Pitch Document Feedback

Strengths 

• The introduction to the project (page 3) is very good. It is well-written, enthusiastic and cites relevant sources to substantiate your arguments. The overview on the following page is also very helpful, although it could be more clear how the app is targeted towards women.

• It is great that you have an external partner for the project and outlining their contribution in the pitch document was a very good idea.

• The project aim (page 6) is very clear and concise (although it might have been more effective to specify “breaking down learning to code”).The project objectives (also on page 6) are very good too. You have clearly considered the stages involved in making this project a success and presented them very effectively.

• It is great to see that user research is already informing the design and development of this project (page 10). However, you could have more clearly identified the communities amongst which the survey was distributed and the sample size.

• Your competitor analysis is excellent. You have chosen highly relevant competitor products, analysed them in detail (using appropriate methods, such as a SWOT analysis) and, most importantly, indicated how this research has informed the design of your own project.

Weaknesses 

• The logo design featured on the cover page needs to be further developed. The font choice is completely sensible and the formatting is good but if you’re going to create a typographic logo, the text needs to be embellished in some way.

• The key selling points (page 7) are rather functional and pedestrian. This appears to be a completely sensible, well-researched and noble project but those KSPs are unlikely to generate excitement amongst potential clients/funders. It would be a good idea to revisit these and try to think of some features that are a little more original and compelling.

• The risks on pages 23-24 are a little generic. What other risks are associated with this specific project?  

The pitch document feedback was very helpful in highlighting what I need to work on going forward with the project. The three main weaknesses will be addressed and revisited to ensure the product is to the best of its ability. 

Logo

The logo has been revisited exploring new designs, I revisited the concepts from Design for Digital Media to make sure I had all the principles of logo design: it should be scalable, it should work as a silhouette and it should be simple. I found some of these logos did not meet the rules. 

I then narrowed my logo design down to conduct some A/B testing on Codability social media to see what potential users and followers think through a poll.

The A/B testing results show that users prefer option A, with a total of 78% compared to B which had 22% this shows that design A was more effective and popular with users. Therefore I decided I would progress forward with this new logo as it used sharp edges to fit the current branding and using the triangle theme which is a key concept in the branding. 

Key Selling Points

I have revisited the Key Selling Points of Codability, the new KSP are as follows: 

1. Codability is personalised and tailored to your experience, we value you as a user!

2. Be a part of a community of women coders and build your connections in the industry

3. We recommend you use our app on breaks, community or whenever you have a free 5 minutes, code little and often

4. Unlock challenges and earn rewards

5. Develop your understanding through our online tips and articles 

Risk Assessment

Risk: Lack of uptake for the Codability application 

Impact: HIGH

Problem: Users will not take to the app or want to use it 

Solution: Work on the marketing of the application before it is launched as this will increase the awareness of the application and notify people about the application.

Risk: Coding challenge will not be engaging 

Impact: HIGH

Problem: Users may find the coding challenge not to be engaging

Solution: Make sure there is an incentive and the design of the application is engaging for users. 

Risk: The complexity of the Codability application

Impact: MEDIUM

Problem: The application is complex with many features wanting to be incorporated 

Solution: Make a star next to the key elements and make sure they are completed first extra features and advanced can be made once the key features are working. 

Risk: Validation 

Impact: HIGH

Problem: Validation needs to be strong to check the accuracy of the form’s users enter 

Solution: Make sure validations error are in place in the code and displayed back to the users 

Risk: Codability design interface

Impact: MEDIUM

Problem: If the design interface is complex users will not be able to follow and navigation the application easily 

Solution: Make sure the design in clear and simple and seek feedback from designers to help improve the design later in the project. 

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