Partnet.co

PARTNET.CO

ALESSANDRO CASCIARO

A dream you dream alone is only a dream.

A dream you dream together is reality.

John Lennon

ABSTRACT This work is based on the need to deepen the universe of internet and to solve the problem of remote collaborations. It starts from a temporal contextualisation, examining the historical moment we are going through, analysing the issues and trying to give a solution. From this was born Partnet, acronym of Partners Network, an online platform that allows different types of users to work together, grow and realise their ideas.

INDEX 0

Introduction

6

1 .1 .2 .3

The Problem The (new) Urbanisation Drama Reverse Urbanization in the Digital Era What others are doing

10 11 13 15

2 .1 .2 .3 .4 .5 .6 .7 .8

The Way Forward How the idea was born Changing the world step-by-step The Structure of Partnet The Matchmaking System Creating a project Working in a team Financing a project The tools for companies

24 25 27 28 34 38 42 45 47

3 .1 .2 .3

Testing and Feedbacks Field Test Testimonials Conclusions

54 55 56 58

References Iconography Acknowledgements

60 61 62

INTRODUCTION

6

CHAPTER 0 — INTRODUCTION

The Internet provides us with a myriad of opportunities and inspirations. We are now living in a connected world which allows to meet people around the world, listening to their stories, learning new things and keeping up with the times.

The internet is a privilege that our predecessors did not have but that should be exploited with care and with prudence. If in fact it has a series of benefits, on the other hand we must say that every day we come across its limits, ranging from aspects such as copyright and the abandonment of real and physical society.

Web 2.0 allowed users to interact and collaborate with each other through social media dialogue as creators of user-generated content in a virtual community. The transition to the Web 3.0 the spread of broadband and the implementation of technologies and devices marked an important historical passage: the data era.

Despite all this, we often come across a wall, which makes us look like the Internet as a non-reality, like a world invented and that does not really exist.

Some places, such as large cities, allow many people to have a better chance of succeeding with their projects and allow them to create strong networks. In contrast to this, peripheral areas and small towns are often isolated 7

CHAPTER 0 — INTRODUCTION

from any kind of innovation.

Everyone has different needs and missions and in today’s reality we must unfortunately always be in the right place at the right time. What this project wants to do is to eradicate this belief and allow everyone to have equal opportunities, whether they live in New York or in the farthest suburbs. The only things they will need are good ideas and an internet connection.

Partnet brings you a new ecosystem. This is the place where you can find and build your next chance, where the design thinking and the freedom has no limits.

Showcasing and developing a project, joining online challenges and workshops. Discovering opportunities from top companies. Building a sensational network and improving knowledge and skills. These are some of the opportunities that Partnet offers.

8

CHAPTER 0 — INTRODUCTION

9

THE PROBLEM

10

CHAPTER 1 — THE PROBLEM

.1 THE (NEW) URBANISATION DRAMA Life these days is fast. Fast does not mean that we just manage to get over the obstacles that yesterday seemed insurmountable. But also that things change quickly and we have to adapt.

01. Singapore in becoming one of the most crowded city of Asia

Following the various stages of industrialisation, Europe has experienced a process of urbanization that has led many to leave the countryside and rural lifestyle to seek fortune in big cities. This process involved not only farmers, labourers and other small professions, but also their children, who saw that escape as a glimmer of light that could one day prune them into a bright future.

11

CHAPTER 1 — THE PROBLEM

But unfortunately, it’s not always gold that glitters.

Recent studies have shown that the overwhelming majority of those born in a particular social class are unlikely to make the leap to a better-off class. For this reason, together with a strong sense of discrimination against the weakest niches (as well as fear of them), our ancestors have experienced difficult times in their migratory movements.

If we think that these processes are linked only to the past millennium, it means that we are living our lives ignoring the great change taking place, with the total emptying of small urban centres in favour of the giant metropolis, lighthouses in the open sea that seem to offer the only answers to the questions of life and hope in young people.

We are living a new process of urbanisation, much more tragic and animated than those we read about in the history books. In the past, we simply moved from the suburbs to the big cities. That’s not all we see today.

It’s a process that leads to moving from the South of the World to the North of the World. Hundreds, if not thousands of young people every day with their backpacks on their shoulders and their dreams leave in search of fortune to New York that are talked about so much and of which so much public opinion has always been infatuated.

12

CHAPTER 1 — THE PROBLEM

A phenomenon in contrast, however, is gaining ground in China, where for 40 years we have witnessed the process that led to move to large urban centres, while now it seems that 70% of them are willing to return to their places of origin and open their businesses.

This is the process of #ReverseUrbanisation.

.2 REVERSE URBANISATION IN THE DIGITAL ERA It often happens that small urban centres have a low presence of young people in them, who have instead decided to go to study or work in larger cities and rich in opportunities.

