Visualized Cardano Structure

[IMPACT]

The proposed solution can significantly increase the speed of new members onboarding and participation. As a side benefit it increases long term memory retention of information related to Cardano and Project Catalyst that new members learn.

Visualization of the structure of the Cardano ecosystem can be effectively used for onboarding new members or quick reference source for advanced or experienced members. Currently we have no such tool.

Visualizations in the form of diagrams, charts, etc., provably increase learning performance, promote higher order of thinking and improve text comprehension.

Research publications on the subject:

Creating visual explanations improves learning https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5256450

The Role of Visual Learning in Improving Students’ High-Order Thinking Skills https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1112894.pdf

Do You Get the Picture? A Meta-Analysis of the Effect of Graphics on Reading Comprehension https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2332858420901696

For achieving best results the visualization should strive for a balance between simplicity (it is understandable and memorable) and detail, (most things you need to know firsthand are there or linked). All information presented must be verifiable, citations with links.

The unique thing about this proposal is that the proposer does not take the money, instead he creates a contest for finding the best solution, the community members that create the best visualizations will win the contest and will be awarded the majority of the funds of this proposal.

This way, Cardano community will receive the best solution that the community as a whole can provide, far better than a solution an individual can provide, this is value. Also, once created, the visualization will serve as a map for ALL new members from here on. As a side benefit all participants could leverage the knowledge they have gained to create or contribute to other proposals.

Thanks to the outlined benefits, the time for onboarding new members will fall measurably. Time for assuming new positions in Catalyst( referrer, voter, CA, VCA) will fall due to faster member orientation and deeper understanding of the system. Attendance to TH, Catalyst School, Swarm sessions, etc. will increase due to the structured information at a glance with hyperlinks to these resources.

All members will have clear bird’s eye view of the Cardano ecosystem and their place in it. This will create an obvious step by step plan for personal development and integration with the system. This in turn brings more active users, proposals, quality reviews etc.

On top of all this, this simple structured visualization will be an easy access point to the Cardano ecosystem for members of other communities. It will be like a tourist map for anyone who is curious to explore Cardano, as a result we can expect an inflow of participants.

There are few factors that bring uncertainty to this project.

1. Are the rewards high enough to attract enough valuable contributors to participate in the contest? If the participation is low, the awards will be restructured and a second run will have to be run, but this will delay the project.
2. Is the Cardano and in particular Catalyst community diverse enough to provide enough quality participants proficient in the visual as well as in the research and structural aspects needed for a competitor to be successful.  The key here is that even if a single person could not provide a good visualization, a team of two or more people may form given the awards of the contest are attractive.
3. Given that for now this is a single person who is doing the proposal, there is the potential of unrealistically evaluating the work load that is coming in his way.

[FEASIBILITY]

Action plan:

1. Communicate and collaborate with Catalyst School and Catalyst Circle.
2. Create clear rules for the competition:

• - What kinds of visualizations are accepted.
•  - Official communication channel for questions.
•  - What is the minimum information that should be covered.
•  - How the visualization will be assessed, criteria and focus points.
•  - Where to submit the visualizations.
•  - End date and hour for enrolling.
•  - End date and hour for submission.
•  - End date for announcing the winners.
•  - End date for transferring the awards to the winners.
•  - Method for assessment.
•  - Assessors: guidelines, methods for communication and submission of the results.

3. Create the needed procedures, documents and communication channels.

4. Publish the rules for the contest.

5. Advertise the contest.

6. Process and upload submitted visualizations where community can access and use them.

7. Announce and award the winners.

8. Popularize the visualizations trough established entities of the Project Catalyst community to make the visualizations easily available to the members of the Cardano community.

9. Survey users from the community for the value of the visualizations. Do they want to see more organized visual information of that sort, how often do they use them and why.

------------ Scope of the current proposal----------------------------

10. If results from the survey are positive, contact the creators and collaborate for further development.

11. If there is wide adoption, reach to CC, IOG, Catalyst Foundation and EMURGO to stamp with approval the information presented.

12. Listen to the feedback and develop further, more personalized visual resources in the same manner, “new member guide” , “explain like I’m 65”, “full time Catalyst community member”, etc.

Financing the project:

Awards for the winners of the contest are the major expense for this proposal. To create a structural map with deep understanding of the system, citations and links will need a substantial amount of research. Presenting the gathered data in a clear and understandable format will involve a different set of skills and probably we will see teams forming to share the work and leverage unique skill sets.

