Business pitch

JumpAr pitch 6 Nov 09

THE MULTI-TASKING POCKET full of MODULAR INFORMATION
or
THE FLEXIBLE ADAPTABLE WALLET GUIDE BOOK

This video shows where our idea originated:

A person new to UK cannot find basic things without information on where to find them. A guide book would help, but none exists.

Pinar's prototype

Our team came up with 3 business ideas: a guidebook, a designer notebook and a pocket magazine. How did we reach the decision to do 3 things?

First, we identified the unmet need of our cute international student. This gave us a glimpse to a gap in the market.

Second, we researched. We did this in various ways:

1) we looked at our competitors
2) we made dozens of prototypes to test the format of our product
3) we prototyped the content and we are testing it on humans
4) we talked to people in bookshops
5) we talked to international students (further down there is a video showing this)

Third, we looked at our passions and objects that we like to buy, like smart pocket notepads or designer magazines. Most of the people we know carry notebooks, e.g. the MOLESKIN brand, which makes a desirable and popular format.

Our team meetings led us to consider possible drawbacks and solutions:

• Target market for Kingston guidebook is small
• Some people find guidebooks boring and impersonal
• Portability will largely determine the usability
• If we add a personal touch to our guide, we open up a market for people who live locally and would not normally buy a guidebook

And so we came to think of how to cater for multiple needs. The foremost need for wide-ranging and detailed information was in opposition with the need for small and portable. If we made the object modular, we’d gain in 2 ways: 1) we can divide the information into differentiated chapters that will appeal to different customers, and 2) we can then sell and test the first editions before we have researched the wide range of content we want in the long term, making a smaller and cheaper product first, and shortening the initial production time.

The modular format will enable us to offer different products than the guide: we can add notebooks or diaries that many people buy anyway. By buying our product in separate parts, customers will feel that they’re only paying for what they need.

The personal touch we feel is part of our USP will be apparent too in the content. Stories and photos of people, reviews made by the public on our accompanying website and a touch of fun in the presentation blur the boundaries with must-have magazines. In addition, by printing artists contributions, we enhance our creative appeal even more.

To sum up, our little product is desirable in 3 ways:
• Aesthetic quality: handy design and trendy design
• Flexibility: users can mix and match the parts they need, and change or update them regularly
• Personal content: stories, photos and pictures done by real people, customer online submissions of their opinions and other publishable material.

International Student Survey – video by Gin

And here are some of our prototypes:

This is Gin’s felt cover with multiple side pockets.

Cristina’s tryptich version with mini guides in.

Do you have any suggestions, comments, constructive criticism? We appreciate your ideas.