We partnered with a DC-based GovCon advisory firm to create a website that’s as useful and engaging as their platform, while helping to tailor their new branding for the digital space.

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GovCon Advisory Firm

### Converting an Idea Into an Application

# GovCon Advisory Firm

After years spent working in the GovCon industry, the co-founders of a DC-based GovCon advisory firm had an idea to alleviate many of the frustrations they heard throughout the industry. They wanted to create a business intelligence tool that addressed users’ needs and filled the gaps left by many of the existing tools on the market. The only question was: How would they build it?

Unfortunately, the first tech company they hired focused more on scheduling billing dates than on actually building an effective tool. The tech company spent six months “developing” the tool, but the only result was a stack of invoices for “completed milestones.” 

Unsure they would ever see a working product from their initial developer, the co-founders reached out to us at Proof District. We took the time to consult with them and discuss their short-term objectives and long-term vision for the product and its role in their company’s overall growth strategy. 

#### 100%

Increase in annual subscription revenue since launch

#### 3X

Faster development from ideation to launch 

## What We Did

With this information in mind, we created a comprehensive roadmap for the product that prioritized features based on the customer's goals. Then, we got to work on the primary objective: developing and launching the application. Within two months, we’d taken their idea and created a working product. 

- Identified immediate needs and long-term goals
- Created a project roadmap
- Prioritized features based on the client’s objectives
- Developed and launched the initial product (MVP)
- Utilized an iterative process for feature development and enhancement
- Provided ongoing testing and improvement


>_Proof District saved our company's large-scale technology investments! The proprietors took a purposeful and dedicated design approach to developing the engagement, which was centered around our long-term goals and the needs of our users. Their project management tactics alleviated our administrative burden by tracking milestones, scheduling user testing, and implementing updates and new features. Their technologists are quick, professional, and simply know how to get the job done. Since their involvement with our product platform, we have doubled our annual subscription revenue. We cannot recommend them enough!_
>
>**Co-Founder**


## Outcomes

The product became the cornerstone of the company's highest subscription tier. Since its implementation in early 2020, it has significantly boosted user engagement and conversion, doubling the company's annual subscription revenue. Following implementation, we continued to work with the customer to optimize and refine Part9, adding features, implementing behind-the-scenes automation, and improving stability to facilitate long-term growth.

#### Customized Functionality

The product makes it easier for business owners to find available federal contracting opportunities. It’s a completely interactive tool that utilizes custom logic to pull information from government websites and display it in ways that make sense to business owners. Users can create custom searches based on a range of filters and then manipulate the results depending on which details are most important to them. We focused on creating a search platform that dramatically increased efficiency without reducing accuracy.

We started by building web scrapers that pulled data from publicly available sites and brought it into a database. We then created functionality that allowed the company to manipulate the data for its users. 

EXTRA_LINE

#### Feature Prioritization
We incorporated several features into the tool to give users control over how they search for and view opportunities. Feature examples include but are not limited to:
- Searching by a wide range of terms and keywords
- Filtering by status, source, set-aside, and other essential markers
- Viewing the full posting (all search results include a link to the original page)
- Exporting opportunities to Excel, text, or CSV
- Saving searches and creating customized lists of watched opportunities

#### Automated Administration

While much of our work on the application centered on creating an attractive and useful user interface, we also wanted to provide value directly to the company. As such, we focused on reducing the company’s internal administrative burden by developing efficient automation to drastically reduce the hands-on aspects of many outreach and marketing tasks.

We created an Admin Dashboard for the company and utilized the same web scrapers we built for the initial application. The scrapers populate the application database with information, and our automated tools allow the company to access that data and use it in tweets, newsletters, and other outreach mechanisms. By using our customized web scraper in a secondary application, we provided even more value to the application, giving direct benefits to the company as well as its clients. Our automation has dramatically reduced the amount of time that company staff spent spend searching for opportunities to share in emails, tweets, and updates. 

We believe that an iterative approach to development offers advantages to developers and their clients. Throughout the project, we applied the feedback we received to continuously improve the application, upgrading its functionality and reducing internal workload. In the end, we were able to quickly implement changes to improve functionality and user experience. Our focus on scalability and long-term viability has ensured that the product continues to be a valuable cornerstone of the company's subscription services.

