“Cardano Compass”: Comparison Charts App @ Lido Nation

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

[GENERAL] Are you delivering this project as an individual or as an entity (whether formally incorporated or not)

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

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

[GENERAL] Summarize your solution to the problem (200-character limit including spaces)

Cardano Compass: A platform that allows product teams AND end users to collaborate around Comparison Charts, + incentives so that QUALIFIED users are paid to do the ongoing research to maintain them.

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

[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?

[GENERAL] Please provide here more information on the open source status of your project outputs

The tool will live on lidonation.com and be free to the community alongside other current Lido Nation educational resources.

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

The Problem: 

The nature of a decentralized world is that there are many different solution offerings for similar things. There are already numerous mobile wallets, and that number will grow. There are even more desktop wallets. There are many DEXes. Many NFT Marketplaces. In the Voltaire Era, there may have been many voting apps. For end-users, it’s hard to know which products and services are best for you. 

And it’s not the case that there is always one service that is definitely the best for all:

• One service or product might be favored by developers, while another is clearly better for newcomers. 
• One service offers one valuable perk, while another has a different useful tool. 
• One product might be new and original today, only to be usurped by a new innovation from a competitor in a few months.

Keeping up with all the different offerings and knowing what is right for you is more than any one individual can reasonably do. We might try a few different tools if it’s for something important, but otherwise we rely on recommendations from friends, tips on Twitter/X, or reviews and comparisons that are posted in various places online. 

The problem with all of these is that they are so limited:

• A single person’s opinion is just that, an opinion. It’s hard to really know if they have done much research or if they have a bias you can’t see.
• Any posted opinion, review, or comparison chart is a snapshot in time: it may be obsolete before the ink is dry.

Our Solution

Create a Platform for creating, maintaining, and collaborating around Comparison Charts for products and services on Cardano.

This proposal is for Phase 1 of 3: Concept. 

The product will start to offer value back to the community even from its concept stage, however it’s also important to understand the end goal so that you can see what we are building toward: A Community-Operated “Comparison Charts” tool.

This section describes the big idea: ie, what we would be building toward in a “Phase 3” Product Launch.

The next section will describe what will build in this initial  Phase 1: Concept .

Phase 3: Product (Envisioning the Future!)

Cardano Compass is a high-value ecosystem explorer, centered around creating and maintaining “Comparison Charts” for important categories of Cardano community products and services. Examples would include comparison charts for 

• Wallets
• Identity solutions
• DEXes
• Payment tools
• Voting Apps
• Developer tools
• …the list goes on!

What would make this platform different is that the charts are:

• NOT centrally managed
• NOT a snapshot in time

Instead, it would be a collaborative community, where community members can participate in various INCENTIVIZED ROLES to create and maintain current and relevant Comparison Charts! To understand what different types of users can do, let’s look at it through the lens of different roles:

Role 1: Website User: a website user can browse Comparison Charts leave comments or questions in the comment feed for any chart.

Role 2: Verified User: a verified user is any logged in user. They can be anonymous, but their activity is tied to a logged-in user role, in order to control for malicious use and spam. A Verified User can do everything a Website User can do, plus:

Create a new Comparison Chart: If there is a Product or Service that does not yet have a Comparison Chart, a Verified User can submit any topic they think should be covered with a chart. This would immediately appear on a list of available topics.

Create a Bounty: Verified users can create or contribute to a BOUNTY. Bounties are the monetary incentives that remunerate users who are authorized to do the ongoing research on products and services and keep comparison charts up to date.

Examples of users who would be interested in creating bounties: 

• Product and Service Providers! Companies or Individuals may put up a bounty because they want to see their product represented in a comparison chart
• Community Members: interested and invested community members may put up a bounty if they want to see a particular product or line item added to a chart.

Apply to become a Reputation User. Verified Users who value the tool and want to contribute to ongoing research and earn ADA can apply to become a Reputation User.

Role 3: Reputation User: A reputation user is a user who is authorized and encouraged to do the research involved in creating and maintaining Comparison Charts. Reputation Users would be akin to a small part-time job for those who serve in the role. There would be a limited number of spots available, and those in the role would be expected to participate by picking up bounties and executing the work in a timely manner. Reputation users who do not perform would be released from the role, opening the spot for another applicant.

Phase 1: Concept THIS PROJECT

This Catalyst proposal would include building the foundational infrastructure for the platform as well as building out starter charts for 2 categories. 