Suburbs are becoming increasingly empty of resources, of appeal and, in a sense, of life. This is happening at a time when demand for cities like Milan is growing faster and faster, with rental prices rising exponentially from year to year.

While it is true that large cities offer many more opportunities, we must consider the higher costs incurred in living in those environments and the timing in which we consider moving: not because there are more opportunities this means that we will be able to exploit them, all the more so in a saturated environment and with an ultra-competitive market.

13

CHAPTER 1 — THE PROBLEM

To the damage of having abandoned our past, we could also add the mockery of having tried and failed.

02. Brooklyn Bridge Park

We are constantly hearing that the Internet allows us to break down borders and to be, in a certain sense, omnipresent. But then why is this reasoning not applied in reality? Maybe because we are not yet ready for #RemoteWorking, maybe because there are still no solutions to break down the wall to work at a distance.

But it is precisely on this that we should invest, on creating the means and the connections to allow this generational shift to take place and really materialise in years, not decades.

14

CHAPTER 1 — THE PROBLEM

A work-in-the-office working environment: it is based on the concept that work does not need to be done just inside a company building, but it can also be carried out in a more sociable environment, such as in a bar, in a coworking space or at home.

Think of it this way: instead of commuting to office, remote employees can execute their projects and surpass their goals wherever they please. People have the flexibility to design their own personal space and personal lives.

There has been a cultural paradigm shift in what society has to be an appropriate workplace - and remote work has been capitalised off of that newfound freedom.

.3 WHAT OTHERS ARE DOING Observing the other online realities that surround us and that have developed solutions for individual problems is a key step in this process. Very often we do not use all-in-one systems because we prefer to have the freedom to choose. On the other hand, it happens that many services are not compatible with others, that there is confusion and that people have to learn to use a myriad of tools at the same time.

The following analysis is intended to bring out what 15

CHAPTER 1 — THE PROBLEM

are the strengths of the most popular platforms and highlight the weaknesses.

03. LinkedIn Homepage

LinkedIn is a valuable resource for career and business professionals to network; obtain resources and support; and build relationships with potential customers, clients, and partners. It’s ideal for home-based business owners, freelancers, and telecommuters, as it can help them build their business and career, as well as stay connected to the outside world.

LinkedIn allows you to: • Have an online resume and a business card where potential customers, customers and joint venture 16

CHAPTER 1 — THE PROBLEM

partners can get to know and connect with you • Get online approvals and tips for your skills and professional character.

• Get presentations for potential customers, customers and colleagues.

Search for available job offers placed on the LinkedIn website by members. Although you can search the Web for jobs via LinkedIn, the big advantage is that many jobs are exclusive to LinkedIn: they are not advertised elsewhere. These posts are often required to have one or more LinkedIn tips. In addition, there is a possibility that someone within your LinkedIn network already works there or knows someone who does, increasing the chances of an interview.

Join various groups that align with your interests and participate in discussions. Having a group in common with another LinkedIn user is one way you can invite others to your network. Each group discussion contains its own work lists. It’s also a place where you can share your expertise and build the trust and relationship you need to cultivate new customers.

One of the main negative points of LinkedIn is the fact that many people send invitations and require to connect to the network just to make a number (and therefore potentially have more job opportunities), but 17

CHAPTER 1 — THE PROBLEM

without creating that true and genuine contact. Another disadvantage is that there is no possibility to create work groups and / or to share ideas (LinkedIn does not allow to publish posts and protected content, which many users complain about). This often leads to not encouraging people to share their thoughts for feedback and opinions. On the contrary, it leads to simply sharing one’s own successes and experiences. We get directly to the point, without talking about how we got there.

04. Project overview — The Dots website

The Dots is a new interesting platform which allows to creatives and artists to showcase their work and receive visibility.

That is what The Dots is all about: connecting, supporting and championing the people, teams and companies that make ideas happen.

18

CHAPTER 1 — THE PROBLEM

A positive fact is that it allows many companies to share job offers, but at the same time it does not allow companies to search for creators according to preestablished filters or parameters, but only by browsing through the showcase of published projects.

Among the main deficiencies of the site, there is also that of not being able to interact directly with the creators of the projects, but only to admire the finished work. In addition, the site does not allow you to create your own network with which you can then collaborate later, but only to follow the creators that you admire.

05. Finding an interesting connection is very simple in Shapr

Shapr is a platform born perhaps from the lines of Tinder, which allows you to meet stimulating people, 19

CHAPTER 1 — THE PROBLEM

freelancers, creative people, etc. according to their interests and to be able to interact with them, to discuss, have feedback or simply to take a look at the educational and professional path of other users.

The negative effects are similar to those of Tinder: in the workplace, we tend to add as many people as possible, creating weak and unproductive connections.

