With so many available resources and tools for aspiring entrepreneurs today, coming up with an idea that is both original and creative enough to impress your peers and superiors can be a daunting task. In the case of developing a concept for the MLB.com College Challenge 2011, the circumstances were much the same. Luckily, I was part of a team of 3 talented and diverse individuals that was able to strike out the competition.
The Idea
Andrew Wynschenk (representing the Whitman School of Management) was the generator for our project, MLB Memories, in its raw form. He had pitched a similar idea for his Entrepreneurship class and decided to use that concept as inspiration for the challenge. Andrew knew the heart of the concept and what he wanted to create. He wanted a digital memory scrapbook, a way to store all your memories and experiences from baseball games you attend online. The goal was to consolidate social media updates, mobile pictures and videos all onto one platform. This would give MLB.com an edge in the ever-popular social media landscape, or so we hoped.
While Ben Romy and I (the other two members in his group) were sold on this concept, we still had to figure out how to apply it.
Development
Once we were locked in on a direction, we spent countless hours drawing up and designing layouts. Here’s a snapshot of what one of our whiteboards looked like when all was said and done:
Designing Andrew’s idea into something tangible was the most difficult part, at least for me, as I was put in charge of creating mock-ups in Photoshop.
Template I designed for MLB Memories
This is really where we all started to get excited about the potential our idea had. It was one thing to talk about it theoretically, but to actually see it visually was a completely different idea. Proof that it’s always smart move to map out your thoughts in the flesh.
Implementation
Finally, after hours of design, we came to the programming phase where Ben took over in hopes of creating an interactive prototype.
Interactive Mobile app that Ben programmed for MLB Memories
At this point, it was probably around 6 or 7 a.m. and battling fatigue, as well as lack of time, became an issue. Compromise became the name of the game, and there were certain elements Ben was able to incorporate from my design while he had to forgo others. In the end, the final prototype for the mobile app and website encompassed the essentials that we had wanted.
This whole challenge was an incredible experience, and one that I’d be grateful for having won or lost. It taught my group and I a lot about compromise, teamwork and working efficiently.
Eric Zeleznik and his team, The Naturals, placed first in the MLB.com College Challenge 2011. Congratulations! His teammates were Ben Romy and Andrew Wynschenk.
Related posts:
- Winning Isn’t Everything: Participating in the MLB.com College Challenge 2011
- Winning the College Challenge 2011: A Visit to MLB.com
- SU Students Innovate and Create in MLB.com College Challenge
- MLB.com College Challenge 2011: Hack-a-Thon Format a Homerun
- MLB.com College Challenge 2011 / Registration is Open!
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