SUMMARY
Current Connect is a digital collaboration hub designed to address the lack of community among the coalition members of 1000OS. When we first dove into the creative brief, we realized a major opportunity to enhance the value proposition of 1000OS: uniting members and investors in the ocean innovation space. Our goal was to address members’ desire for a stronger sense of community through developing a collaboration hub. Through introducing powerful networking capabilities, new funding opportunities, we’ve presented 1000OS with tangible solutions crucial for sustainable growth. These enhancements directly support the ultimate purpose of 1000 Ocean Startups, strengthening the ecosystem and its impact in ocean innovation.
challenge
In exploring the 1000OS ecosystem, we identified critical gaps: a lack of engagement and inadequate communication among members. Despite 1000OS’ mission to unite stakeholders, interviews with current members revealed minimal member interaction, primarily confined to a WhatsApp group chat, where few actively participate and significant meetings are scarce. This disconnection undermines community building and collaboration, highlighting a need for a more effective communication platform to strengthen ties and support 1000OS’ growth through enhanced member interaction and potential funding avenues.
Outcome
By integrating features like forums, messengers, and shared resources, current connect directly addresses critical communication gaps within the 1000OS community. This platform boosts the value proposition of 1000OS, supporting diverse membership fees such as a flat fee for simplicity or a sliding scale based on revenue. Through research we found undeniable benefits including increased engagement and potential ad revenue. Additionally, organizations can gain visibility and self-promote organically through the networking capabilities of our platform as opposed to paying for a traditional PR firm. 1000OS would need to consider a head of community, technical supporter, a payment processor, and legal requirements to launch the platform.
MEET THE Designers:
Gillian Schuh
Nkoli Okoye
Ike Li