Case Study Pitch Our App

This app is an alternative solution that makes it easier for small-business employers and job seekers to be engaged in pandemic times.

“How can small business owners better support each other and themselves in time of COVID?”

The pandemic has had a disproportionate effect on the lives of minorities, women, and small business owners and employees. Outside of the mental stresses caused by isolation and uncertainty, these groups have also had their economic livelihoods more impacted.

Small business owners and employees who need to pivot to new ideas struggle to successfully connect to new businesses and potential employees for short-term projects.

Pitch My App is a mobile app intended to provide a friendly, supportive space that helps local small business owners and contractors connect and collaborate with other like-minded users for local fixed-term projects.

An environmental scan was completed using the following framework:

• Learn from People. Interviews with small business owners
• Learn from Experts. Research on what experts were saying about the impacts of COVID, and what we could expect both near-term and in the future
• Immerse yourself in context. Participating in Facebook and social media groups that catered to small business owners and independent contractors.
• Seek Analogous inspiration. Brainstorming to find existing solutions to similar problems.

Learn from Experts

Donald G. McNeil Jr has spent decades at the NYT covering infectious diseases, including AIDS, Ebola, malaria, swine and bird flu, and SARS.

Predictions of the future from Donald McNeil:

• "The institute’s projection runs through Aug. 4, describing only the first wave of this epidemic. Without a vaccine, the virus is expected to circulate for years, and the death tally will rise over time."
• "Every epidemiological model envisions something like the dance. Each assumes the virus will blossom every time too many hosts emerge and force another lockdown. Then the cycle repeats."
• "Those with antibodies will be able to travel and work, and the rest will be discriminated against."
• "The next two years will proceed in fits and starts, experts said. As more immune people get back to work, more of the economy will recover."

SOURCE: Donald G. McNeil Jr article in New York Times

Immerse yourself in the context

Facebook groups in Quebec were monitored for three days to understand small business owners and independent contractors and what they were looking for

• People that were working in existing projects are looking for other professionals to continue the work.
• There are also teams that are creating similar products like a new website for freelancers where they are going to charge something for the service.
• There are already sites that are working as a business to connect freelancers and employers like upwork.com, pige.quebec. Group members disliked subscription sites where work wasn’t guaranteed.
• People asked for help not just for tech support but also for content generation or translation.
• People request for help in projects that are already in progress. It seems the group is always enthusiastic and informal. It is also notable how an efficient information structure organically developed. Posts are succinct yet give a lot of information that readers can quickly understand and encourage interest about the potential job.

Seek Analogous inspiration

We investigated what popular app features for collaboration and trust that had potential for use.

• Safety - Tinder and AirBNB
• Matching - Tinder
• Video sharing - TikTok
• Rating -Uber and AirBNB

Synthesis

We identified what were the most common and important statements from our research, and we started to creating a workflow

Break down the problem

Insights

Small business owners and job seekers want something easy to use. so it does also not require too much effort (learning new skills and programs, work alone without their intervention)

How might we

Create a market/marketing experience that is “solid” and doesn’t require highly technical skills. It could work as a elevator digital pitch.

Insights

Groups are being created and trying to share services online, using popular social media, but there is a high reliance on trusting each other.

How might we

Overcome barriers of trust for business between buyers/sellers? We could use Escrow.com a third-party that will hold the funds until both parties are agree that the project is finished.

Visual Wireframes and Prototype

User Flow

Low Fidelity Wireframes

Mid Fidelity Wireframes

High Fidelity Wireframes / Prototype

I will be pleased to show you the Pitch Our App prototype in Figma. Please send me an email I will share the link.

User Testing

We run three usability testing prototype versions in Maze on September 2020. Giving us the 52 usability score. If you would like to read the complete report, please click the button below.

Usability testing report

Results

At the start this project was only focusing in Quebec, but we are thinking to expand it in all Canada. It could be by an application for funding an innovative project with a high social impact value.

This project is still in progress