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= Market Research for IT Startups =
−
= Analytical Geometry & Linear Algebra – I =
  
−
* '''Course name''': Analytical Geometry & Linear Algebra – I
 +
* '''Course name''': Market Research for IT Startups
 
* '''Code discipline''':
 
* '''Code discipline''':
  +
* '''Subject area''': Technological Entrepreneurship
−
* '''Subject area''': ['fundamental principles of vector algebra,', 'concepts of basic geometry objects and their transformations in the plane and in the space']
  
   
 
== Short Description ==
  
== Short Description ==
  +
This course is for students who see themselves as entrepreneurs. The course is designed for the early development of business ideas and provides methods and guidelines for business research. The course teaches how to assess the potential of business ideas, hypothesis thinking, methods for generating ideas and testing their quality
−  
   
 
== Prerequisites ==
  
== Prerequisites ==
   
 
=== Prerequisite subjects ===
  
=== Prerequisite subjects ===
  +
* N/A
−  
   
 
=== Prerequisite topics ===
  
=== Prerequisite topics ===
  +
* N/A
−  
   
 
== Course Topics ==
  
== Course Topics ==
Line 22: Line 22:
 
! Section !! Topics within the section
  
! Section !! Topics within the section
 
|-
  
|-
−
| Vector algebra ||
+
| Ideation tools ||
  +
# Art VS Creativity
−
# Vector spaces
  
  +
# Ability to discover
−
# Basic operations on vectors (summation, multiplication by scalar, dot product)
  
  +
# How to generate ideas
−
# Linear dependency and in-dependency of the vectors
  
  +
# Creativity sources
−
# Basis in vector spaces
  
  +
# Ideation in groups
  +
# Rules for ideation for startups
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| Market research content ||
−
| Introduction to matrices and determinants ||
 
  +
# Types of research: primary vs secondary
−
# Relationship between Linear Algebra and Analytical Geometry
  
  +
# How to plan a research
−
# Matrices 2x2, 3x3
  
  +
# Market research chapters content
−
# Determinants 2x2, 3x3
  
  +
# Frameworks used in a market research (SWOT, Persona, etc)
−
# Operations om matrices and determinants
  
  +
# Tools and sources to conduct a competitors analysis
−
# The rank of a matrix
  
−
# Inverse matrix
  
−
# Systems of linear equations
  
−
# Changing basis and coordinates
  
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| Customer development ||
−
| Lines in the plane and in the space ||
 
  +
# Interviews are the main tool for “Get Out The Building” technique
−
# General equation of a line in the plane
  
  +
# The "Mum's Test"
−
# General parametric equation of a line in the space
  
  +
# Jobs-To-Be-Done
−
# Line as intersection between planes
  
  +
# Good and bad interview questions
−
# Vector equation of a line
  
−
# Distance from a point to a line
  
−
# Distance between lines
  
−
# Inter-positioning of lines
  
 
|-
  
|-
−
| Planes in the space ||
+
| Market sizing ||
  +
# Market analysis VS market sizing
−
# General equation of a plane
  
  +
# Sizing stakeholders and their interests
−
# Normalized linear equation of a plane
  
  +
# Sizing methods
−
# Vector equation of a plane
  
  +
# TAM SAM SOM calculation examples
−
# Parametric equation a plane
  
−
# Distance from a point to a plane
  
−
# Projection of a vector on the plane
  
−
# Inter-positioning of lines and planes
  
−
# Cross Product of two vectors
  
−
# Triple Scalar Product
  
 
|-
  
|-
−
| Quadratic curves ||
+
| Data for a research ||
  +
# Sources and tools for competitors overview
−
# Circle
  
  +
# Sources and tools for product and traffic analysis
−
# Ellipse
  
  +
# Sources and tools for trend watching
−
# Hyperbola
  
  +
# Life hacks for search
−
# Parabola
  
−
# Canonical equations
  
−
# Shifting of coordinate system
  
−
# Rotating of coordinate system
  
−
# Parametrization
  
 
|-
  
|-
−
| Quadric surfaces ||
+
| Founder motivation ||
  +
# Ways to Stay Motivated as an Entrepreneur
−
# General equation of the quadric surfaces
  
  +
# Exercises for founders motivation
−
# Canonical equation of a sphere and ellipsoid
  
  +
|-
−
# Canonical equation of a hyperboloid and paraboloid
  
  +
| Pitch Day ||
−
# Surfaces of revolution
  
  +
# Market research results presentations
−
# Canonical equation of a cone and cylinder
  
