New gamified web application to improve the experience of proposers, readers, and community reviewers. Building the future of Catalyst outside the limitations of IdeaScale.

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Ayax Labombarda Ugarte

[GENERAL] Email address of main applicant

ayaxlbi@icloud.com

Additional applicants

Daniel Felipe Rodriguez - CTO

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

12

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language.

Yes

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

No

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.”

No dependencies.

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s be fully open source?

Yes

[GENERAL] If NO, please describe which outputs are not going to be open source. If YES, please write “Project will be fully open source.”

Project will be fully open source.

[METADATA] Category of proposal

Other

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

Introduction: As a proposer, do you feel stressed when submitting proposals at the beginning of each Fund due to the short time to write them, improve them, and upload them to Catalyst, the form you are asked to complete does not invite you to develop storytelling or highlight your proposal before the others? 

As a reader or community reviewer, you don't find it pleasant to read the proposals, you are not clear about the characteristics or reputation of the team, among other things? It's okay, we understand you, we have been in Catalyst since Fund 3 and we are done with this user experience, that's why this proposal seeks to improve the experience of all members of the community with a gamified approach.

Solution: We will develop a web application that will improve the user experience of the proposer when writing their proposals and submitting them to the community, as well as the interaction between members, improving the user profiles, direct message communication, giving them achievement medals, points (kudos), experience system and other gamified incentives that encourage interaction between users and allow to build a reputation. This proposal seeks to be one of the pillars of the future of Catalyst, with an open-source application focused on gamification and the possibility of infinite improvements.

Why this approach?

We believe that the focus of a gamified application is in line with the values of the community, encouraging the building of a reputation, the interaction between members, continuous improvement of the ecosystem, networking, collaborations, and much more, which is why, thanks to academic studies and use cases, it has been shown that gamification has a high impact on user experience satisfaction and engagement, as it is incentivized by various rewards (medals, experience, score, etc.).

Some examples of gamified applications are: IOG Marlowe, Game-Changer Wallet, Duolingo, Codecademy, Fitocracy, Mint, etc.

Some ideas of Catalyst Gamification, you can check our figma: FIGMA LINK

Special features of the application: For the architecture of the web app we thought in "The Clean Architecture" with C# and .NET Core as a base, this's an architecture that allows us to develop the infrastructure of the application in different layers, something that favors the later modifications of the application.

Domain: defines key entities such as proposals, forms, and rewards. It is independent of the technologies used.

Application: Implements the use cases and business rules. It includes logic to complete forms and manage rewards and validations.

Infrastructure: Implements the interfaces defined in the Application layer, using MySQL to store the information and Entity Framework Core as ORM.

Presentation: Developed in ASP.NET Core, applying the MVC pattern. Includes gamification elements through Gamify.

And of course, as our approach is based on the user experience and gamification of the web application, if we are funded, we will establish contact and meetings with IOG to design the infrastructure of the application in compliance with security regulations, reliability and enabling future integration to the Catalyst infrastructure.

Azure DevOps will be used for hosting, taking advantage of its integration and continuous deployment capabilities. The development strategy emphasizes separation of responsibilities, layer independence, and abstraction dependency, which will allow modular, maintainable, and scalable development.

The i18N standardization will be included to allow language additions and fixes. On the front-end (ReactJS) libraries such as react-i18next or react-intl will be used for internationalization. On the backend (.NET Core), the framework's native functionality will be used for internationalization and localization, using the CultureInfo class and resource files.

According to the conditions of the Challenge, the web app will be Open Source under the conditions and standards presented (Apache 2.0, MIT license or equivalent for the software code; CC-BY-4.0 Apache 2.0, MIT license or equivalent for the documentation).

Once the project is finished it will be uploaded to a public GitHub so that any person or entity can follow its development, make modifications or take it as an example without limits or restrictions, this would immediately allow different things such as:

• Improvements in the UIX, separated by different layers (Proposal writing, Modifications in the gamification of profiles, etc).
• Perform and upload manual and accurate translations thanks to the i18N standard.
• Improvements in security, traceability, quantification, and data qualification.

Finally, this application was conceived based on the vision of the Cardano team to separate Catalyst from IdeaScale, so we take the opportunity to share a document that visualizes this shared future: DOCUMENT

[IMPACT] How does your proposed solution address the challenge and what benefits will this bring to the Cardano ecosystem?

The proposal is aligned with the challenge, as it seeks to considerably improve the user experience for proposers, readers, and community reviewers, in addition to developing a web application with a gamified and open-source approach that would allow continuing building and scaling it independently, in addition to offering an alternative to the limitations of Ideascale, something that goes with the vision of Catalyst.

