Big Year Birding Mobile Application - Concept Work
Involvement includes:
Ideation and concept, sketches, sitemaps, wireframes, prototyping, user testing, usability testing.

Users: 
Based on research, there are two typical kinds of birders. Those that watch and record birds from their backyard or local surroundings, and those wanting to travel to see birds in hopes to expand their sightings list. Data shows that the majority of users are “Around-the-home” birders. The data also shows that birders are 55 plus in age, white Americans that are 56% female and 44% male and willing to spend money on equipment and travel.

Need: 
There is not a superior app on the market that cumulates the things that birders like to do most. Most birding apps are good for one specific task such as journaling, seeing bird sightings or acting as an electronic field guide. Birders should have one electronic tool that meets the needs of multiple birder types, but at the same time caters to what they individually prefer.

Technical Details: 
The product will be a native app built for Android and iOS devices.

iOS will include a version for:

• Apple Watch • iPhone
• iPad

Android will include:

• Android “Wear” watches • Android phones
• Android tablets


The app will need to feed in data from:
The eBird online database
Online retailers that sell birding products and supplies
Online travel destinations
Online birding tips on how to be a better birder. Can also consider
creating a custom database for these item

Features:
See typical birds around you based on your GPS location and time of year.

See bird sightings in your area that are generated through other birders via the eBird online database.


Add birds to your own personal journal then share them with friends or the eBird community.


Add notes into your journal such as name, date, time, weather, location, etc. with a single click.


Use your phone to take photos of birds to share or add to your journal.


Access an in-depth North America field guide loaded with information and photos about specific birds.


Granularly search through the field guide to find specific attributes of a bird.


Find and purchase quality birding supplies for the field or backyard.


Find travel locations that are hot spots for birding, along with learning tips to make you a better birder.


Customize content displayed on the home page based on birding preferences.

Monetary Opportunity: 
Charging a fixed one-time cost for the app or providing it for free with in- app purchases such as add on features. Additional user testing should be performed to find the right pricing structure and setup.


Partnering with retailers that offer travel destinations. Birders wanting to travel will have access to the latest hot spot destinations with reviews, comments and details about the location. Money can be made through referral fees when finding your desired location in the app and clicking through to book lodging, birding guides, etc,.


Partnering with retailers that offer birding products for the back yard or field. The retailers will be able to display products from their online stores within the app. Money can be made with click throughs to purchase items from the retailer’s store. Or, by paid-per-click promotions.
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