PORTLAND ENCOURAGES ENTREPRENEURS
Startup Portland Weekend provides an opportunity for anyone with an idea for a software product to test its viability. It teams up professionals in business development, UX, UI, and software programming over a weekend to create a proof-of-work. The event begins with people pitching ideas to attendants who then decide which ideas they like. Attendants then pair up with the pitcher and over a long weekend compete to have their product win prizes and possible financial backing .
SITUATION: After hearing several pitches I was drawn to an augmented reality app reminiscent of Pokéman Go. The idea was pitched by a game designer who wanted to create a new social media platform. It allowed the placement of virtual “tags” within almost any environment using a smart phone’s GPS. The tags allowed a person to leave messages and pictures that could then be viewed publicly or privately by other app users through their phone. Having completed all the course work for my social science masters degree in urban studies, I was intrigued by it’s applications within urban spaces. Especially in creating stronger communities and civic engagement through personal expression.
CHALLENGE: I partnered with the game designer, a business development professional, and three developers. We had 54 hours over 2.5 days to build a proof of concept. Within that time, we needed to flesh out the app’s basic functionality then validate it, iterate it, and finally present a prototype to a panel that included a business developer, app developer, and venture capitalist. The programming was especially challenging because augmented reality technology is still in its infancy and being able to geocache virtual objects was something the developers had never done. Adding to the challenge was that no one had ever worked with each other.
Late into the second day we had most of the functionality fleshed out and a solid sense of our demographic. However, we were still not sure how to successfully monetize the app and the specific problem we wanted to solve..
RESULT: Initially, we were so enamored with the idea and technology that we forgot what problem the app would solve. Would it be a social media or treasure hunting solution and how would it bring in revenue? Meetings midway through the process with product and business developers helped us determine its final direction but we pivoted several times before we made our final decision. During our presentation we were allowed only four minutes to make our pitch and then another three minutes for question and answers by the judges. My team managed second place and was told we would have placed first had we a more cohesive business plan. However, the most important task had been accomplished. We now had a viable product and a clear understanding of what it would take to have it developed.
An initial ideation of the app's user flow. Several other features were proposed but it was decided that for the 1.0 version it was best to keep its functionality elegant.