First place $3000 in ADA in other words, 120 hours * $25

Second place $2000 in ADA

Third place $1000 in ADA

Fourth place $500 in ADA

Fifth place $500 in ADA

=========================

Awards total : $7000 in ADA

Hosting - $300 ADA

Subscription to miro.com – $192 in ADA

Marketing –using established Cardano channels, groups and resources 10 hours*$20 = $200 in ADA

Documentation and cataloging 32 hours*$20 = $640 in ADA

Communication and PR 40 hours*$20 = $800 in ADA

Website creation and maintenance 10hours*$20 = $200 in ADA

Proposal ideation and development 40hours*$5 = $200 in ADA

Unexpected/Miscellaneous: $300 in ADA

=========================

Administration, organization, maintenance total: $2832 in ADA

GRAND TOTAL: $9832 in ADA

It is important to note here, that the funding of the proposal will be earlier than the award distribution. The prices on the markets change fast and to avoid any confusion and misunderstanding, the awards will be distributed in ADA, proportional to the budget received for the proposal.

For example: First place award is $3000 in ADA, Grand total for the proposal is $9832 that means first place receives 3000*100/9832=30.5% of the funding of the whole proposal.

I'll organize the contest, but I need many creative, talented and organized members of the community to join the competition and show their best work!

Some of my work regarding Cardano could be found here:

CA flow onboarding: https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVOLAnZMI=/?invite_link_id=72561332992

CA link repo: https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVOHEFlFY=/?invite_link_id=113743263762

My short CV you could find here: https://discordapp.com/channels/946921942143885342/949427137297920051

[AUDITABILITY]

This project is out in the open and it will be easy to follow the development, the point of it is to be visible, if it is not, then I'm not doing it right. I'll put in bold all things that the auditors will see online the moment they are ready.

Road map and KPI

Now to funding:

• Develop relationships with Catalyst School, Catalyst Circle, IOG, Cardano Foundation, EMURGO. Explain the project and prepare them for what is coming.
•  - Collaborate with Catalyst School and Catalyst Circle, hosting, marketing, etc.
•  - Communicate with community to understand needs and how to improve proposal.
•  - Adjust proposal according to community feedback.
•  - Prepare backup plan in case Catalyst School and/or Catalyst Circle are too busy to spend time on this project.

Funding received:

•  - Calculate proportions of the approved funding to awards and expenses. Recalculate everything in ADA and announce the competition ADA denominated.
•  - Sell funds to cover expenses.
•  - Stake all of the funds that are left – staking rewards on the funds go to the Unexpected/Miscellaneous budget category.
•  - Higher level organizational work.
• Funding + two weeks:
•  - All documentation for the contest is ready.
•  - There is an agreement for co- hosting or a new website is created.
•  - Subscribe to miro.com and provide platform for visualization to the participants.
•  - Announcing the competition in full detail, all dates, rules and places to apply.
•  - Marketing and PR begins, using all popular Catalyst channels to spread the word. Extra effort to involve popular Cardano players in promoting the contest to reach maximum number of people.
•  - Contest is promoted in Telegram, Discord, Reddit and Twitter.
•  - KPI 500 engagements achieved

Funding + four weeks:

•  - Onboard new participants and answer questions.
•  - KPI The website has been seen 500 times or more.
•  - Acceptance of contestants work. Assessment for minimum requirements.

Funding + six weeks:

•  - End of Enrolment for the contest.
•  - KPI There are minimum of 5 contestants subscribed with filled Enrolment blank.

Funding + eight weeks:

•  - End date for submission of visualizations.
•  - Displaying the works of the contestants for the community to see.
•  - Assessment of the works by the community.
•  - Announcing the winners.
•  - Sending Awards to the winners of the contest.
•  - Popularize the visualizations for the community to start using, new members to reach them with ease.
•  - Collaborate with other proposers that can use the highly educated in the Cardano ecosystem participants from the contest.

Funding + 12 weeks:

•  - Survey users from the community for the value of the visualizations. Do they want to see more organized visual information of that sort, how often do they use them and why.
•  - Publish the results of the survey.

The Major KPI here is the result of the survey, do the members of the community find value in the visualizations. The project is considered successful if:

• 60% of participants in the survey are finding the visualizations a useful tool.
• - 60% of participants in the survey agree that the visualization helped or would have helped them to save time.

Success is measured by the amount of times the visualizations are accessed. 5000 unique expressions per Fund for the next 5 funds or more is the goal.

This project is an entirely new one! However, if it is successful it builds a strong foundation and potential to bring more value true further development in future Funds.