Week 15

Dead Inside

This week has been rough. Classes have officially 'picked up' and I am finding myself sandwiched between work, school, and this capstone project. I am trying to complete everything as quickly as possible, at the expense of my sleep and sanity... Heh! Everything is fine.

This week in Public Health 445: Capstone Prep, I made the most detailed Gantt chart ever, on Excel- and hated every second. I dislike the way it looks, and argue that it isn't actually a Gantt chart in appearance, despite what Chris Croft says.

This week I met with Professor Larry Paolicelli, an Industrial Designer and Professor of Videogame/Graphic Design and Interactive Media. We discussed marketing options and strategy for such a niche game and target population that I have chosen. Being completely unfamiliar with all things healthcare and Dementia, there were many parallels drawn and abstract connections made. He is a fun individual, and was very generous with the time, energy, thought, and insight that he provided! His advice was to reach out to the organization/field of study I am considering, and to do some serious marketing digging (finding the markets, communities, and their methods of communication). Larry advised that it is important to reach out to orgs and individuals as soon as possible, even before the concept is actualized. He said that the most important aspect of marketing is just to get the community engaged and talking (about the thing). With this advice, I plan to reach out as soon as I can collect my thoughts into a coherent email- which might take some time. While I am an excellent written communicator, my language ability is also all-or-nothing; very on-brand for ADHD/ASD.

I asked Larry about the pull to physical vs digital games, why the general public might prefer one over the other. Larry said that graphic games are first trialed in physical form, so I am doing exactly what is typically done, since my goal was to create an app with gamification for this subject matter.

Larry said that Play Testing is crucial, to which I assured him that I have focus groups ready to test out the game. Necessary feedback is: is it fun? does it stick? is there game progression? (do they want more?). For marketing purposes, ask them where they might encounter a game ad for this, and feel a pull to open it. He advised that oftentimes in game or media design and advertizing, it is most useful to find a population you want from an adjacent topic, and reel them in, tying every possible link to their interests in the original content. This creates a sub-community of like-minded folx. If possible, it is best to obtain 'approval' or 'endorsement' by 'big names' in the industry, so that the community knows you're 'legit'.

Larry advised the Kick$tarter method: "Don't convince them to buy anything. Get them engaged and make them feel personally involved." He advised to get people to talk about it, spread it on social media (aim for 'going viral', but don't sweat it).

Larry suggested to find the sources of 'new techniques/information/CEUs' of my population (Healthcare workers/students and family members adjacent to Memory Care), and seek their attention. Keep in mind: people may not buy-in for years, but they will eventually engage when your product repeats in their subconscious, then you put your service on sale!

Larry offered that in my process of reaching-out to these orgs, I should use language like: "I am almost done with this project, but I would love your feedback. I have future plans (versions/expansions) for it. I would like to chat with you, to see if I am barking up the right tree."

Larry ended our call saying, "Reach out any time. You don't have to pay me." What a radical dude!