FansHerd started as an idea that was an audio app designed for people to communicate during sporting events through IoT devices. Using a mobile phone or TV, the user would connect the application to speakers via Bluetooth. While I decided to not pursue this idea, I took a number of steps based on data that I gathered as to why this idea was not worth pursuing.
Evolution:
This idea began because of a sports tech podcast that I was listening to in 2020. I heard about a company who was creating an IoT device for fan engagement while fans were at home during quarantine. I thought it was an amazing idea because the IoT industry is rapidly growing, and this may be a great way to enter into the sports technology field. Between the boom of IoT devices and the exponential grow of audio apps such as Clubhouse, I began to brainstorm what I wanted to create.
First, I decided to do some research on IoT devices and the audio industry. How many people have IoT devices such as wearables? What use cases are available for IoT devices? Do you use them for audio in any capacity? These were the answers that I began to seek. After conducting research, I discovered statistics that showed Apple has a 45% market share of smart watches, and most smart watches contain sensors that are a huge part of the functionality of these watches. This may be a way to take advantage and create an edge if I were to create an app.
Next, I conducted research to determine which revenue stream would be best (video ads, the freemium model, etc.), the personas of the users, and the competition. After performing this research, I felt that the idea was in a good place because upon my initial research, majority of fans have never been to a game in their favorite team's arena/stadium! I thought that this would be a great opportunity to serve as a bridge within that gap.
To validate my research, I created an online survey to gauge the public's interest for this idea. What better way to receive feedback than to speak the source? After weeks of conducting surveys, I learned two major things:
1) Despite what my online research stated, over 75% of the participants have watched their favorite teams play at the team's home location.
2) Over 60% of the participants desired to have a stadium-like experience within their homes, yet 40% weren't sure if they were willing to pay for this kind of service.
After much thought on how to execute the idea, I decided that it was best to terminate the idea based on lack of resource.
Product: (IoT application) FansHerd was an audio app designed for people to communicate during games through IoT devices. This application would serve as a replacement to hearing announcers that majority of people don’t always want to hear from. In addition, the app could be used to converse with others through either the phone or TV.
Metrics:
50% of surveyed were willing to pay for such service
Over 50% we’re willing to try the product
40% were not sure
40% preferred to watch games at home vs the stadium