This indicates a strong connection to the point:

2 - Systemic improvements (technical or procedural) that streamline or otherwise improve Project Catalyst processes.

[IMPACT] How do you intend to measure the success of your project?

To measure the impact and success of the product, we have thought of these 5 families of metrics, it should be clarified that they may suffer modifications once the web design is completed since it will be objectively adjusted to the data we will have from each user and the periodicity with which they are compared.

KP1 Scope: 

1. Number of registered users compared to the previous Fund.

KP2 Activation: 

1. Percentage of new users with verified email address.
2. Percentage of users with at least one draft in their account.

KP3 Active user: 

1. Number of users who have become proposers
2. Percentage of users with at least one comment on a proposal.
3. Percentage of community reviewers with at least 3 reviewing.

KP4 Engagement:

1. Percentage of new users reaching level 5.
2. Percentage of users who complete their profile at 100%.
3. Percentage of users logging in 3 days in a row during the week.

KP5 Retention:

1. Percentage of proposers who resubmitted compared to the previous fund.
2. Percentage of readers who have re-read at least 5 proposals from the new Fund.
3. Percentage of Community Reviewers who re-perform at least 3 reviews in the new Fund.

[IMPACT] Please describe your plans to share the outputs and results of your project?

To share the progress and results of the proposal, we will write blog articles written on Medium, detailing all the relevant information (updates and results), which will be shared by the community's Telegram and Discord groups, as well as IOG/Catalyst through the periodic form.

For the advances in the UIX of the application, we develop demo videos so the community can have a visual image of the development of the application, as opposed to a more quantifiable and informative vision of the blogs.

Also, so that any user can have a more orderly and accessible follow-up, we will create a Twitter account in charge of sharing the updates, week by week.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability?

Ayax Labombarda, has extensive experience participating in Catalyst, since Fund 3, obtaining funding for 6 proposals, most of which are now complete. He has experience in product, team and project management, as well as in the definition of marketing and sales strategies at vision and business objectives level.

This focus on business activity, metrics, data analytics and leadership is certified by his studies in Project Management, Product Delivery & Product Manager at the University of Maryland and a Product HUB Bootcamp.

Daniel Rodriguez, the head of Breakpoint 341, brings a wealth of experience to the table with over 25 years of industry expertise in IT. He has forged partnerships with various recruiting and staff augmentation companies, establishing a solid network within the industry. Daniel possesses extensive knowledge of the proposed architecture outlined in this document, having worked with the technology stack involved in this project, including C#, .NET Core, Azure DevOps, CI/CD, QA Automation, ReactJS, MySQL, and holding a Cardano CBCA certification. His experience spans across multiple international companies, where he has taken on roles such as Project Manager, Team Lead, and Scrum Master.

This extensive background in both technology and leadership positions provides a significant advantage in terms of resource availability and prior experience. Daniel can offer guidance and support to the team, seamlessly filling in for any missing resources or covering their responsibilities in the event of absence. This minimizes the risks associated with resource gaps and ensures smooth project delivery without compromising on commitments.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What are the main goals for the project and how will you validate if your approach is feasible?

The following OKRs are intended to define the successful launch of the final product.

Objective 1: Improve the experience of proposers in the proposal writing and submission stage.

Objective 2: Improve the experience of readers and community reviewers when reading proposals and see background about the proponents.

KR1: Obtain a score equal to or greater than 75% in the final survey to the question: Has the user experience for proposers improved considerably?

KR2: Obtain a score equal to or greater than 75% in the final survey for the question: Has the reader's experience of knowing and understanding the proposal improved considerably?

KR3: Obtain a result equal to or higher than 75% in the final survey to the question: Has the knowledge of the proposers improved considerably thanks to the gamification of their profiles?

To validate our approach, we have separated the development stages into 3, indicating a first MVP, a Pre-Release component, and a final application. The objective of these 2 stages prior to the final development is to obtain insights and validation of the path taken by the members of the community.

MVP Testing: The MVP will be focused exclusively on proposers and proposal writing, they will be able to experience onboarding, writing, and modifying proposals.

The MVP Testers will have to fill out a form at the end of the testing in which they will have to answer the KR1, in which we seek to obtain a greater or equal to %60, and 30% feedback (improvements thought by the testers).

Pre-Release Testing: En este ultimo test pre-release, los testers podrán probar las mejoras obtenidas por los insights de los feedbacks a la hora de redactar, editar y publicar propuestas. Como así también, podrán experimentar los cambios en los perfiles de usuarios, donde podrán ver una gran mejora gracias a la gamificación, que invitará a los usuarios a completar con más información de ellos mismos.

