Alumni Digest / Waterloo / Ideas /
A psychologist builds the tool he needs
JOLIVE grew from a research bottleneck into a software venture.
The context
Where the work begins
Psychology PhD student Jacob Oliveira built JOLIVE to reduce the programming work involved in behavioural studies. Its visual interface supports surveys, experiments and optional AI chat components, with study ordering handled by the platform.
The takeaway
What follows
Waterloo reports that Oliveira used the tool for eight studies involving 840 participants in one semester. He is developing the incorporated business with a team and a computer science co-op student. The result is a useful example of a product emerging from direct experience of a problem.
Source reporting
A psychologist builds the tool he needs
Original summary by Alumni Digest, based on public source reporting. This independent publication is not affiliated with or endorsed by the University of Waterloo. Source image retained for editorial review; rights clearance is still required before any broader reuse.
