Additional Product Discovery

After the initial discovery call, I did some market research and created a basic product matrix. There are a few products on the market already, although there is definitely still space in the market for new competition. Due to the fact that are free card generators out there, including a github repository, building a card generator only did not seem like a good idea. Since she was mainly interested in setting up the full game service, this is not a problem; it simply clarifies what exists for this portion of the service.

Because my customer has direct access to her customer base through her social media, I created a couple of surveys for her review and edit. One survey is for the venues who would buy the product (we'll call them the venues), while the second survey is for their clients, who would play the games (we'll call them the end users). These surveys will give us a better idea about which features to include in the product, and help my customer set her price point for sales. I have also recommended that she visit the similar product sites and make notes about what she likes or doesn't like about each product.

Below this text is a sample of the recommended survey questions. Next week I'll post the full results of the surveys and go over them with my customer so we can choose the right model going forward. These are the options I will offer:

1. Build a full web application that runs the bingo game, similar to HitMix Bingo

2. Build an Android/iOS application that runs on a phone or tablet for the host; similar to Singo

3. Use existing applications such as Spotify and sell playlist access and either online or downloadable cards.

Options 1 &2 will have similar costs for development, while option 3 will be significantly cheaper as the main costs will be building and supporting a web store.

With each option, there are still various levels of features which can be added:

• Do you want the end users to have an app that loads the bingo cards, or do you want physical paper cards?

• Do you want to provide hosts, have the venue provide hosts, or have hosting fully automated into the product?

• Do you want win verification codes to be available on the cards to make processing faster?

• Do you want to play with set rules for number of wins per round, pattern required to win, and size of gameboard, or should these items (and others) be customizable?

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Most questions will be multiple choice, with some ability to add text when the response is "Other." This will help to keep the results consistent.

Venue Sample Questions

• Do you currently have any regularly scheduled games/events?

• Which types of events do you currently have?

• Do you prefer to hire hosts, or to have your own staff host the events?

• What equipment do you own at the venue that could be used for an event?

• What is the average cost per event if you purchase a package?

End User Sample Questions

• Do you regularly go to bars or restaurants because they advertised a game night (e.g., trivia, bingo, etc)?

• Are you more likely to try a venue if it has an event like these?

• What types of events interest you?

• Are you interested in playing Music Bingo?

• What themes, decades or genres interest you?

My client has a lot to think about once these survey results come in, but knowing her audience's preferences will help a lot to make a game that will sell in this marketplace. \She may also choose to do one-on-one interviews with some of her audience to get more in-depth knowledge of their methods and to explore additional avenues.

I can't wait until we make some more decisions and I can start writing the user stories and building some wireframes!