Proposal / Product Research
Being familiar with the eLearning industry, I chose to base my idea on an eLearning product. After researching into current trends and what is likely to be the 'next big thing', I decided to focus on collaborative learning and how this can be incorporated into a platform that would encourage team work.
My initial idea was to design and develop an eLearning Social Platform that would allow users to log in and collaborate with others to complete specific eLearning content. The concept would have a very similar feel to a typical social network site such as Facebook and Twitter but customised to a more learning environment. Some features would include the capability to post on your feed (this could be about achievement, issues or general questions that target an individual or a specific audience), collect achievements after completing online courses, forums, contact industry experts and instant messaging for more private communication. All of these functions complement each other to deliver a very collaborative platform.
Before making a start on the project, it is very important to conduct competitor/competing product research.
SCENARIO: Imagine spending hours designing and developing a product to then find out that a competitor has already launched a product into the market that has all the same functionality as you intend your product to have.
To overcome this obstacle, I spent some time researching this idea and looking into eLearning companies to see what kind of products they have to offer. Thankfully, my research paid off and I came across a product that had the same concept and was currently live to the market. The eLearning company in question, Growth Engineering, are a well established and have made a very solid and aesthetically pleasing product.
Taking this into consideration, I have decided to move my attention away from the 'social media network' side of my product and heavily focus on the 'collaborative' idea. Since this research, I have been influenced by another module I take at university, Mobile Media, in which I am contemplating moving the focus of the product for mobile purposes only; however, this will all depend on further research.
Conducting this research has taught me a valuable lesson that I will take to future projects.
My initial idea was to design and develop an eLearning Social Platform that would allow users to log in and collaborate with others to complete specific eLearning content. The concept would have a very similar feel to a typical social network site such as Facebook and Twitter but customised to a more learning environment. Some features would include the capability to post on your feed (this could be about achievement, issues or general questions that target an individual or a specific audience), collect achievements after completing online courses, forums, contact industry experts and instant messaging for more private communication. All of these functions complement each other to deliver a very collaborative platform.
Before making a start on the project, it is very important to conduct competitor/competing product research.
SCENARIO: Imagine spending hours designing and developing a product to then find out that a competitor has already launched a product into the market that has all the same functionality as you intend your product to have.
To overcome this obstacle, I spent some time researching this idea and looking into eLearning companies to see what kind of products they have to offer. Thankfully, my research paid off and I came across a product that had the same concept and was currently live to the market. The eLearning company in question, Growth Engineering, are a well established and have made a very solid and aesthetically pleasing product.
Taking this into consideration, I have decided to move my attention away from the 'social media network' side of my product and heavily focus on the 'collaborative' idea. Since this research, I have been influenced by another module I take at university, Mobile Media, in which I am contemplating moving the focus of the product for mobile purposes only; however, this will all depend on further research.
Conducting this research has taught me a valuable lesson that I will take to future projects.
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