In addition, unlike the same app, there is not an offline meeting, but only to communicate offline, without the ability to exchange their contacts.

06. The user experience in Slack

Slack is probably the most popular platform for remote work teams and freelancers. It allows you to 20

CHAPTER 1 — THE PROBLEM

create channels and work groups, to solve the age-old problem of receiving too many emails and speeding up communication. It is very intuitive and can be used both as a web-app and downloaded directly to your computer or smartphone.

On the other hand, it allows you to share space only with your colleagues and you can not search for external people to expand your team. It is a closed ecosystem therefore, made for established groups.

Moreover, although it has the ability to implement different plugins, such as Google Docs and Drive, it does not allow you to contact other members in a call / video call, but only to chat with text messages.

07. Course details in Docety

Docety is a web platform dedicated to face-to-face 21

CHAPTER 1 — THE PROBLEM

online training. Through it you can do lectures and interactive live seminars directly with the teacher chosen by you, agreeing with him the day, time and topic. If this is not enough, you can also contact him directly through the internal messaging system.

If the fact of having a teacher all to yourself is certainly a point in favour of the platform, on the bad side you lose the sense of community and mutual help between students, who do not have the opportunity to compare, exchange materials or express their views on various issues.

22

CHAPTER 1 — THE PROBLEM

23

THE WAY FORWARD

24

CHAPTER 2 — THE WAY FORWARD

.1 HOW THE IDEA WAS BORN The mission of this project will be to start from the needs that we see, both from a technological point of view, with an eye to the previously described platforms, and to the lack of human feeling, that every good remore working platform should have. It serves to remind us that, although we can live on the other side of the world, with a timezone opposite to that of one of our tellers, we are still human beings.

08. Partnet Logo represents an anthropomorphic stain of ink

Partnet will not be a simple revolution.

Partnet will try to be the revolution. The revolution of those who want to break down all barriers. The revolution of those who struggle every day for a better state of life. The revolution of those who have a myriad of ideas and dreams that they would like to achieve.

25

CHAPTER 2 — THE WAY FORWARD

Because the world changes one step at a time, and we should do our best in order to leave it a little better than what we found.

Partnet was a project that, in one way or another, I’ve been bringing in for a long time. Having started working since the time of my Bachelor’s degree, I noticed several gaps and problems in what I was doing.

09. My stay at Seoul Institute of the Arts in 2018

I often had trouble finding the right people at the right time to throw simple ideas that I had in mind. Also the fact that I don’t have any funds to invest (which is quite common for a student) contributed to being a wall.

From a business point of view, however, I can say that the relationships of a graphic designer with his customers are not always idyllic. It is difficult to reach agreements and be respected when, in a way, you are nobody. And for this reason, it happened that some 26

CHAPTER 2 — THE WAY FORWARD

people did not pay, tried to find excuses, delay with payments or forced me to make continuous changes (not provided for in the agreements).

So, when I had the opportunity to study in South Korea, precisely at the Seoul Institute of the Arts, and to interface with other people and students in the same conditions as myself, thanks to ZUYD, I realised that this project could have a follow-up.

So I chose the name Partnet, from the union of the words Partners + Network. It wants to be more than just a platform. What I intend to do is show how, from my point of view, things should work in an optimal (or supposedly optimal) world.

.2 CHANGING THE WORLD STEP-BY-STEP In the development of the idea I have interfaced with various problems, both at the bureaucratic/legislative level (which I will explain later) and at the level of human relations. Not living in a nation-world, things work differently here and there. And also the habits and cultures of different peoples have been a real challenge to the birth of the project. What I am going to present then takes into account these issues. My role as designer is trying to give a remedy both temporarily and in the long term.

27

CHAPTER 2 — THE WAY FORWARD

The system developed takes into account the needs that the co-workers at a distance have developed over the years, especially when in distance relationships. The final objective is to present a model that can work and that allows to break down the wall that there is between local work and distance work.

.3 THE STRUCTURE OF PARTNET Partnet is a web platform, available from both desktop and mobile through easy-to-navigate apps. It is designed for every kind of creative, designer, artist, but also for developers and entrepreneurs.

10. Partnet Homepage

It consists of a HOME, which allows you to reach the main links and the other sections, search for Featured Projects, check out your Newsfeed and take a look at workshops and events according to your interests.

28

CHAPTER 2 — THE WAY FORWARD

11. Partnet Discover Section

The second section is called DISCOVER. You can find projects, attend workshops, events & challenges, connect with new people or you may look for a patron to finance a personal project.

12. Partnet Projects Section

The third section of the site is the PROJECTS section you will find the works you are attending and following.