Use cases in view for this Phase 1 proposal are the following:

• The Lido crew can create a new Comparison Chart (ie. “DEXes”)
• The Lido crew can create a new Comparison Line Item (ie. “Has Mobile App?”)
• The Lido crew can add a new Comparison Product column (ie. “Minswap”)
• The Lido crew can submit a score for a Product+Line Item (ie. Does Minswap have a Mobile App: No)
• The Lido crew can submit a comment or rationale for their score (ie. Minswap does not offer a mobile app for iOS or Android, however mobile users CAN access the DEX through their mobile browser!)
• Website users can visit the Cardano Compass home page
• Website users can view the initial Comparison Charts
• Website users can leave comments or questions in the comments section below a comparison chart.

Phase 2: 

If this Phase 1 project is approved, we will build the Proof of Concept described above. Then in the next round of Catalyst we would propose a phase 2: MVP, which would include building the Infrastructure to support Verified Users & a Bounty System, to include soft launch and dry run where all the pieces are used as intended, and any bugs are reported and resolved.

Please View the FULL PRODUCT ROADMAP here, and bear in mind that this proposal is specifically for PHASE 1: CONCEPT

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oAqdE3o2H2ARCROaWEQGfzUyWzzN1ljOYwUUCmO9Xx4/edit

Who will this product engage:

Companies offering Products and Services: as a company offering a product or service, you want to see yourself represented on industry comparison charts! You think that your product is the best for some kind of user: Either you are the most competitively priced, or you have the best UI, or your latest release contains a feature that no one else has! Companies get access to a highly effective MARKETING TOOL by submitting bounty tickets to get new products and features added to a chart. Features will always be then evaluated and rated by impartial Reputation Users. 

We saw this motivated engagement when we published a sample “Engagement Chart”  article about mobile wallets on Lido Nation to test the waters.

https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cardano-mobile-wallets

Not only did the post get lots of engagement on Twitter, but one Wallet provider that we had not included reached out to us – in fact, they did us the favor of creating a UPDATED Comparison Chart Graphic!

Cardano Users: Users who want to find the best products and services in Cardano will view Cardano Compass as a great way to find comprehensive and updated information. The best part for users is: When they come across a chart that is missing a product or feature comparison that they would like to see, they can do something about it – by posting a bounty! When a bounty is fully funded, Reputation Users go to work to update the Comparison charts with updated date.

Community Participants: This product offers engagement at all levels, including a ways for small cohorts of super-users to serve as Reputation Users who contribute to the research that keeps charts up to date, and are rewarded for their work via the Bounty System.

[IMPACT] Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

Why is this important to Cardano?

To our knowledge, the problem of creating Comparison Charts that are kept up to date and complete through an innovative bounty system is something that has never been done in any broad marketplace. This platform has the potential to be a differentiator for the entire Cardano blockchain. The confusion of finding one's way through a cluttered wilderness of different products and services is not inviting to new blockchain users or cross-chain explorers. Cardano Compass preserves decentralization, while providing a durable guide for making product decisions in our ecosystem.

[CAPABILITY & FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

Our very popular Catalyst Explorer tool demonstrates our ability to build high quality “Explorers” and complex web tools. Our Every Epoch Quiz (among other projects) demonstrates that we are web3-ready, with wallet connectors and reward mechanisms already enabled on our site. We already have 10 completed Catalyst projects. In short, nothing we are proposing is uncharted waters for this team – this funding allows us to build on proven success by offering a new high-value “Explorer” to foster an educated and informed Cardano community.

[PROJECT MILESTONES] What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?

Milestone 1

2 Months

Milestone Summary

Using the project deliverables and Use Cases defined in this proposal, work with Design UI/UX firm to create wireframes and page layouts in Figma (website design software)

Output Details

• A concise checklist of project deliverables and use cases in spreadsheet/checklist format. This is useful for us as we build, for outside contractors (ie design firm) that we work with, and for the community/milestone reviewers who are auditing our work.
• A Figma File showing page designs that capture the project requirements

Acceptance Criteria

• A link to a public spreadsheet for project deliverables/use cases
• Link to Figma file, or publicly viewable image version

Milestone 2

2 Months

Milestone Summary

Create the back end objects and relationships to support the data model. 

Output Details

The Lido crew can create a new Comparison Chart (ie. “DEXes”)

The Lido crew can create a new Comparison Line Item (ie. “Has Mobile App?”)

