Your grade for this assignment will be determined based on a video, a poster, and a final PDF of all your team materials, and adjustments based on peer evaluation.

• A5 overview slides. A PDF of the A5 slide deck should be posted to Canvas by only the team leader by 11:59pm on Mar 20. 

  • • Update your previous slide deck with all the new materials

    • Include URLs to your final poster, pitch video, crowdfunding campaign, and budget

• A5 video and poster for final showcase.  Teams will premier their videos and present posters during the showcase on Mar 20 (11:30am-2:30pm). Post video by midnight on Mar 19 so we can queue them on one computer.

• The team's A5 Google folder should be updated to include all your interim process work. Please make sure the folder is updated by the end day on Mar 20.

• Fill out the team peer evaluation.  Everyone fill out the A5 team peer evaluation by end of day on Mar 20. 

• Fill out SETs.  Please fill out the course evaluations (by 8:00AM on Mar 15)

This assignment starts in Week 8 and finishes in finals week. The final graded deliverable is the PDF of your slide deck posted to Canvas (by only one team member) by 11:59pm on Mar 20 which will include links to your team's final poster, pitch video, crowdfunding campaign, and budget. Teams will also show off their video and poster during the final showcase on Mar 20 (11:30am-2:30pm). 

All other dates below are interim deadlines to share work-in-progress drafts. Please share drafts as links in the Course Dashboard before class on the days we are scheduled to share and critique (drafts are not graded).  In brackets, we include interim deadlines and guidelines on the # of homework hours and teammates to allocate to each step. This assignment adds up to ~5 hours of work per teammate outside of lecture.

1. Craft a video pitch. Before the team shoots any video, write a script and produce a rough storyboard for the video. The video should describe the problem and proposed solution, and include a short user scenario that shows how the service will be used. Include screenshots of your final prototype to help demonstrate the scenario.  The video should also introduce your team and say how the money will be spent. The storyboard for the video should illustrate the action, dialogue, and narration that will occur throughout the video. [share draft of video script in class on Mar 4; ~1 hour for 2-3 team members]

After getting feedback on the script, produce a video no longer than 2 minutes. This video can use live action video or the "video-sketch technique" of narrating over still photos (i.e., the Ken Burn's effect). You can also use stock photos/videos, as long as you have the proper permission to use them for creative projects (e.g., Google advanced search helps you find photos with Creative Common licenses).  Teams can use any video editing software. Microsoft Movie Maker is available for free on Windows machines and iMovie comes installed on Mac OS. Pay great attention to how you record the audio for your video. Poor audio quality is the biggest weakness of past videos. Make sure to use a good microphone and record the audio in a noise-free environment. Mix in a sound track to help give your video a professional feel.  Make the final video has been compressed to a reasonable data size (no larger than 100MB).  [final video link should be posted to the Course Dashboard on *Mar 19* the night before the final showcase; ~3 hours for 2-3 team members]

1. • Good example video pitches: Brandpackers; Bijoux; OOWLS; Plauto; SkillsNest; Hobbee

2. Refine your final branding guidelines and create a hi-fi prototype. Based on feedback your team received in A4, finalize your brand identity and design language (colors, fonts, and other elements). Use this design language to create hi-fi mockups of your prototype. If your solution is digital (e.g., a web service or mobile app), make sure to create hi-fi screens that demonstrate the core activity.  At a minimum, mock up the home page and additional screens to demonstrate the key functions (3-4 screens should be sufficient; don't worry about creating all screens necessary for a complete experience). The prototype need not include every single function or use case. Include your final branding guidelines in the final slide deck and poster. Include screenshots of your final prototype in your slide deck, poster, video, and crowdfunding campaign. [share draft of hi-fi prototype in class on Mar 11; ~2 hours for 2-3 team members]