Creating a project is simple. Just follow the wizard in 29

CHAPTER 2 — THE WAY FORWARD

which to enter the project name, type, insert a short bio, upload an image and, if present, the initial files to share with other contributors. Finally, you can insert the members of the project in two different ways: by inviting them by email, if they are not yet registered to the site, or by adding them by selecting TEAM. In the latter way, all members of a previously created team will be included. In case a TEAM has not been created yet, it will be essential to do so, to allow everyone to get to know the other members, understand their tasks and take a look at the formal skills and soft skills.

13. Teams Section is closely related to the Projects one

The TEAMS section is closely linked to the PROJECTS section, but it is not dependent: you can have teams working on different projects and collaborating on challenges of others. The idea is to give users the opportunity not only to add friends or people with whom they have already worked / are already in contact, 30

CHAPTER 2 — THE WAY FORWARD

but to search through the advanced search system for new members, who fill gaps and give their contribution in the work to be developed. In fact, when you select the type of project, the site automatically generates the roles provided for the different tasks (mandatory) and those that are optional and recommended.

14. Workshops

In the WORKSHOP section you can search for courses held by teachers, other professionals or companies operating in various sectors. Within the tile of each workshop there are information about it, the cost (when applicable), the possibility or not to obtain a certificate, the number of participants, the libraries that will be shared and the times at which it will be held. Through the gamification mechanism, users participating in the workshops receive a temporary badge (or permanent badge if it is an official event of the platform or a company that supports it) that appears in their profile.

31

CHAPTER 2 — THE WAY FORWARD

15. Events

The EVENT section, similar to the workshop section, allows you to follow presentations, conferences and live webinars in which the presenter exposes a topic or intends to present his own project / work.

16. Workshop means Learning by Doing

The main difference with the WORKSHOP is the type of relationship that is created with the participant. The WORKSHOP aims to involve the user directly in the activity, teaching him something. The EVENT, on the other hand, has more the prerogative of giving creative ideas. The user has anyway (if foreseen) the possibility to ask some questions to which the presenter will be able to answer at the end of the event.

32

CHAPTER 2 — THE WAY FORWARD

17. Patrons make possible to fund projects. In the pic, the Patrons Global Council in Basel

In the PATRON section you have the possibility to concretely seek financial support from organisations, institutions or other users. It includes calls for tenders in which companies can include those that are their needs and allocate funds to find a solution to a problem they have. At the same time, the section allows you to open your own crowdfunding that through small prizes encourages backers to finance their project and work.

The FELLOWS section takes its cue from the coupling system of platforms such as TINDER, in which taking a quick look at photos, interests and experiences, allows you to find new links and to dialogue or

18. Fellows

33

CHAPTER 2 — THE WAY FORWARD

exchange point of views with people far away. It’s also a great opportunity not only to make new friends, but to get quick feedback from people who hear about a project for the first time.

.4 THE MATCHMAKING SYSTEM The strength of the platform, which distinguishes it most from other competitors, is the adoption of a system of matchmaking that allows teams to incorporate the missing members that best suit them.

19. The Matchmaking System

It is not only based on the knowledge and skills of individuals, but also tends to choose new components on a personal and character basis. A team, to be solid, needs the right synergies and the right pace to work well. For this reason, such an advanced system is 34

CHAPTER 2 — THE WAY FORWARD

necessary if you do not want to break up a team by constantly looking for replacements.

For example, a young team would require someone with good leadership and experience, whether it is the designer or the developer. Overlarging a group and overloading it with components is not always the right choice, as members, especially for newborn projects, should always feel at the centre of a “microdemocracy”.

.4.1 THE RADAR Emotional and character attributes are included within a radar, which allows you to visually show what are the strengths and weaknesses of a person.

20. The 8 points of the Radar

35

CHAPTER 2 — THE WAY FORWARD

Having examined one of the most famous personality tests, Jung Typology for Team Building, and having had exchanges of opinion and comparisons with some psychologists, they were classified into 8 labels: 1. Leadership - a process of social influence, which maximises the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal 2. Communication - the ability to make oneself understood and to express one’s opinions, even in a foreign language 3. Experience - the cultural background acquired during the course of its growth and the intuition that has resulted from it 4. Knowledges - the technical and cultural knowledge that have been gained through study and one’s own experience 5. Self-Control - the ability to control oneself, in particular one’s emotions and desires, especially in difficult situations 6. Sociability - the relative tendency or disposition to be sociable or associate with one’s fellows 7. Empathy - awareness of the feelings and emotions of other people 8. Adaptability - the personality trait that helps determine how you respond to change. High adaptability equals more business success and better chance of setting up the team spirit 36

CHAPTER 2 — THE WAY FORWARD

.4.2 SURVEYS AND DATA PROCESSING To analyse the characteristics and skills of users, the platform proposes to put them surveys to draw their information and to frame them in the perspective of teamwork. The surveys have been developed with the help of some psychologists who have shown that there is a need to obtain some important skills if you want to allow the platform to be more than just an aggregator of people. Surveys are not mandatory, but users are encouraged to conduct them from time to time, both for their own good - to better understand their strengths and weaknesses and allow them to be at ease in a team - and for other users, so that teams can be balanced and that there are no further barriers between components.

