Jada O Goodwin

As the semester has progressed, I’ve found the hardest task to tackle is quantifying the finances behind our applications. I came across this article while exploring financing options and found it to be very interesting. The article gives excellent and more importantly practical examples of where to find funding for start-up mobile applications. Examples range from entering contests to requesting small business loans dependent on at what stage your business plan is at. The best point that the article presents is the misunderstanding many people have about finding funding. Essentially, the article states that raising funds is not hard & can be easily done but too many focus in on this aspect instead of focusing on their execution plan.  Great ideas are everywhere and there are always people willing to invest in them but by waiting to seek out investors until the execution phase may greatly increase your chances of attaining funding. The article states, that a common mistake made is believing investors are interesting in contributing at the idea phase and regardless of how great your idea is, it means nothing without being validated by customer orders or downloads. A quote by Steve Jobs greatly captures this ideology as well.

 “Thinking that a really great idea is 90 percent of the work. The problem with that is that there is a tremendous amount of craftsmanship in between a great idea and a great product and as you evolve the great idea, it changes and grows.”

Looking at the current state of your project, do you feel you have proved that your implementation & execution plans for your application will be successful enough to gain investors? If so, what makes them qualified? If not, what aspects do you think are critical to focus on?
Article

Jargon began as shorthand for special words or expressions used in business that usually were hard for anyone outside of it to understand. Today, Jargon has grown into a widely overused way of capturing […]

This article titled “The Real Reason So Many of Us Crave the Apple Watch” caught my eye primarily because I am an avid Android user and I thought this would be a hard look at Apple’s appeal. I was wrong, but the article offered me something much more valuable – a look at customer cravings and the ideology behind them. The author of this article is a consumer psychologist and breaks down consumer cravings (using the Apple Watch as the example) into three main elements: The Slow Striptease, The Fetishization of Technology, and the Desirability of Luxury.
The Slow Striptease – exactly how is sounds. This is the slow release of information, maybe a few pilot users, etc. The giving of just enough information to make you interested and wanting more.
The Fetishization of Technology – technology has surpassed utility & instills a sense of desire in us. AS consumers we get pleasure from new technologies and products are marketed to capitalize on the emotional connection
The Desirability of Luxury – everyone desires the best. Using catch phrases such as custom, elegant, limited quantities, etc. consumers become attracted to the product and disregard the validity of these claims.
Each phase builds upon and supports the other to a point where the consumer cannot help but “crave” the product in question. Apple has mastered this structured and never fails to capture a large segment of their target audience. With heavy discussion around disruptive technologies & innovation – do you see this model of attraction changing in the future? Will consumers always forego critical thought and purchase on emotional basis? Do you think the author got it all wrong and consumers really are attracted to functionality?

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