Cardano Hubs Directory

[IMPACT]

Main deliverable:

A database and central repository for all Cardano Community Hubs (CCH) globally to connect. An open platform where hubs can list their location, resources and events.

Project Brief:

The 'open' nature of the platform relates to the community involvement in updates, new listings, moderation and feature add-ons. It also means that the ultimate aim is for the network of hubs to be self-governing, with all revenue and sponsorships feeding back into the long-term sustainability of the platform.

For each hub listed, there will be information on:

• Membership count
• Membership fee (if applicable)
• Location
• Resources:
• Computers
• Stakepools
• Library
• Office space
• Accepting ADA for payments
• Open positions hiring for
• Holding capacity (how many seats, desks)
• Specialization (IT, Start-ups, Banking, Agriculture)
• And more

The MVP of the platform will be created using a stack of existing tools, namely:

• Airtable (https://www.airtable.com/)
• OpenstreetMap (https://www.openstreetmap.org/)
• Mapbox (https://www.mapbox.com/)
• Wordpress (https://wordpress.org/)
• Directory plugins ( https://directorist.com/))

User Experience:

UX is crucial factor when considering usage and uptake of a platform such as this. Following the minimal 'AirBnB look' with a dark-blue, Catalyst-inspired colour palette and iconography will ensure seamless UX across similar platforms and partner sites. (See referenced UX analysis at the end).

Unique Elements:

A unique element of the CHD will be the participation of all hubs in the recording of Cardano 'active spots' in the local community. Whether that be a cafe that is accepting ADA, local Cardano meetup locations or even Cardano-related printed media. The CHD acts as an extension to the local community hubs by providing a directory of local areas where ADA can be used.

By hosting this on one platform you save the duplication of creating a separate online platform for each hub where new members will have to switch between to find the most relevant information for their areas. Hubs will still have their own websites, utility and membership schemes, the CHD will just collate all this sources of information to provide a 'meta-hub' experience.

• Interlinking nodes - Increase the positive feedback loop of best practises and hub design by sharing knowledge and resources.
• Immersive experience - Future VR use case.
• Events and Education - Find events and courses in your local area.
• Innovation centers of the future - Prototyping a new way of working, living and collaborating.

Future State:

Virtual hubs: Another benefit is a future use case of 'virtual real estate' we have seen popularised on Cardano since last year. In this way, once a quorum is reached from the hubs that have signed up to the CHD, a platform will be integrated that would be the virtual equivalent of the hubs, both in look and in service. This also provides future resilience to allow hub members to always be connected, virtually or physically and blending the space in between.

Self-governance: The CHD will initially be stewarded by Wada and partners, with the objective that, once the network of hubs is connected and well-established, platform stewardship could either be handled as a collective, or voted on bi-annually.

Platform Interoperability: Partner across other Cardano education and events platforms, 'Metaversities' and virtual spaces in order to provide hub members access to a wider network of resources beyond the CHD.

Challenge KPIs (Impact):

• Launching Hubs (Very High)
• Developer Onboarding (Low)
• New User Onboarding (High)
• Total reach of launch (Very High)
• External Organisations (High)

The outcomes of the project will be communicated through the Wada website and the Cardano Hubs Directory (CHD) website.

Risk Management:

Platform Development - Utilising existing technologies will allow for rapid development and reduce the costs associated with building a bespoke platform from scratch. Once the MVP has been proven as successful, a more customised solution can then be built with guidance from the community.

User Adoption - The risk of low usage is significantly reduced by the onboarding of all existing Wada hubs and having them use the platform exclusively for their membership onboarding and events sign-ups.

Project Sustainability:

The financial model of the CHD is suggested as follows:

• Free listing for all Catalyst-submitted hubs .
• Listing fee for non-Catalyst hubs.
• Subscription services for advanced platform features, analytics and member onboarding.
• 6-months free services for Catalyst-funded hubs.

The aim is that fees go towards paying for the maintenance and growth of the hub network, with the platform eventually being managed by the hubs themselves.

This has the added benefit of incentivizing Catalyst participation and new member onboarding.

[FEASIBILITY]

Roadmap: (After successful funding)

First 30 Days:

• Key roles identified and hired.
• Website landing page launched
• Platform design & specifications created.

