Reflection
The initial idea for creating a product that allowed consumers to bounce from one free trial to the next was what sparked Appmatch. As a teacher, I have been asked by admin. to use a variety of online learning platforms and apps without knowing whether or not it is worth our school investing in the product. I also find that not every app fits for every student, so having the flexibility to have no financial obligations to an app was the top priority for me as an educator on a tight budget and who wanted to try as many apps as possible.
I feel as though my colleagues can be apprehensive to embrace technology in the classroom literally because of the barrier of putting their credit card and billing information and fearing they will not be paid back for the purchase or that they will forget what products they have signed up for. My hope with Appmatch is that it inspires more educators to be carefree about linking up their class to a program that could really benefit students.
As soon as Covid hit, I realized how many companies offer free trials as a way to expand their target market, but also as a way to get consumer into the system so they can later be auto billed if they forget to cancel subscriptions. Prior to this project, however, I did not realize how much revenue these companies depend on from people simply being forgetful or disorganized. This doesn’t seem like the best way to welcome a consumer to a product and I think there is a great room for improvement. We have the technology now available to allow a client to only be billed for a product they are satisfied with, so why is this not used by the mainstream yet?
I’m fortunate to have access to advise from a coder at Google who made the suggestion to launch Appmatch as a google plug-in. I was also fortunate to have feedback from ETEC peers to explain how this may greatly limit my market potential. While I have not solved this conundrum this week, it has provided me with valuable constructive feedback that I will take into account as I continue to develop this idea.
I feel as though my colleagues can be apprehensive to embrace technology in the classroom literally because of the barrier of putting their credit card and billing information and fearing they will not be paid back for the purchase or that they will forget what products they have signed up for. My hope with Appmatch is that it inspires more educators to be carefree about linking up their class to a program that could really benefit students.
As soon as Covid hit, I realized how many companies offer free trials as a way to expand their target market, but also as a way to get consumer into the system so they can later be auto billed if they forget to cancel subscriptions. Prior to this project, however, I did not realize how much revenue these companies depend on from people simply being forgetful or disorganized. This doesn’t seem like the best way to welcome a consumer to a product and I think there is a great room for improvement. We have the technology now available to allow a client to only be billed for a product they are satisfied with, so why is this not used by the mainstream yet?
I’m fortunate to have access to advise from a coder at Google who made the suggestion to launch Appmatch as a google plug-in. I was also fortunate to have feedback from ETEC peers to explain how this may greatly limit my market potential. While I have not solved this conundrum this week, it has provided me with valuable constructive feedback that I will take into account as I continue to develop this idea.