−
# Vector equations of some quadric surfaces
  
 
|}
  
|}
  +
 
== Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) ==
  
== Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) ==
   
 
=== What is the main purpose of this course? ===
  
=== What is the main purpose of this course? ===
  +
This course aims to give students theoretical knowledge and practical skills on how to assess market potential at an early stage of an IT startup (or any company) development. The ultimate goal is to teach students to conduct market research for their business.
−
This is an introductory course in analytical geometry and linear algebra. After having studied the course, students get to know fundamental principles of vector algebra and its applications in solving various geometry problems, different types of equations of lines and planes, conics and quadric surfaces, transformations in the plane and in the space. An introduction on matrices and determinants as a fundamental knowledge of linear algebra is also provided.
  
   
 
=== ILOs defined at three levels ===
  
=== ILOs defined at three levels ===
Line 85: Line 72:
 
==== Level 1: What concepts should a student know/remember/explain? ====
  
==== Level 1: What concepts should a student know/remember/explain? ====
 
By the end of the course, the students should be able to ...
  
By the end of the course, the students should be able to ...
  +
* Market research techniques using open data,
−
* List basic notions of vector algebra,
  
  +
* Typology of market assessment methods,
−
* recite the base form of the equations of transformations in planes and spaces,
  
−
* recall equations of lines and planes,
 +
* Types of research data and their application,
  +
* Market research components: competitors overview, value proposition, trend watching, venture status, business models, buyers profile etc
−
* identify the type of conic section,
  
−
* recognize the kind of quadric surfaces.
  
   
 
==== Level 2: What basic practical skills should a student be able to perform? ====
  
==== Level 2: What basic practical skills should a student be able to perform? ====
 
By the end of the course, the students should be able to ...
  
By the end of the course, the students should be able to ...
  +
* Methods of ideation,
−
* explain the geometrical interpretation of the basic operations of vector algebra,
  
  +
* TAM SAM SOM method, 2 approaches,
−
* restate equations of lines and planes in different forms,
  
  +
* Applied tools and resources for market sizing,
−
* interpret the geometrical meaning of the conic sections in the mathematical expression,
  
  +
* Principles to work with business hypotheses
−
* give the examples of the surfaces of revolution,
  
−
* understand the value of geometry in various fields of science and techniques.
  
   
 
==== Level 3: What complex comprehensive skills should a student be able to apply in real-life scenarios? ====
  
==== Level 3: What complex comprehensive skills should a student be able to apply in real-life scenarios? ====
 
By the end of the course, the students should be able to ...
  
By the end of the course, the students should be able to ...
  +
* Identify and describe the market
−
* Perform the basic operations of vector algebra,
  
  +
* Assess market potential for any business idea
−
* use different types of equations of lines and planes to solve the plane and space problems,
  
  +
* Conduct relevant market research before starting up a business
−
* represent the conic section in canonical form,
  
  +
* Use the most relevant and high-quality data for a market research
−
* compose the equation of quadric surface.
  
  +
 
== Grading ==
  
== Grading ==
   
Line 113: Line 99:
 
! Grade !! Range !! Description of performance
  
! Grade !! Range !! Description of performance
 
|-
  
|-
−
| A. Excellent || 80-100 || -
 +
| A. Excellent || 85.0-100.0 || -
 
|-
  
|-
−
| B. Good || 60-79 || -
 +
| B. Good || 70.0-84.0 || -
 
|-
  
|-
−
| C. Satisfactory || 40-59 || -
 +
| C. Satisfactory || 50.0-69.0 || -
 
|-
  
|-
−
| D. Poor || 0-39 || -
 +
| D. Fail || 0.0-50.0 || -
 
|}
  
|}
   
Line 128: Line 114:
 
! Activity Type !! Percentage of the overall course grade
  
! Activity Type !! Percentage of the overall course grade
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| Paper #0: Market research structure || 0-10 scale (costs 10% final)
−
| Labs/seminar classes || 10
  
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| Paper #1: TAM SAM SOM || 0-10 scale (costs 20% final)
−
| Interim performance assessment || 20
  
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| Workshops activity || 3 points for each of 7 workshops: 1 point=participation, 2 points=discussion, 3 points=valuable results (costs 21% final)
−
| Exams || 70
  
