This week, Ronan Morris from Octopied is in the hot seat to let us know how things have been going post iQ Prize.
iQ: So what have you been up to since the iQ Prize?
RM: The product has advanced through several design iterations and we have taken further feedback from freelancers who are our key target market. We have also conducted some initial user testing based on outline screen builds.
iQ: How did the iQ Prize help?
RM: The most obvious benefit was that the IQ Prize motivated us to draw up a definite plan for the launch of the product. It also helped us pull our individual visions for the product into a single vision that we are now driving forward. We also got accepted onto to the Create Ireland program as a direct result of us being shortlisted for the prize.
iQ: What’s on the horizon?
RM: We will shortly finalise the screen designs and will also finish the back end design process, and then begin coding that.
iQ: What would you recommend to people looking to enter the iQ Prize next year?
RM: The best decision we made was to set up a practice run using a ‘Dragon’s Den’ type format. This prepared us well for the presentation stage and also helped us better understand the key selling points of our product. The presentation stage of the process is where it all happens and you really need to be word perfect. Also, you need to be further along the path than just having an idea and a plan – entrants that had a demo product were at a distinct advantage.
Follow Octopied via @webtogetherie, @octopied, Facebook, or pop into Harry Byrnes in Clontarf.