Surveys also allow companies to obtain important information for recruitment or temporary collaboration.

The platform also does not reveal the answers given, but stops to analyse them and give scores from 1 to 10 in the various areas of the radar. This solution is essential to maintain the trust that users have in Partnet and not to break any GDPR rules.

.4.3 FIND A MEMBER To look for a new member for the team, the owners of the projects have two options, which are: 37

CHAPTER 2 — THE WAY FORWARD

1. Simple search - it is based exclusively on the technical characteristics of the users and provides the basic information they have provided to the site, such as age, background, spoken languages, education and experience. Adding a member through the simple search is free and quite straightforward.

2. Advanced search - it adds to the information of the simple search the information that the platform has gathered through surveys and other important information that users have communicated to the site, such as preferences and reviews that users have received from other colleagues. This option, which is recommended if you really want to create a team in tune, involves signing a 4,99 â‚Ź monthly plan.

.5 CREATING A PROJECT When creating a project, the user is provided with a guided entry tool, which allows them to enter all the necessary and essential information that allows other team members to be aligned as well.

21. Project Summary

38

CHAPTER 2 — THE WAY FORWARD

• Project Name • Project Type - The project category (design, art, video, literature, architecture, fashion, photography, environment, social sphere, etc.)

• Project Overview - Description of the project, deliverables, realistic deadline and outline the list of do’s and don’ts • Project Goals - The project goals clearly and the priorities for each of them • Competitors Map - This tool allow to the users to set visually their competitor and to understand the brand in context • Positioning - A map will help them to decide where they would like to position their brand so they can stand out from competitors • Files - In this space the admin and the members can share every important file, so everyone is updated on the project status

.5.1 ONLINE PUBLISHING Publishing a project online is an operation that allows the team to receive visibility, follow-up and opinions from other users. This action can be carried out for both nascent and established projects.

When publishing online, you need to keep in mind which type of sharing you want to select: 39

CHAPTER 2 — THE WAY FORWARD

1. Open - this type allows anyone, whether registered or not, to view the project, the members and the progress that has been made and makes it accessible to all materials that have been made public 2. Only members - unlike the open type, only members of the site will have access to the information that the project has shared 3. Knock on the door - in this case, only members who have been provided with the token to access the project will be able to learn more about the materials and information. This very restrictive typology is ideal for projects where there is a fear that ideas may be stolen or copied and allows the team to work in secrecy

.5.2 FEEDBACKS When a project is published, the team has the opportunity to make available the Feedback section, through which other users can give their opinion and try to advance the project even if they have not been directly involved.

However, not all members have the opportunity to comment and make their opinions public. Partnet aims to be a safe place, where spammers have difficult lives.

They must first reach a certain level (set by the project owners) in order to have this opportunity: 40

CHAPTER 2 — THE WAY FORWARD

• Tier 0 - are all members of the site • Tier 1 - users who have verified their account by providing a valid proof of identity • Tier 2 - verified users who have published a project or provided feedback to other users • Tier 3 - companies and advanced users

.5.3 COPYRIGHT As far as copyright is concerned, it should be noted that, being a European project, the European Union’s copyright laws apply to it. The site will not appropriate in any way the ideas of users and will try to protect them, providing them with assistance and advice on how to best protect their creations and ideas.

When creating a project, you are asked to submit to the site a form, signed by the owner of the project, indicating the name of the project, type and the necessary information. This first step allows you to deposit a valid certificate to the site that can then be forwarded to a patent office. This operation is indiscreet of the owners of the work and Partnet has the sole purpose of acting as an intermediary to speed up and exemplify the process for the granting of the patent.

What is recommended to users, at least in the first phase of projects, is not to make them public if there is 41

CHAPTER 2 — THE WAY FORWARD

a serious possibility of theft of intellectual property. But only later, once progress has been made and the help of external users through feedback or opinions is deemed necessary, to open the project.

.6 WORKING IN A TEAM When you are going to work with unknown people, it can be a problem to create the right understanding and a certain feeling. For this reason, an ideal platform should not only provide the most advanced tools for editing documents, creating presentations or exchanging materials, but should also put the human problem as its main task.

22. Building a solid team with strangers is not always easy

To develop such an ecosystem in the best possible way, we need to start from what people know and feel 42

CHAPTER 2 — THE WAY FORWARD

is familiar, developing a system that is not only userfriendly, but also user-centred. This is the biggest barrier that the research has analysed and to which we want to give a concrete answer.