3 months:

• UX design and journey-mapping.
• 3rd-party software purchases.
• Configuration & testing phase.

6 months:

• MVP launched.
• Feedback gathered for improvements.
• Catalyst Phase II proposal for custom build.

Main deliverable and outcome:

An online community platform for all hubs to list their location and services.

Budget:

• Team fees: Project management $6000
• UX design consultant: Wire frames, mockups and user-journey mapping of Community Hub onboarding. $3000
• Community manager (6 months): Managing the social media channels. Listing, onboarding and daily engagement with hub network. $3600
• Platform costs: $5000
• Developer fees: Implementation of UX design into a self-onboarding process. Integration of 3rd-party tools with the platform. $7000
• Website & Marketing: $4000
• Branding & Design: $400

Total: $28000

Core Team & Roles:

Josh F - Project Lead + Global Lead @ Wada

Funded proposer and challenge setter, active Catalyst member since Fund 2, stakepool operator, Catalyst conference host, hub builder and DeFi enthusiast. 

https://linkedin.com/in/joshfielding

Mercy - Coordination Lead @ Wada

Has a combined 25+ years' experience in Project Management and Engagement (West Africa, Canada) Healthcare (UK, Canada) and brings a wealth of experience and passion to this project. Mercy is responsible for WADA coordination, and building partnerships.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mercy-tachie-menson-77b10931/

Richmond Oppong - Marketing & Design Lead @ Wada

Richmond is a graphic designer with over 10 years of experience in logo designs, print and poster designs, business card designs, 3D signage, and mounting billboards. He holds a Higher National Diploma in Graphic Design from Takoradi Polytechnic, Takoradi-Ghana. Richmond is a blockchain enthusiast and is actively part of the Cardano project catalyst community.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/richmond-oppong-054689b4

Daniel Dezu - Website Lead @ Wada

Daniel is a Front End web developer. He holds Bachelors of Science in Information Technology from Bluecrest College and Professional Diploma in Software Engineering from IPMC Ghana. He is passionate about Cloud computing, Cyber Security and Decentralized Applications. He was a Community Advisor in Catalyst fund 7 and Catalyst Challenge Team Lead for ‘Scale-UP Cardano’s Community Hubs’ challenge settings for fund 8. He envisioned using Blockchain Technology to bridge the gap between human capabilities and machine learning (AI & IoT).

https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-david-lezu-7ba04b24/

+ Wada hub network https://wada.org/about-us

Main Stakeholder: Wada (https://wada.org)

Relevant Partner(s):

• Catalyst Swarm (https://catalystswarm.com/)

[AUDITABILITY]

Key Metrics:

• Number of hubs onboarded
• Number of hubs actively using platform (updates monthly)
• % Catalyst-funded hubs onboarded
• Total data points gathered
• Social media engagement metrics
• Website traffic metrics
• Number of countries with hubs listed

What success looks like:

• All Catalyst-funded hubs listed and profiled within 6 months of launch.
• 50 hubs onboarded in 2023.
• At least one hub in every country listed by 2025.

Affiliated Proposals:

• Cardano Information Kiosk:
• https://cardano.ideascale.com/c/idea/396546
• Grow Wada, Grow Cardano:
• https://cardano.ideascale.com/c/idea/396574

Past Proposals (Funded):

• Cardano Mobile Hubs:
• https://cardano.ideascale.com/c/idea/381001
• Local Community Centers:
• https://cardano.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Local-Centers-in-West-Africa/340029-48088
• Planting Roots in Africa:
• https://cardano.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Planting-Roots-in-Africa/366767-48088

Extra Resources:

• Hubs as a environmental mechanism for coordinating the work of independent actors, both physically and virtually.
• https://wiki.p2pfoundation.net/Stigmergy
• AirBnb UX case study:
• https://uxdesign.cc/how-airbnb-drives-users-actions-with-their-landing-page-design-a-ux-analysis-d99effa9f536
• Examples of user-generated maps:
• https://www.fruitmap.org/
• https://findaspring.com/map/

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Interested in contributing or partnering? Get in touch today by contacting josh@wada.org