jumpAr Vs. The Competitors

In this our first week, our ideas studio has researched two areas to venture into. The initial ideas brainstormed were divided into two camps, so part of the team could research online art sites with a  collaborative focus; and part of the team did field work in the tourist information sector.

Pinar is our technical and communications officer, in charge of admin, business ideas and IT and IP development.

Cristina and Sebastian have researched interactive art websites, with the following findings:

Cristina’s research

1. www.redvelvetcurtainclub.com – A beautifully designed website that shows mixed artforms, with a special focus on performance art. In contrast to our aim, this site is targeted exclusively to professionals. RATINGS for feasibility, viability and desirability: good marks on all three, but its usability is perhaps decreased because of the niche market it is aimed at. We want a wider audience.
2. www.cockpitarts.com – This social enterprise helps creatives develop their businesses. This is not exactly what we want to do, but we feel it’s relevant because it showcases a variety of artwork and invites participation. High usability, but website design is not as attractive as it could be.
3. www.creativeacts.org –   Open platform for creative expression, activism and exchange is the sub- title, and that is exactly what they do. This quirky site has a humourous slant that makes it very accessible. It can attract a breadth of public participation as it is not elitist, and that’s it’s main selling point from our perspective. Design factor rates lower than other values.

Sebastian’s research

Sebastian took a holistic approach to the idea of competition and competitors. Taking into account that our ideas were at the non fixed fledgling stage, he looked at media based websites that ‘worked’ as competitors.

1. ithinkmusic.com – A community site where musicians, producers and artists can sell their own work. The initial homepage , and various other factors are poorly designed – yet as with many of the more popular sites this might not have a detrimental effect in terms of traffic/users,, as design is not the main focus. Although at times ithinkmusic.com is a little confusing, in general it is a user-friendly sight. The idea is simple: ‘individual’ ownership in a digital music/internet community. It works as a business. Summary: Poor Design (on the surface, but still desirable); feasible and viable.
2. Teepay – Design, buy & sell T-shirts and blog from this site. Teepay.com is a simple to use, well designed website. Here all the  three criteria are present:  Feasibility, viability and design; as too is  the idea of ownership.

Examples of two music stores on ithinkmusic.com & the Teepay.com website (click on image to redirect to site)

Gin and Yvonne did fieldwork to find out about Kingston guides and informative publications.

1. Kingston Tourist Office

–> Situated in the marketplace in the town centre, it offers mostly information about Kingston & the local area, including maps, events, and souvenirs. But there is no complete/comprehensive guide book about Kingston, and it seems that there aren’t many people making use of the Tourist Office.

Technically it provides a large amount of information but it doesn’t seem to be viable & desirable.

maps & brochures from the Tourist Office

2. Websites

1. Kingston gov. uk. (information provided by the government upon the borough of kingston)
2. Kingston First (a website providing complete information, ranging from business’ to activites and general info)
3. Livin’ Kingston (a free magazine for people who live within the borough, focuses on news and events, no longer available)
4. Enjoy England ( a website providing information on England with a section on Kingston)
5. The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames Official guide ( a guide book but no longer in circulation )

–> Our Kingston guide idea doesn’t seem to have any strong competitors,  probably because it’s a small city which means there are not many tourists, and the guide is not in great demand, but depending on the target group & the concept, it may be a  good product, especially for the increasing amount of international students living in Kingston.

Other successful examples of city guides:

1. Wallpaper City guide

Price : £4.95

Target Group : Design conscious traveller (on a budget)

Strong balance of all 3 Values

• Viability – very clear concept for a specific target group, good marketing (edited by Wallpaper / Published by Phaidon)
• Feasibility – good quality of paper, printing, graphic & layout, good selection of trendy shops, restaurants & hotels.
• Desirability – absolutely desirable with an iconic cover of a vibrant color for each city / easy to carry – small & light with good concise contents.

But,

• most of their suggestions are pricey despite of its good taste.

http://www.phaidon.com/travel/cityguides_english.html

2. Moleskine City Notebook

Price : £12

Target Group : Designers, Artists, Writers, Any travelers who like to draw and write down

Again, strong balance of all 3 Values

• Viability – It’s Moleskine!
• Feasibility – Very well made notebook with precise maps. Useful organiser / planner for city tour
• Desirability /Usability – It’s Moleskine again, timeless classic design, very good maps, translucent  stickies to help users mark on the map, blank pages to record the moment.

It’s more like city map + diary than tour guide.

http://www.moleskines.com/klcn001-lo.html

3. Time out London

Price : + – £10

Target Group : Various / Mass public / Local people

Various kinds of guides for various groups. It has maybe the best viability in terms of popularity & accessibility (can be found in any bookstores) but maybe less desirable than other two examples above

http://www.timeout.com/london/

4. Other guides

City guides which are focused on one specific subject.

Price : £10 / £9 / £19 (original price / from left)

Maybe less viable because of the limitation of the target group but maybe more desirable because of the rich content on one subject and specific target group with unfulfilled appetite for those contents.