  +
|-
  +
| Paper #2: Market research || 0-10 scale (costs 30% final)
  +
|-
  +
| Final Presentation || 0-10 scale (costs 20% final)
 
|}
  
|}
   
 
=== Recommendations for students on how to succeed in the course ===
  
=== Recommendations for students on how to succeed in the course ===
  +
Participation is important. Showing up and participating in discussions is the key to success in this course.<br>Students work in teams, so coordinating teamwork will be an important factor for success.<br>Reading the provided materials is mandatory, as lectures will mainly consist of discussions and reflections not slides or reading from scratch.<br>The main assignment in the course is Market research paper which is supposed to be useful not only for this course but s a basis for future business oriented courses
−  
   
 
== Resources, literature and reference materials ==
  
== Resources, literature and reference materials ==
   
 
=== Open access resources ===
  
=== Open access resources ===
  +
* - article with reflections on the methodology book on the 55 typical business models
−  
  +
* - a book with instructions on how to communicate with your potential users. How to conduct interviews so that you understand what the client wants to say and not what you want to hear.
  +
* - the case book on the Jobs To Be Done. With JTBD, we can make predictions about which products will be in demand in the market and which will not. The idea behind the theory is that people don't buy products, but "hire" them to perform certain jobs.
  +
* A selection of with a summary of key ideas from Harvard Business Review
  +
* F. Sesno "" - the book on how to get information out of people through questions.
  +
* a visual guide book to dealing with your inner procrastinator
   
 
=== Closed access resources ===
  
=== Closed access resources ===
  +
* Crunchbase.com
  +
* Statista.com
   
  +
=== Software and tools used within the course ===
  +
* Boardofinnovation.com
  +
* Miro.com
  +
* Notion.com
  +
* MS Teams
   
−
=== Software and tools used within the course ===
  
 
= Teaching Methodology: Methods, techniques, & activities =
  
= Teaching Methodology: Methods, techniques, & activities =
   
 
== Activities and Teaching Methods ==
  
== Activities and Teaching Methods ==
  +
{| class="wikitable"
  +
|+ Teaching and Learning Methods within each section
  +
|-
  +
! Teaching Techniques !! Section 1 !! Section 2 !! Section 3 !! Section 4 !! Section 5 !! Section 6 !! Section 7
  +
|-
  +
| Problem-based learning (students learn by solving open-ended problems without a strictly-defined solution) || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1
  +
|-
  +
| Project-based learning (students work on a project) || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1
  +
|-
  +
| Differentiated learning (provide tasks and activities at several levels of difficulty to fit students needs and level) || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1
  +
|-
  +
| Contextual learning (activities and tasks are connected to the real world to make it easier for students to relate to them); || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1
  +
|-
  +
| Business game (learn by playing a game that incorporates the principles of the material covered within the course). || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1
  +
|-
  +
| inquiry-based learning || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1
  +
|}
 
{| class="wikitable"
  
{| class="wikitable"
 
|+ Activities within each section
  
|+ Activities within each section
 
|-
  
|-
−
! Learning Activities !! Section 1 !! Section 2 !! Section 3 !! Section 4 !! Section 5 !! Section 6
 +
! Learning Activities !! Section 1 !! Section 2 !! Section 3 !! Section 4 !! Section 5 !! Section 6 !! Section 7
 
|-
  
|-
−
| Homework and group projects || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1
 +
| Interactive Lectures || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1
 
|-
  
|-
−
| Midterm evaluation || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1
 +
| Lab exercises || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 0
 
|-
  
|-
−
| Testing (written or computer based) || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1
 +
| Group projects || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1
 
|-
  
|-
−
| Discussions || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1
 +
| Flipped classroom || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 0
  +
|-
  +
| Discussions || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1
  +
|-
  +
| Presentations by students || 1 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1
  +
|-
  +
| Oral Reports || 1 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1
  +
|-
  +
| Cases studies || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 0
  +
|-
  +
| Experiments || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0
  +
|-
  +
| Written reports || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0
  +
|-
  +
| Individual Projects || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0
  +
|-
  +
| Peer Review || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1
 
|}
  
|}
  +
 
== Formative Assessment and Course Activities ==
  
== Formative Assessment and Course Activities ==
   
Line 173: Line 208:
 
! Activity Type !! Content !! Is Graded?
  