Together, we developed a brand platform, visual identity, and website that showcases local music around the DC area.

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DC Music Live

### Transforming a Prototype into a Product

# DC Music Live

A year after their initial launch, the founders at DC Music Live had a consistent user base and were ready to bring new feature sets to their MVP. They had a ton of feedback from users and a long list of ideas for improving the application, but they weren’t sure which ideas to tackle first so they reached out to Proof.

First, we worked with them to define short-term objectives and long-term vision for the product. Using this information, we developed a comprehensive roadmap that grouped features into sets that could be tackled in a series of sprints. We also provided design support for these features, creating mockups that were then handed off to the DC Music Live developers.
 
With Proof’s assistance, DC Music Live transformed their MVP into a true minimum marketable product (MMP). Since launch, the application saw a 300% increase in session duration and 165,000 event interactions in the first month.


#### 300%

Increase in session duration since launch

#### 165,000

Interactions with local music events

## What We Did
Proof provided the following support throughout our engagement with DC Music Live:

- Developed the redesigned theme (look and feel)
- Prioritized features based on the client’s objectives
- Created a project roadmap with features segmented into releases
- Developed and launched the minimum marketable product (MMP)
- Identified objectives and key results (OKRs) for the MMP launch
- Provided recommendations for initial revenue generation


>_Working with Proof has been one of the most professional and influential partnerships we have ever had. Before throwing out design inspiration or putting any designs to paper, he helped us write OKRs to assess and focus-in on our key objectives. This process taught us a great deal about how to organize and prioritize ourselves and helped root ourselves in the high-impact work ahead. This clarity was equally essential in informing the designs he produced as well as our roadmap. Alex is a talented designer, continually asking for and iterating on feedback, and delivering outstanding work that aligns with our vision and goals._
>
>**Naomi-Grace Panlaqui - Founder/Owner**


## Outcomes

DC Music Live has seen an 300% increase in session duration since MMP launch. The app also saw 1,000 unique users in the first month after launch and recorded over 165,000 user interactions with local events.

#### Roadmap Development and OKRs

After experiencing a strong initial surge in users, the DC Music Live co-founders looked to Proof to help scale the app so that they could continue seeing growth in the user base. Our first step in scaling the application was to shift the development team from a feature-focused mindset to an objective-based approach. This process started with developing a list of objectives and key results (OKRs) with the team to help guide their decisions on which features to prioritize. These OKRs included increasing the number of unique users coming to the app, increasing the number of interactions with events on the site, and gathering additional user metrics to help inform future decisions and OKRs.

Once these OKRs were defined, Proof then led the DC Music Live co-founders through a backlog prioritization and roadmap development process. The roadmap included feature sets that were prioritzed based on their relevance to the OKRs. This proces ensured that the DC Music Live development team was focusing their energy on the feature sets that most closley aligned to their stated goals. 

#### Design System Implementation

One of the major objectives prioritized by the DC Music Live co-founders for the MMP launch was to implement a complete overhaul of the user interface (UI) that would support future features. Proof led the creation of the new design system from concept to iteration to development handoff. The design system was built with React components in mind and prioritized reuse across the site to maximize efficiency for the development team. The design system also accounted for both desktop and mobile users to ensure that the app had a consistent user experience across devices.

## We are expert partners with the right ideas to solve real problems. Start-to-finish solutions including design, development, and strategy.

##### Located in Washington, D.C.

## How Can We Help?

#### Are you ready to build something new or make improvements to your existing products? With Proof District, you can

- Create a new digital product that’s effective and scalable
- Improve your user experience and upgrade your tech stack
- Ensure you’re working on the right things at the right time
- Establish your product’s roadmap and strategic vision

#### We provide the expertise you need to ensure your company can harness the power of technology. Each member of our team brings a unique perspective, skillset, and personal philosophy to their role. Together we explore, refine, and deliver valuable work in partnership with our clients.

GovCon Advisory Firm

DC Music Live

We are expert partners with the right ideas to solve real problems.

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