23. Google Keep

First of all, having examined Google Keep, it was possible to see that the use of shared boards, which allow users to arrange materials, quotations, links or simple images, makes the tool similar to what would be a shared table in the digital context. It is therefore essential that users belonging to the same team be allowed to share all kinds of thoughts and files, both those properly related to the simple drafts or references that they found on the Internet.

The board that has been developed incorporates some 43

CHAPTER 2 — THE WAY FORWARD

of the ideas and ideas that the major services, such as Google Doc, Slack and Skype allow you to do, but in an independent and isolated way. The creation of a platform that allows users to do as much as possible in the same ecosystem was a step forward.

24. An example of shared team board

Within the shared board you can then upload and create texts, concept maps, progress ladders, add notes and sketches, draw up a sitography essential for the project, attack coloured memos and much more. All this, made as similar as possible to a physical object that gives the idea of existing tactically. But not only that. Parallel to the board, there is the possibility to chat and make group video calls with other teammates, always facing the work that has been developed, without having to resort to external services.

44

CHAPTER 2 — THE WAY FORWARD

.6.1 FROM PROJECT TO STARTUP The ecosystem wants to create the basis for a lasting, healthy and efficient collaboration that allows groups with brilliant ideas to launch their projects and/or create real startups.

In this process, Partnet offers to assist and lead teams by providing them with useful advice and templates of contracts and confidentiality agreements. It will be useful in the future to associate a specific person to this area of interest, who may be interested in 360 degrees from the creation and development of the startups and who is the reference point for all within the site.

This process could later allow Partnet not only to become an aggregator of projects with useful tools, but a real small incubator, which has followed from the beginning the emergence of ideas until you get to a finished and aggressive project on the market.

.7 FINANCING A PROJECT A key feature is to allow teams to fund their own project, allowing them in a first phase to be able to pay for materials, do research and pay experts to help them realise their idea. To do this, the PATRON section was created. It allows you to submit a request to the site to 45

CHAPTER 2 — THE WAY FORWARD

place your project within the list of ideas looking for funding. When you submit a project you have to specify the goal you want to reach, what kind of users can make donations or invest, the expiration date and what kind of rewards to give based on the donations made.

25. Crowdfunding and Patronage cannot be played simultaneously

The financing of a project can essentially take place in two separate ways: • Crowdfunding - this type of product is suitable for products that require a small amount of money to be founded and that seek to involve users, even those outside the site, to make donations in exchange for rewards or pre-order a copy of a project.

• Patronage - this type is more suitable for projects that aim to become a real business and that seek to be 46

CHAPTER 2 — THE WAY FORWARD

observed and financed by other companies within the site, pre-selling a share of the future company.

Crowdfunding is allowed for any project. However, the Patronage option is reserved for those who submit a valid request, providing the site with as much information as possible, a business plan and the strategies they have developed.

It is essential that in such an environment, companies that want to invest in ideas feel protected by the quality of the projects (the ones have more chances to make progress in the future).

.8 THE TOOLS FOR COMPANIES The importance that companies have for such a project cannot be overlooked. If it is true that users have the chance to build teams and create projects together, it is necessary that they are also able to obtain job opportunities and collaboration from organisations and businesses.

.8.1 THE SEARCH FOR TALENTS The search for a talent for a company works in a similar way to that for the users of a team: it is always based on the system of matchmaking and is required the type of figure sought (designer, artist, videomaker, 47

CHAPTER 2 — THE WAY FORWARD

creative, etc..). To do this, companies must subscribe to a Premium Plan, which also allows them to obtain additional information, such as responses to surveys, view the Radar and details of a subscriber’s education and experience. The research also allows you to compare two users, considering different skills, the projects they are developing and their activities on the website.

When a company declares to be interested in a member, it can send a proposal for work or collaboration. In the first case, the site acts exclusively as an intermediary and allows the two parties to communicate. In the second case, Partnet requires the company to establish the tasks, compensation and working conditions. The platform will also continue to follow the relationship between the two actors, to ensure transparency to both parties and obtain reports during the period of collaboration.

.8.2 SMART CONTRACTS When the company and the user agree to collaborate (for a fixed period of time or not), they are required to enter into and sign a Smart Contract.

A Smart Contract is the “translation” of a contract into code in order to automatically verify the fulfilment of certain conditions (control of the basic data of the 48

CHAPTER 2 — THE WAY FORWARD

contract) and to automatically perform actions (or make provision for the execution of certain actions) when the conditions determined between the parties are reached and verified. In other words, the Smart Contract is based on a code that “reads� both the clauses that have been agreed upon and the operating conditions in which the agreed conditions must be met, and it automatically performs itself when the data referring to the real situations correspond to the data referring to the agreed conditions and clauses.

