1. Introduction
Pen & Playlists is a media company that deals in high-quality products that elevates the Afrobeats experience. From creating comics about the back stories that shaped the ambassadors of the genre, crafting premium EPKs for rising stars, to serving investors with insider insights and industry intel, Pen &Playlists serves as a cultural compass to a range of consumers that are growing a sophisticated taste for Afrobeats.
The company commissioned a project led by me (Oluwatobi Ibironke). The project involves the development of an online platform for Pen & Playlists to directly provide value to its esteemed audience, through book releases, news stories and event bookings. This development exercise requires the gathering and prioritization of the requirements, mapping the navigation process for users and coding up the website. All of this is to be achieved on a modest budget of £550.
2. GAP Analysis
A GAP analysis was conducted to understand the current state, the desired state, and the bridge between these states of the solution. The detail of the GAP analysis is illustrated below.
3. Project Initiation
4. Hiring & Negotiation
Early in the project, there was a need to hire the technical staff, essentially the software developer. There were three options to be considered. The consideration factors include price, skillset, and time. The cost consideration explored the options of £1000 and two options of £550.
The portfolios of the prospects were vetted, and a conclusion was reached that the developers are not too far apart in terms of quality. This information helped to narrow down the options to the two developers offering their services at the cost of £550. This decision was made purely based on affordability.
One of the developers possesses additional design skill required to complete the project, while the other developer required the support of a designer to support the development task. The former also proved to be able to complete the project 3weeks earlier than the latter. The decision to hire the former was reached based on the cost of staffing and speed.
5. Investigation
An investigation was carried out to understand the required features and functions of the ideal website for Pen & Playlists. The investigation technique adopted is the workshop technique. This technique was adopted to facilitate collaboration between the stakeholders and gain a consensus view of the ideal website. The workshop session was virtually conducted on 31 December 2023.
This was followed by 3 stand-up meetings on 6 January 2024, 13 January 2024 and 31 January 2024. All the meetings were held virtually. The sessions, led by me (Oluwatobi Ibironke), were attended by the project sponsor, the lead designer, the business analyst, and the developer.
6. Requirements Gathering
The requirements for the website were gathered in workshop sessions as stated in the section above. These requirements were classified into functional and non-functional categories; and documented in the BRD. The classification of the requirements is presented below:
Functional Requirement
· User Interface:
- Intuitive and engaging design with interactive elements.
- Clear navigation and user-friendly layout.
· Content Management:
- Creation and publishing of diverse content types (text, images, videos)
· Community Engagement:
- User registration, profiles, forums for discussion
- Social sharing features and user generated content capabilities.
· E-commerce Functionality:
- Product catalogue showcasing comics, news, merchandises.
Non-functional Requirement
· Performance:
- Fast loading time and responsiveness across pages and devices.
· Scalability:
- Ability to handle increased traffic and future expansion.
· Security:
- Secure payment processing and data encryption.
7. Process Mapping
The cross-functional diagram/swim lane diagram below is used to illustrate the main path for visitors of the website.
8. Prioritization
The iterative technique was adopted for this project for the purpose of flexibility and innovation. This decision was made on the basis that the website would undergo short and long-term modifications; an approach that allows modifications is therefore required.
The prioritization technique adopted for this project is MOSCOW. The Must Haves form the minimum useable subset of requirements. The Should Haves are implemented as manual 'workarounds’ in the short term, while Could Haves are simple, inexpensive features that elevates the user experience. The Wants are the least on the order of priority. These requirements are meant for the later phase of the solution.
The Pen &Playlists team communicated their preference for user experience. Thus, the prioritization of requirements for this project is detailed below:
· Must Haves
o Users MUST be able to navigate the website.
o Users MUST be able to experience seamless device adaptability.
o Users MUST be able to subscribe to Afrobeats Insider.
o Users MUST be able to be redirected to the social media platforms.
· Should Haves
o Users SHOULD be able to register.
o Users SHOULD be able to log in.
o Users SHOULD be able to view catalogue.
o Users SHOULD be able to add product to cart.
o Users SHOULD be able to view cart.
o Users SHOULD be able to make payment.
· Could Haves
o Users COULD be able to experience the glitch effect.
· Wants
o NIL
9. Result: www.penplaylists.com