PITCH HATCH
If you’ve ever thought “someone should do that thing”
or “I wonder who tells that story…”
We’re your home.
UF’s curious home for “impossible” ideas.
The somewhere of “someone should do that cool thing.”
The there of “that’d be nifty to make.”
Join our information session, 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 31 in Weimer 2050
The Process
Checkpoints:
Identify Opportunity & Establish Desirability – Feb. 9
Prototype A Concept – Feb. 16
Consider Feasibility – March 2
Prototype Your Idea – March 16
Research & Feedback – March 23
Repeat To MVP – April 6
Examine Viability – April 20
Pitch Day – April 25
Establish Desirability
As media practitioners, the work we do is rarely just for ourselves – it’s for others. You should think about the audience you’re trying to serve when starting a new project.
To help you consider them, answer the following questions in regard to your innovation:
- What problem are you trying to solve?
- What’s the two line story for your solution?
- Who is your product/story/idea designed for? Identify specific audiences.
- How do you know the want or need your innovation? (Research).
Prototype A Concept
Build a rough test concept for your idea. Focus more on the content rather than the execution. This first round could be something as simple as sketches on paper for a product or an outline for a story. The purpose of this first prototype is to turn your idea into something concrete.
Consider Feasibility
Once you’ve established your innovation is desirable and have a sense for what you want it to look like, start thinking about what you’ll need to make it happen.
Answer the following questions:
- What do you need (resources) to expand your innovation? Does it involve skills you don’t have (e.g. development, videography, etc.)? Consider collaborating with others who share your vision and do have those skills.
- What does your first round of success look like, and how will you measure it? If you choose to gauge success by reaching more eyeballs, you could decide success is 100 views. If you want your audience to adopt your product, 10 active daily users could be your marker.
Prototype Your Idea
With a rough direction and the resources to get started, create your first product/story/idea prototype. Keep in mind both who your audience is and what success looks like. Stay lean. Don’t overextend yourself. A prototype isn’t everything you hope to accomplish, it’s proof you can get there eventually.
Research & Feedback
Show your idea to others. What worked? What didn’t? Ideally, show it to members of your target audience. Remember, they’re the ones who you hope will use/consume it. Recast your prototype taking into account feedback. Use the feedback you get to tweak your designs. Part of staying lean means easily cutting off things that don’t work.
Repeat To MVP
Repeat this prototype → research → prototype cycle. Continue iterating through new versions of your innovation until you’ve achieved something you think could stand up to your test of success. This is your minimum viable product (or MVP).
Examine Viability
Reflect on the past and think about the future. To grow, what resources are needed (time, money, human capital)? Did you reach success in your first round? Why or why not? How will you take what you learned to improve this innovation or your future endeavors?