   • Team Volo:  Final Prototype for Travelers, Final Prototype for Hosts

   • Team Brandpackers: Final Branding, Final Prototype 

   • Team Hobbee: Final Branding; Final Prototype

3. Create a Crowdfunding campaign. Teams will construct a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter.com or any other crowdfunding site. This should include a project description, a team profile, project goals, a funding goal, and rewards for funders. Create a title, short description, and thumbnail image for the campaign. Eventually upload your final video pitch to the campaign page.  Create a set of appropriate and creative rewards/perks and use your team's branding wherever possible.  [share draft of crowdfunding campaign in class on Mar 11; ~2 hours for 2-3 team members]

   • Good example crowdfunding campaigns (all with good videos too): Brandpackers; Volo; Violet; Spotter; Oaidis; OilGo; ActiviBand; OOWLS;  

4. Create a 6-month budget / growth model. Refine your team's value proposition and value-flow diagram to clearly illustrate the envisioned business model. To create a 6-month budget, begin by estimating start-up costs and projected income for the next 6-to-12 months. Assuming your team is about to start the business, decide how much you need to be paid. Add expenses like computing infrastructure, domain names, advertising, etc. to arrive at how much money you need to get started.  Then estimate potential revenues for each day/month; this would increment over time as you advertise or as people advocate for your business.  Make an effort to choose plausible numbers. Create a visual (e.g. a bar graph) based on your estimated numbers in a spreadsheet. Include your value flow diagram and the visual representation of your budget in your final poster. [share draft of budgets in class on Mar 11; ~2 hours for 2 team members]

• Brandpackers: Final Value Flow Diagram,  6-month estimate budget 

• Hobbee:  Value Flow Diagram; 12-month budget

• Example budget models

5. Create promo materials. Please post a thumbnail of your team's logo (~200 pixels max width) and a one-sentence description of your team's concept on the Course Dashboard. Prof. Dow will iterate on this with your team and then send an email to invite the local UCSD community to the final showcase. [share draft of thumbnail and one sentence pitch in class on Mar 13; ~1 hours for 2-3 team members]

6. Create a final poster for the final showcase. Create a polished poster with key materials produced throughout the semester.  This should include your final brand and style guide, screenshots from your final prototype, the value flow model, the estimated budget with visuals, and a visual version of your competitive analysis. Also, select a few data insights from your early research and A4 testing (survey results, interview quotes, enactment details, ad campaign results, etc.) that support your pitch.  Your poster should be designed to follow your team's style guide, have a vertical layout, and make it at least 24x36 inches (but it can be bigger if you want). Teams can use any print shop. Triton Print and Digital Media (858-534-3020) can print your team's poster for a fee (~$40 for a 24x36" full color print). During the poster session, the team should have a digital device available to show your prototype and video. Put the PDF of your poster and all other poster materials into your team's Google folder. [final poster should be ready to show on Mar 20 at 11:30am; ~2 hours for 1-2 team members]

   • NOTE: Design a custom poster for the final showcase is preferred because it will look more professional. If teams cannot afford to print a poster, they will be permitted to print out key visual materials on 11x8.5" paper—essentially your final pitch deck—to hang on the walls.  

   • Examples: Brandpackers final poster; PlanetPal final poster; 

7. Update the overview deck. Your final master slide deck is a pitch deck for your concept. The overview deck should adopt the updated style guide and reflect updated thinking since A4.  [final slides are due Mar 20;  ~1 hour for 2-3 team members]

   • Content:

     • Topic/problem introduction and motivation (use stats, quotes, anecdotes, or SET analysis to introduce your topic/problem)

     • Brief description of team's concept / mission 

     • Embed or link to the final video pitch

     • Final competitive analysis (with key differentiating arguments)

     • Screenshots and URL to final hi-fi prototype

     • Screenshots and URL to the crowdfunding campaign

     • Charts for 6-month budget and growth model

     • Revised value flow diagram (with before/after arguments)

     • Link to the final poster

     • (optional) Add videos/quotes from your A4 Concierge MVP to help motivate/justify the solution.  

     • (optional) Add data from your A4 web probe to help show potential

     • Extra slides can serve as an Appendix of process documentation (i.e., add as many slides as you need to capture branding guidelines, drafts of prototypes, probes and key data insights throughout the quarter, etc.) 