Simplifying, Smart Contract needs legal support for its drafting, but does not need it for its verification and activation. They refers to standards of behaviour and access to certain services and is made available, accepted and implemented as a form of development of traditional services and without it being necessarily expressed that it is a Smart Contract.

26. Oliver Hart, Nobel Prize in Economics, on smart contracts linked to the blockchain

49

CHAPTER 2 — THE WAY FORWARD

Oliver Hart, Nobel Prize 2016 in Economics on smart contracts, admitted that this new evolution allowed by the blockchain could be an indispensable tool in the next world of work. It is no coincidence that many countries are moving in this direction, deepening the theme of the blockchain and how there is a need for a transparent system, clear and that simplifies the relationship between the parties in the workplace.

Partnet therefore intends to adopt this new technology, to ensure that the parties have a solid and clear working relationship. In addition, when a smart contract is entered into, the platform acts as an intermediary to supervise operations and provide support when necessary. 2% is then deducted from the transaction, as a management cost and to contribute to the site’s financial statements.

.8.3 HACKATHLON AND CONTESTS Another very useful tool for companies is the Hackathlons and Contests. Very often companies need to develop small ideas and solve problems. These can be met by the creative and the new generations, who have a unique point of view and can increase their visibility and improve their mindset.

The Hackathlons start out as real marathons of variable 50

CHAPTER 2 — THE WAY FORWARD

duration, which can range from 6 hours up to 3 days.

Through these activities, companies can try not only to solve some tasks and needs, but also test the members with a view to a future recruitment or collaboration.

The companies then put the guidelines and all the information needed to achieve a goal, so that the teams that will be formed can always have a clear direction in which to go. They do not necessarily have to be part of an already formed team, but they can join temporary teams, created exclusively for that occasion. In addition, the company, as in the case of the Contests, must explain what will be the awards to be awarded and on what criteria and timing will be selected winning teams.

All the results obtained, regardless of whether they are part of the group of winners, will become property of the company that started the program.

27. Hackathlons will allow to test also the new teams

51

CHAPTER 2 — THE WAY FORWARD

The Contests work in a similar way to the Hackathlon competitions. They always start from a company that has to enter the information and problems it wants to solve. But unlike marathons, there is no need for users to participate in teams. They can also work independently. Contests will have a deadline set by the company and will be able to choose if the outputs will have to go through a first selection.

.8.4 PRICE TABLE In addition to variable costs, such as those related to transactions executed within the platform, companies will necessarily have to subscribe to monthly plans to join the platform.

At the moment, the initial plans that have been chosen are 3, with different characteristics depending on the needs of the company: 1. Basic Plan - 9 € a month - (company page, events and workshops) 2. Premium Plan - 19 € a month -(Basic Plan + the use of matchmaking to find talents) 3. Platinum Plan - 29 € a month - (Premium Plan + more visibility when a workshop/event/challenge is published, live event option in the home section, ADVs) 52

CHAPTER 2 — THE WAY FORWARD

53

TESTING AND FEEDBACKS

54

CHAPTER 3 — TESTING AND FEEDBACKS

.1 FIELD TEST Through a series of tests that were carried out in June, it was possible to file and improve some features of the platform, as well as solve some concerns. Five potential users of the platform were involved, some locally and others remotely.

First of all, everyone explicitly reported that a similar platform should be based on a user-friendly and mobile-first design. From some recent surveys, in fact, the Millennials, which are the main target for Partnet, prefer sites that have a well done smartphone user experience, and not just a simple “translation� of the desktop version. Further work was therefore needed on the mobile version of the platform and the possibility of developing a proprietary app was also considered.

A second point that was widely discussed was that of prices for simple users. If in the first place it was thought to make the platform completely free to members, it was noted that it would not be correct to allow everyone to use advanced matchmaking systems.

Companies could abuse this opportunity by creating user profiles and avoiding monthly plans.

It was therefore necessary to develop two different user packages, as described in chapter 2, paragraph 4.3.

55

CHAPTER 3 — TESTING AND FEEDBACKS

28. CodePen.io is based on the dark-mode

At the interface level, however, some details about the icons and the menu bar have been perfected. The lightcoloured impact of the platform convinced the testers but it was also requested to develop later a dark-mode for the site, especially for developers, along the lines of CodePen.io.

.2 TESTIMONIALS Expert opinions on the development of business environments and companies that would benefit from a similar ecosystem were also considered in the development of the platform.

Davide Sirago, CEO of the Italian startup Carepy, expressed his appreciation for the idea of Partnet.

