ProducAfrica
ProducAfrica, a dedicated e-commerce platform, connects diaspora individuals with suppliers in their home countries, emphasizing popular categories like food and fashion. With a wide product variety, reliable suppliers, and competitive pricing, it bridges the gap, fostering a profound connection to cultural heritage for individuals in the diaspora.
Product Experience
Problem Space
Problem Statement
Africans in the Canadian diaspora face challenges accessing products from their home countries, creating a gap in meeting their unique needs. Bridging this divide is crucial for a solution that enables efficient access, enhancing their connection to cultural roots and addressing unmet demands in this market segment.
Problem Background
Africans in the diaspora, particularly those residing in Canada, encounter significant challenges when attempting to access products and services from their home countries. The existing gap in facilitating the procurement and delivery of these items poses a substantial hurdle to meeting the unique needs and preferences of this demographic. As a result, there is a critical need for a solution that can bridge this divide enabling Africans in the diaspora to access products and services from their home countries more easily and efficiently, thus enhancing their connection to their roots and addressing unmet demands in this market segment.
Research Insights
User Pain Points
After conducting our user research it was identified when understanding the challenges faced by people in the diaspora the most significant challenges faced by the diaspora involve high shipping or delivery costs, a lack of reliable suppliers, and limited availability or variety of products in current country.
Supporting Data
77% of people that completed the survey and 100% of people we spoke to indicated that they encountered issues with the quality or authenticity of products or services gotten from their home country.
91% of survey respondents and 100% of people I spoke to indicated that high shipping costs was a challenge faced when purchasing items from their home country.
100% of respondents indicated interest in a dedicated platform or service to facilitate accessing products and services from their home country.
Feedback
Based on a preliminary user research I was able to identify that African’s in the diaspora occasionally purchased specific goods from their home country, with the top categories of these goods being Food and fashion. The top challenges encountered, in order of severity, include high shipping or delivery costs, a lack of reliable suppliers, and limited availability or variety of products.
Africans in the diaspora discovered products and services they wanted to buy main through two things social media and word of mouth. Cultural connection and nostalgia came up as the leading reasons for why they wanted to purchase these products and services from their home country, underlining the importance of preserving cultural identity. "Waiting for friends and family to visit" and "local ethnic stores or markets in the current country" were the primary sources for products and services from the home country, with "sending requests to friends and family back home" as a close second.
Future Steps
Exploring the future trajectory of the project entails addressing various potential challenges, with a primary focus on fortifying the collaboration between Africa and Canada. Further avenues must be explored to augment, strengthen partnerships among, and to simplify access to products between African countries and Canada.
In the context of ProducAfrica, a strategic initiative involves refining our platform to adapt to the evolving needs of customers. This encompasses enhancing inventory management, implementing a robust ratings and review system, and incorporating additional communication features between buyers and sellers, among other considerations.
Future Steps
Exploring the future trajectory of the project entails addressing various potential challenges, with a primary focus on fortifying the collaboration between Africa and Canada. Further avenues must be explored to augment, strengthen partnerships among, and to simplify access to products between African countries and Canada.
In the context of ProducAfrica, a strategic initiative involves refining our platform to adapt to the evolving needs of customers. This encompasses enhancing inventory management, implementing a robust ratings and review system, and incorporating additional communication features between buyers and sellers, among other considerations.
Learnings
Product Manager Learnings:
Loretta Okwudili
Co.Lab provided an enriching experience, expanding my insights into the realm of Product Management. Through experiential learning, I gained a deeper understanding of a product manager's role, delving into concepts like Product Specs, Problem Spaces, and Proposed Solutions. Wireframes are preliminary sketches preceding the masterpiece, while MVPs offer a glimpse to test core functionalities. Prototypes bring ideas to life, playing a crucial role in user-centered design, ensuring the final product aligns with user needs.
The program's tight schedule taught me the value of sharing work, even when uncertain. Peer and mentor feedback guided me, emphasizing the importance of continuous improvement. I embraced the notion that perfection is elusive, recognizing that a product spec is dynamic, adaptable to showcase discoveries and learnings. In just four weeks, I immersed myself in a rich tapestry of knowledge, from navigating problem spaces to mastering customer discovery, research synthesis, and effective prioritization. Drafting product documentation, developing a product spec, and ideation proved challenging yet rewarding, emphasizing that success is a series of small wins.
Reflecting on an Albert Einstein quote shared in week one “If I had an hour to solve a problem I’d spend 55 mins thinking about the problem and 5 min thinking about solution”. The program instilled the importance of dedicating time to understanding problems before devising solutions. Co.Lab equipped me with tools and insights for a holistic approach to problem-solving.
Designer Learnings:
Designer Learnings:
Jo Sturdivant
- Adapting to an Established Team: Joining the team in week 6 of 8 was challenging, as I had to quickly adapt to existing workflows, dynamics, and goals. This mirrors real-world situations where you often integrate into teams mid-project, and flexibility is essential.
- Work-Blocking for Efficiency: With only two weeks to complete the project, I learned the importance of a structured work-blocking system. This approach allowed me to manage my time effectively and meet deadlines under pressure.
- Making Data-Driven Design Decisions: Unlike my past projects, I had to rely on research conducted by others. This was a valuable experience in using pre-existing data to guide design decisions, helping me focus on the core insights without starting from scratch.
Developer Learnings:
Developer Learnings:
Vanady Beard
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As the back-end developer, I learned how important it is to create efficient and reliable systems that support the entire application. This experience also taught me the importance of optimising the database and ensuring the backend is scalable and easy to maintain.
Developer Learnings:
Stephen Asiedu
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As a back-end developer, I've come to understand the importance of being familiar with various database systems and modules. This knowledge enables me to build diverse applications and maintain versatility in my work. I've also learned that the responsibility for making the right choices rests on my shoulders, guided by my best judgement.
Developer Learnings:
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Developer Learnings:
Maurquise Williams
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- Process of Creating an MVP: Developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) taught me how to focus on delivering core functionalities balancing between essential features and avoiding scope creep.
- Collaboration in a Real-World Tech Setting: This experience taught me how to collaborate efficiently in a fast-paced tech environment, keeping the team aligned and productive, even while working remotely across time zones.
- Sharpening Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills: This experience honed my ability to think critically and solve problems efficiently. By tackling challenges and finding quick solutions, I sharpened my decision-making and troubleshooting skills in a dynamic, real-world setting.
Developer Learnings:
Jeremiah Williams
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All in all this experience was very awesome I learned that in coding with others being transparent is key
Developers Learnings:
Justin Farley
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I learned how important communication is when working with a team. Communication provides understanding, advice, ideas, and much more. While working with the product team, I’ve found that communication keeps everything flowing smoothly. Working with a team also showed me that every member brings something different to the table and we all have to work together in order to align and meet our end goal.