   • Examples:  PlanetPal; Hobbee; SkillsNest; Jimoto; 

8.  Fill out the team peer evaluation.  Everyone is required to fill out the A5 team peer evaluation. [Due Mar 20 by 11:59pm.] 

• • Required reading: Heath, 2007, "Made to Stick" (James Le's summary)

  • Required reading: Berry, 2020, "Estimating Realistic Startup Costs"

  • Optional readings:

    • • Fast Company: Nail your next pitch

      • Art Boni: Pitching to Investors or Partners

• • • Liz Gerber: Does Crowdfunding Fail Some of the Most Promising Entrepreneurs?

    • Top 10 Crowdfunding Sites For Fundraising 

• Prototyping: teams can use any tools for your hi-fi prototyping, but here is a selection to consider:  Flinto, Figma, Sketch

• Printing posters: Teams can use any print shop (e.g., Kinkos or Fedex). Triton Print and Digital Media (858-534-3020) can print your team's poster for a fee (~$40 for a 24x36" full color print). Try to submit your print jobs 2-3 days in advance in case there's a big queue at the end of quarter.

• Video:  Your team can use whatever recording devices you want, including your own mobile phones. You may also use stock footage, as long as you have the appropriate permissions.  Take advantage of the following resources for software, equipment, and digital media:

• • • • The Digital Media Lab at Geisel Library: Should have all the software you might need including Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.); video editing (Adobe Premiere); sound editing (e.g., Audacity); and 3D modelling (Blender, Maya, Inventor, Solidworks, Sketchup).

      • Media Teaching Lab: You can check out media equipment (cameras, audio recorders, microphones, tripods) for use. You need to first register and wait 24 hours for processing in order to checkout equipment via appointment and curbside pickup. 

      • YouTube Audio Library: Convenient source of free stock music

      • Pexels and ShutterStock (30-day trial) offer free stock photos

Students will be graded as a team for A5. This includes materials in the team folder, as well as the master slide deck PDF submitted as a URL to Canvas. In addition, teams will be subject to the Late Assignments policy, as specified on the Logistics page.  All students must fill out a team peer evaluation at the end of this assignment (will be sent out later), which can effect the grades of individual students.  Here are the main considerations:

• Final branding and hi-fi prototype (20%)

  • • Does the team produce a hi-fidelity prototype that allows potential users to perform simple tasks?

    • Does the team iterate on their prototype based on feedback from A4?  

    • Is the team's brand identity professional and distinct?

    • Does the hi-fi prototype adopt the branding elements, colors and font from the branding guideline? 

• Final video pitch (25%)

  • • Does the video pitch make a convincing case for a new service? Does it work as part of the crowdfunding campaign?

    • Does the video pitch concisely and visually illustrate the problem and proposed solution through a user scenario?

    • Does the team render a high-quality video with no technical problems or sound issues?  Is the video ~2 minutes or less?

    • Is the video get people excited about your concept?

• Final crowdfunding campaign (15%)

  • • Is the crowdfunding page clear, thorough, and convincing?

    • Are the crowdfunding project goals clear?  Does the team state how they will spend the funding? 

    • Does the team include a set of creative and appropriate rewards/perks? 

• Final value flow diagram and 6-month budget (15%)

  • • Does the team's final value flow diagram tell a clear story about how the new service supports value exchange and financial exchange among key stakeholders?

    • Is the team's six-month budget comprehensive and realistic?

    • Does the team attempt to create a quantified model of growth over time?  

    • Does the team create effective visuals to illustrate the budget and/or the growth model? 

• Final poster (15%)

  • Does the team produce a polished poster that is thorough, concise, and clear? 

  • Is the poster large enough to read from 6 feet away and aesthetically pleasing?

  • Does the poster include only the most convincing aspects of their pitch materials?

• Master slide deck (10%)

  • • Does the team produce a master slide deck with key materials listed above?

    • Is the final deck visually polished, free of grammar and spelling errors, and concise?  Could it be presented to potential donors?

    • Does the master deck follow the same design style guidelines as the prototype, video, and crowdfunding campaign?