The Pre-Release Testers will have to fill out a form at the end of the testing in which they will have to answer the KR1 & KR2, in which we seek to obtain a greater or equal to %60, and 35% feedback (improvements thought by the testers).

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed breakdown of your project’s milestones and each of the main tasks or activities to reach the milestone plus the expected timeline for the delivery.

1st Milestone: Hiring of necessary resources, organization of the team, and creation of working environments for the start of the project.

Estimated duration: 1 month (October) - Funding amount of 30%.

Tasks:

1. Start the search for the necessary developers and personnel described in the project.
2. Installation and configuration of development environments (VS Code, ReactJs, MySQL, Demeter.run, etc).
3. Installation and configuration of cloud environments in Azure DevOps.
4. With agile methodologies, analyze requirements, create system documentation (Figma design, webAPI methods, database), and establish coding standards and best practices.
5. Based on the previous point, the creation of directories and folder structure according to Clean architecture, for front-end, back-end, and database.
6. Payments to the applications and services necessary for the development of the project (Click Up, Azure, APIs).

2nd Milestone: Finalization of Web Design and Product Backlog creation.

Estimated duration: 1 month (November) - Funding amount of 10%.

Tasks:

1. Finalization of responsive web design in Figma, and webAPI methods in C#, which will be used to create user stories and define their priorities in a backlog.
2. Development of user stories, their requirements, priorities, and criteria.
3. Development of Sprints based on the prioritizations in the user stories.
4. Understand, document, and define the future integration of the application to the Catalyst system.
5. Complete the recruitment of personnel to start onboarding.

3rd Milestone: Start of development sprints and delivery of value continues.

Estimated duration: 1 month (December) - Funding amount of 10%.

1. Start of 1st sprint
2. Start of development based on the first User Stories. 
3. Start of development of system functionalities and unit testing of selected user stories from the backlog.
4. Start of front-end development in Reactjs based on Figma design.
5. Configuration of the continuous deployment (CD) in Azure DevOps.

4th Milestone: MVP development.

Estimated duration: 2 months (January-February) - Funding amount of 10%.

Tasks:

1. Continuation of the front end based on Figma designs
2. Implementation of unit tests to guarantee the quality of the code based on functionalities created in the previous point.
3. Research and integration of the Gamify library in the project.
4. First configuration of gamification elements, such as rewards and user progress tracking.

5th Milestone: Beta testing of the MVP to get insights from users and Catalyst administrators, code improvements, and feature additions.

Estimated duration: 1 month (March) - Funding amount of 10%.

Tasks:

1. Performed usability and functional testing on the website.
2. Bug fixes and adjustments based on test results.

6th Milestone: Pre-release development and testing.

Estimated duration: 2 months (April-May) - Funding amount of 5%.

Tasks:

1. Start of back-end development with C# based on milestone 1 analysis.
2. Use of ASP.NET Core features for form validation and website security.
3. Creation of WEBAPI and backend methods for later consumption from front-end, postman, swagger, etc.
4. Implement clean architecture principles and ensure proper separation of concerns.
5. Configuration of the localization in the backend and front end of the project.
6. Translation of relevant texts and elements in different languages.
7. Review and improve configuration of the continuous deployment (CD) in Azure DevOps.

7th Milestone: Final development of the application.

Estimated duration: 2 months (June-July) - Funding amount of 5%.

Tasks:

1. Automation of the build, test, and deployment process of the website.
2. Test and verify the functionality of the implemented ASP.NET Core features.
3. Review Gamify Integration into the website and configure / improvements of gamification elements.
4. Implement additional security measures, such as user authentication and authorization.
5. Optimize database interactions and performance using Entity Framework Core.
6. Conduct thorough testing, including unit tests and integration tests, to ensure the website functions as expected.
7. Finalize documentation, including user guides and API documentation, to facilitate future maintenance and updates.

8th Milestone: Beta testing of the final development of the application.

Estimated duration: 1 month (August) - Funding amount of 5%.

Tasks:

1. Usability and functional testing of the website.
2. Bug fixes and adjustments based on the results of the testing of the webAPI, the website, and localization texts.
3. Testing and deployment of the final website.

9th Milestone: The Final Acceptance Milestone: Integration testing with Catalyst, QA, Test, + Closing Report, video + Catalyst integration confirmation.

Estimated duration: 1 month (September) - Funding amount of 15%.

