team collaboration under pressure

What’s Next?

Post-Hackathon Plans

  • Expand pilot testing with Nigerian communities
  • Harden recovery and inheritance flows
  • Explore ecosystem partnerships

Long-term Vision

K33P becomes core regenerative infrastructure, ensuring digital wealth is not just created, but preserved, transferred, and trusted across generations.

Next Steps

View the complete technical implementation: Final Solution

Week-by-Week Reflections

Week 1: Discovery Phase

Dates: [Date range]

What we did:

  • [Activity 1]
  • [Activity 2]
  • [Activity 3]

Key learnings:

  • [Learning 1]
  • [Learning 2]

Challenges faced:

  • [Challenge 1]
  • [Challenge 2]

Highlights:

  • [Highlight 1]
  • [Highlight 2]

Week 2: Research & Insights

Dates: [Date range]

What we did:

  • [Activity 1]
  • [Activity 2]
  • [Activity 3]

Key learnings:

  • [Learning 1]
  • [Learning 2]

Challenges faced:

  • [Challenge 1]
  • [Challenge 2]

Highlights:

  • [Highlight 1]
  • [Highlight 2]

Week 3: Solution Design

Dates: [Date range]

What we did:

  • [Activity 1]
  • [Activity 2]
  • [Activity 3]

Key learnings:

  • [Learning 1]
  • [Learning 2]

Challenges faced:

  • [Challenge 1]
  • [Challenge 2]

Highlights:

  • [Highlight 1]
  • [Highlight 2]

Week 4: Building & Testing

Dates: [Date range]

What we did:

  • [Activity 1]
  • [Activity 2]
  • [Activity 3]

Key learnings:

  • [Learning 1]
  • [Learning 2]

Challenges faced:

  • [Challenge 1]
  • [Challenge 2]

Highlights:

  • [Highlight 1]
  • [Highlight 2]

[Add more weeks as needed]

Team Dynamics

What worked well:

  • [Team dynamic 1]
  • [Team dynamic 2]
  • [Team dynamic 3]

What we’d improve:

  • [Improvement area 1]
  • [Improvement area 2]

Roles & Contributions

[Member Name]:
[Their key contributions and role]

[Member Name]:
[Their key contributions and role]

[Member Name]:
[Their key contributions and role]

[Member Name]:
[Their key contributions and role]

[Member Name]:
[Their key contributions and role]

Pivots & Changes

Major Pivots

Did you change direction at any point?

Pivot 1:

  • What changed: [Description]
  • Why: [Reason]
  • When: [Date]
  • Impact: [Result of the pivot]

Pivot 2:
[If applicable]

Mentorship & Support

Mentors We Worked With

  • [Mentor Name] - [How they helped]
  • [Mentor Name] - [How they helped]

Resources That Helped

  • [Resource 1]
  • [Resource 2]
  • [Resource 3]

Community Feedback

Feedback Sessions

Document feedback you received from the community or potential users:

Session 1:

  • Date: [Date]
  • Participants: [Who provided feedback]
  • Key feedback:
    • [Feedback point 1]
    • [Feedback point 2]
    • [Feedback point 3]
  • Actions taken: [What you changed based on feedback]

Session 2:
[If applicable]

Breakthrough Moments

Our “Aha!” Moments

  1. [Moment 1]: [Description of breakthrough and impact]
  2. [Moment 2]: [Description of breakthrough and impact]
  3. [Moment 3]: [Description of breakthrough and impact]

Challenges Overcome

Major Obstacles

  1. [Challenge 1]

    • Problem: [Description]
    • Solution: [How you overcame it]
    • Learning: [What you learned]

  2. [Challenge 2]

    • Problem: [Description]
    • Solution: [How you overcame it]
    • Learning: [What you learned]

  3. [Challenge 3]

    • Problem: [Description]
    • Solution: [How you overcame it]
    • Learning: [What you learned]

Personal Reflections

Individual Team Member Reflections

[Member 1 Name]:
[Their personal reflection on the experience]

[Member 2 Name]:
[Their personal reflection on the experience]

[Member 3 Name]:
[Their personal reflection on the experience]

[Member 4 Name]:
[Their personal reflection on the experience]

[Member 5 Name]:
[Their personal reflection on the experience]

Skills Developed

Technical Skills

  • [Skill 1]
  • [Skill 2]
  • [Skill 3]

Soft Skills

  • [Skill 1]
  • [Skill 2]
  • [Skill 3]

What’s Next?

Post-Hackathon Plans

  • [Plan 1]
  • [Plan 2]
  • [Plan 3]

Long-term Vision

[Where do you see this project going after the hackathon?]

Last updated: [Date]

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