According to him, in fact, many startups often have the 56

CHAPTER 3 — TESTING AND FEEDBACKS

need to fill some holes and to search more effectively for new employees at a distance. The possibility of launching contests also solves an essential problem nowadays: very often, small companies do not have enough funds to solve problems and unforeseen events, and they often have to rely on expensive experts, who do not always manage to make the quality / price ratio satisfactory. Allowing such online bids to be launched would not only solve these problems, but would also allow us to consider working with a new member of the team.

Massimiliano Mauro, an experienced UX/UI designer who works closely with some of the most important Italian companies, admitted that nowadays there is still no hook that connects companies and potential new recruits. In addition to platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, there is a need for companies to show their message and their corporate identity. Allowing courses and events to be launched online would benefit both companies and users, who could intensify their ties with their businesses. From the point of view of the interface, there are some steps forward (to simplify some sections of the site), but the start has been good and the road will be downhill.

Lennard Everwien, a lead member of Launchbase Maastricht, has been involved in the project since 2018 57

CHAPTER 3 — TESTING AND FEEDBACKS

and has allowed it to move forward and overcome a few hurdles, such as the corporate structure, the message that Partnet wants to communicate to users and the strategies to be adopted in the market. Partnet’s idea was immediately welcomed with enthusiasm by the Launchbase community, and we hope that the project can be founded, allowing many young students and entrepreneurs in Limburg to realize winning projects and ideas.

.3 CONCLUSIONS The idea of Partnet was born as a challenge and as a need that I felt inside. The progress that has been made in the last year, thanks to the possibility of doing an internship at Inarea, has allowed me to often interface with both companies and potential end users, receiving their feedback but also various stimulus.

The contributions that came from both the testimonials and those of some users, allowed the project to be more critical (and sometimes cynical). A user-centred platform cannot but consider the importance that stakeholders have because they are the first judges and the first interested.

The road we want to follow now is to continue to develop the project, solving the criticalities and problems that 58

CHAPTER 3 — TESTING AND FEEDBACKS

will come, and try to launch it by the end of 2019, thanks to the collaboration with some companies that have taken an interest in it and the emerging work team that is forming.

59

REFERENCES 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

[https://medium.com/iced-facility/urbanisation-in-a-digital-world-theimportance-of-cities-37bc13d379b2] [https://blog.nature.org/science/2016/03/10/why-stopping-urbanizationimpossible-misses-environmental-point-cities-conservation/] [https://www.liquidplanner.com/blog/11-ways-build-strengths-teammembers/] [https://www.hrpersonality.com/resources/jung-typology-for-teambuilding] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0\_yKBitO8M] [http://www.engagetu.com/2017/09/07/top-five-leadership-personalitytests/] [https://www.discprofile.com/what-is-disc/overview/] [https://www.liquidplanner.com/blog/11-ways-build-strengths-teammembers/] [https://medium.com/making-bulb/the-principles-behind-bulbs-design8da5b07b5a06] [https://brilliant.org/] [https://remoteyear.com/blog/what-is-remote-work] [https://www.blockchain4innovation.it/mercati/legal/smart-contract/ blockchain-smart-contracts-cosa-funzionano-quali-gli-ambitiapplicativi/] [https://challengerocket.com/blog/online-recruitment-your-next-job-iswithin-arms-reach.html]

60

ICONOGRAPHY 1. Singapore in becoming one of the most crowded city of Asia 2. Brooklyn Bridge Park 3. LinkedIn Homepage 4. Project overview — The Dots website 5. Finding an interesting connection is very simple in Shapr 6. The user experience in Slack 7. Course details in Docety 8. Partnet Logo represents an anthropomorphic stain of ink 9. My stay at Seoul Institute of the Arts in 2018 10. Partnet Homepage 11. Partnet Discover Section 12. Partnet Projects Section 13. Teams Section is closely related to the Projects one 14. Workshops 15. Events 16. Workshop means Learning by Doing 17. Patron makes possible to fund projects.

18. Fellows 19. The Matchmaking System 20. The 8 points of the Radar 21. Project Summary 22. Building a solid team with strangers is not always easy 23. Google Keep 24. An example of shared team board 25. Crowdfunding and Patronage cannot be played simultaneously 26. Oliver Hart, Nobel Prize in Economics, on smart contracts linked to the blockchain 27. Hackathlons will allow to test also the new teams 28. CodePen.io is based on the dark-mode

61

11 14 16 18 19 20 21 25 26 28 29 29 30 31 32 32 33 33 34 35 38 42 43 44 46 49 51 56

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I want to take this opportunity to thank all those who have been close to me and have contributed to the development of this project.

Thanks to my professors Liesje and Pablo, for helping me in writing the article and giving me precious feedbacks. I would also like to thank Naomi, Dirk, Andrea and Kristof for being with me and for having given a considerable help in their respective fields.

I can only say thank you to my family, to Margherita and to my friends for being by my side during all this journey and supporting me (often hearing my complaints and my despair).

Grazie!

62