Tasks:

1. Deployment of the website in the production environment.
2. Monitoring and adjustments after initial deployment.
3. Community Reviewers and Catalyst Team approval of all milestones above in Milestone Plan.
4. Community Reviewers and Catalyst Team approval of the Project Closeout Report.
5. Community Reviewers and Catalyst Team approval of Project Closeout Video

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please describe the deliverables, outputs and intended outcomes of each milestone.

1st Milestone

Deliverables: Publish job offers to find the team members; Configured working environments; System documentation

Outputs: Start web design; Configured development and cloud environments; Initial system documentation

Outcomes: Start receiving applicants for job offers; Ready-to-use development environments; Clear guidelines for the development process

2nd Milestone

Deliverables: Final web design; Product backlog; Defined integration with Catalyst system

Outputs: Completed web design in Figma; Completed product backlog; Documented integration with Catalyst system

Outcomes: Clear visual representation of end product; Detailed plan for development; Defined process for integration with Catalyst ; Hired Team Members.

3rd Milestone

Deliverables: Started development sprints; Started development of system functionalities; Setup of continuous deployment

Outputs: Completed user stories from backlog; Functional system features; Continuous Deployment setup in Azure DevOps

Outcomes: Initiated development process; Initial set of functionalities ready; Automated deployment process

4th Milestone

Deliverables: Continued front-end development; Gamification elements; Unit tests

Outputs: Completed front-end based on Figma designs; Integrated Gamify library; Completed unit tests

Outcomes: Advanced front-end of product; Initial gamification features ready; Ensured quality of the code

5th Milestone

Deliverables: Usability and functional testing; Bug fixes and adjustments

Outputs: Completed testing; Fixed identified bugs

Outcomes: Functional beta version of product; Resolved issues and bugs

6th Milestone

Deliverables: Back-end development; Localized backend and front end; Improved continuous deployment

Outputs: Completed back-end development; Localized versions of app; Improved setup of continuous deployment in Azure DevOps

Outcomes: Complete functional system; System adapted to different languages; More efficient deployment process

7th Milestone

Deliverables: Automated process; Additional security measures; Optimized database interactions

Outputs: Automated build, test, and deployment process; Implemented user authentication and authorization; Optimized database interactions with Entity Framework Core

Outcomes: Streamlined development process; Ensured security of system; More efficient database operations

8th Milestone

Deliverables: Usability and functional testing; Bug fixes and adjustments

Outputs: Completed final testing; Fixed identified bugs

Outcomes: Fully functional version of product ready for release; Resolved issues and bugs

9th Milestone

Deliverables: Deployment in production environment; Project closeout report; Project closeout video

Outputs: Deployed product; Completed project closeout report; Completed project closeout video

Outcomes: Successfully launched product; Documented project completion and lessons learned; Demonstrated project achievements visually

[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown of the proposed work and resources.

Payrolls: Salaries are estimated for full-time work of the programmers, QA, and designer leader until the end of their responsibilities and part-time work of the Product Manager and CTO/Scrum Master.

• Product Manager 2000 x 12 = $24.000
• CTO & Scrum Master 2000 x 12 = $24.000
• Product Design Leader 1500 x 4 = $6.000
• Developer 1 - 3000 x 10 = $30.000
• Developer 2 - 3000 x 10 = $30.000
• Developer 3 - 2600 x 10 = $26.000
• QA Tester Automation - 2500 x 8 = $20.000

Total in payrolls for 12 months of work: $166.000 x 0,30 USD/ADA = A 498.000

Subscriptions & Cost Development and Maintenance: Here are included expenses on subscriptions for work tools, applications, APIs, Cloud maintenance, etc.

ClickUp: 12$ per member, 8 in total, annual fee: $1.152

MySQL Azure Databases + Cognitive services: $1,387.52

Azure APIs Management: $384.24

DevOps Basic plan license 10 users: $550 x 12 Months: $6.600

AzureLabs Services: $1.168

Total external Services: $10.691.76

Others: (Office supplies, internet bill, electricity, etc.) $1.808.24

Total: $14.000 x 0,30 USD/ADA = A 102.000

Total Budget: $172.500 x 0,30 USD/ADA = A 575.000

[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

The costs have been decided based on the average rate of the freelancer market in Europe, where we have the contacts and resources to hire and start the development of the project.

We have made an estimate of hours needed for the development of the different stages, with an addition of +40hs for stability and security issues in the integration to the Catalyst production environment.

[IMPORTANT NOTE] The Applicant agreed to Fund10 rules and also that data in the Submission Form and other data provided by the project team during the course of the project will be publicly available.

I Accept