The Lido crew can add a new Comparison Product column (ie. “Minswap”)

The Lido crew can submit a score for a Product+Line Item (ie. Does Minswap have a Mobile App: No)

The Lido crew can submit a comment or rationale for their score (ie. Minswap does not offer a mobile app for iOS or Android, however mobile users CAN access the DEX through their mobile browser!)

Acceptance criteria

In a video demo we can see how these elements of the data model are created through the database back end interface, and we can see them represented visually in a rudimentary front end.

Milestone 2:

2 months

Milestone Summary

Create the front end interface for Cardano Compass

Output Details

Product Logo and brand colors defined and shared

Landing page for Cardano Compass

Front end design for Comparison Charts

Acceptance Criteria

Website user can view the landing page and and Comparison Chart page

Website users can leave comments or questions in the comments section below a comparison chart

Milestone 4

2 months

Milestone Summary

Lido Nation will create 2 Comparison Charts using the new tools

Output Details

First proposed Comparison charts will feature a comparison of Cardano Mobile Wallets and NFT Marketplaces.

Marketing: We will engage with the community on Twitter to advertise the launched comparison charts and invite feedback/interaction

Project Close Report and Video, as required for Catalyst completion

Acceptance Criteria

Website viewer can view 2 Comparison Charts

Links to Twitter campaign threads are shared

Links to Project Close Report and video are shared.

[RESOURCES] Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

We are Cardano enthusiasts and a growing collective of dreamers who believe in providing insightful education about Cardano in plain English, Swahili, and Spanish. Most online blockchain content is written by and for developers and finance geeks. We break down complicated technical ideas for everyday people, and provide relevant news in quick bites, and build tools that everyone can use.

Our website is a resource for anyone who wants to learn what Cardano is, why they should care, and how they can participate. We want to make these resources accessible to as many people as possible.

Stephanie is a teacher and technologist with a passion for helping non-profits navigate and capitalize on technology. She applies her communication skills at Lido Nation by writing and editing articles, and helping to organize ideas in a way that people can understand.

Darlington is an engineer by day and at all times a dancer, humanitarian, idealist and entrepreneur. Darlington has deep knowledge about blockchain technology and broad experience in the Cardano ecosystem.

www.lidonation.com

https://www.linkedin.com/company/lido-nation

Darlington Wleh: Co-Dreamer at Lido Nation

Co-Founder of Lido Nation. 

Co-Host of Cardano Over Coffee.

Senior Developer. 

Blockchain writer & Educator. 

Cardano Ambassador.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/profd2004

https://twitter.com/LidoNation

Stephanie King: Co-Dreamer at Lido Nation

Co-Founder of Lido Nation.

Art & Design lead. 

Blockchain writer & podcaster. 

Cardano Ambassador.

Project manager

https://www.linkedin.com/in/phuffyking

https://twitter.com/Lido_Phuffy

[BUDGET & COSTS] Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

20,000 ADA Design UI/UX: We have been working with a design firm on our bigger projects, including latest updates to Catalyst Explorer, to ensure high quality results! The cost for services is about $10K per engagement

40,000 ADA Senior Developer: (~150 hours at $135/hour)

25,000 ADA Junior Developers: Junior developer costs are a looser calculation. Our Junior developers are a team of junior and senior blockchain developer mentees at the Cardano Blockchain Lab in Nairobi, Kenya. Our mentees are not paid hourly, but on a project or “ticket” basis for tasks completed. The junior developer project work would be shared among members on the project team. Based on productivity and experience, our junior developers in Kenya earn between $300-$1200/ month, which is a regionally competitive salary.

3,000 ADA (~$1,350 ) 7 months of Project Management

1,000 ADA (~$450 ) Marketing 

1,000 ADA (~$450 ) Logo, color palette, page design

3,000 ADA (~$1,350) Comparison Chart Research & Deployment

Total Cost=93,000 ADA

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

The costs of the project are modest; our senior developer is billing at a relatively low rate for the global market and given his experience. Our staff of junior developers are able to offer high value for the work they contribute, since they are working with us through a mentorship program in Nairobi Kenya. We hope that the work they are doing for us also offers high value for them as they are onboarding into the Cardano ecosystem and learning valuable dev skills that they can continue to offer the community! 

This Phase 1 Concept project lays the technical groundwork for the Cardano Compass Product that we think has the potential to be a groundbreaking differentiator for the whole Cardano ecosystem.

For that vision, we think the value for money is extremely high!