! Activity Type !! Content !! Is Graded?
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| Discussion || Difference between Art and Creativity. Examples from your personal experience <br> Tools to manage your attention: work with exercises above <br> Is it true that an ideation stage is the very first step to take when starting your own business? If not, what needs to be done before? <br> Idea diary: share your experience, was it useful? How to keep motivation to continue? <br> Sharing your business ideas: is it risky for a founder? Why? <br> Name and discuss principles of hypothesis thinking <br> Name and comment on ideation tool you know. Did you have an experience with it? <br> Where to take creativity? Your advice <br> Lets find examples of “Steal like an artist” approach among startups <br> Create a list of 5 business ideas you have ever had in your mind. Choose 1 and make an exhaustive list of the problems that are associated with the proposed business idea. || 0
−
| Question || How to perform the shift of the vector? || 1
  
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| Workshop || Break into teams, choose from the list below 1 tool to work with. Use the templates to create new business ideas. Summarize the results. Share your results and experience of using the template with other teams || 1
−
| Question || What is the geometrical interpretation of the dot product? || 1
  
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| Exercise || Start an "Idea diary" (not necessarily business ideas): create a convenient place for notes (notion, pinterest, instagram, paper notebook, etc.). Note the time/place/circumstances of ideas coming, learn to write down ideas. Draw conclusions from 1 week's work: where, when, how, why new ideas arise and whether you can manage their flow. || 0
−
| Question || How to determine whether the vectors are linearly dependent? || 1
  
  +
|}
  +
  +
==== Section 2 ====
  +
{| class="wikitable"
  +
|+
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! Activity Type !! Content !! Is Graded?
−
| Question || What is a vector basis? || 1
  
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| Discussion || What are the basic steps in market research? <br> What are the commonly used market research methods? <br> What research question types can be asked in surveys? <br> Should startup prefer primary or secondary research? || 0
−
| Question || Evaluate <math>{\textstyle |{\textbf {a}}|^{2}-2{\sqrt {3}}{\textbf {a}}\cdot {\textbf {b}}-7|{\textbf {b}}|^{2}}</math> given that <math>{\textstyle |{\textbf {a}}|=4}</math> , <math>{\textstyle |{\textbf {b}}|=1}</math> , <math>{\textstyle \angle ({\textbf {a}},\,{\textbf {b}})=150^{\circ }}</math> || 0
  
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| Workshop || SWOT analysis: compare your business idea with competitors and market situation <br> Get familiar with industry trends and reports: Find and create a list of 3 to 5 business research papers or trend reports in your industry || 0
−
| Question || Prove that vectors <math>{\textstyle {\textbf {b}}({\textbf {a}}\cdot {\textbf {c}})-{\textbf {c}}({\textbf {a}}\cdot {\textbf {b}})}</math> and <math>{\textstyle {\textbf {a}}}</math> are perpendicular to each other || 0
  
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| Home written assignment || Market research doc: create a structure that is: <br> 1-2 pages long <br> Describes your business idea <br> Contains the structure of your future research <br> Contains a list of questions to answer during the research for each chapter proposed <br> Contains links and references to data sources potentilly interesting to use in a research <br> Its feasible: it should be a chance you may answer all the questions stated in the doc <br> The doc format is designed and well structured || 1
−
| Question || Bases <math>{\textstyle AD}</math> and <math>{\textstyle BC}</math> of trapezoid <math>{\textstyle ABCD}</math> are in the ratio of <math>{\textstyle 4:1}</math> The diagonals of the trapezoid intersect at point <math>{\textstyle M}</math> and the extensions of sides <math>{\textstyle AB}</math> and <math>{\textstyle CD}</math> intersect at point <math>{\textstyle P}</math> Let us consider the basis with <math>{\textstyle A}</math> as the origin, <math>{\textstyle {\overrightarrow {AD}}}</math> and <math>{\textstyle {\overrightarrow {AB}}}</math> as basis vectors Find the coordinates of points <math>{\textstyle M}</math> and <math>{\textstyle P}</math> in this basis || 0
  
−
|-
  
−
| Question || A line segment joining a vertex of a tetrahedron with the centroid of the opposite face (the centroid of a triangle is an intersection point of all its medians) is called a median of this tetrahedron Using vector algebra prove that all the four medians of any tetrahedron concur in a point that divides these medians in the ratio of <math>{\textstyle 3:1}</math> , the longer segments being on the side of the vertex of the tetrahedron || 0
  
 
|}
  
|}
  +
−
==== Section 2 ====
  
  +
==== Section 3 ====
 
{| class="wikitable"
  
{| class="wikitable"
 
|+
 
|+
Line 195: Line 234:
 
! Activity Type !! Content !! Is Graded?
  
! Activity Type !! Content !! Is Graded?
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| Oral test || Good or bad interview question? <br> Useful or useless feedback? || 0
−
| Question || What is the difference between matrices and determinants? || 1
  
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| Workshop || Work on your customer profile using the Persona template. Make a client interview script with the help of the Problem-validation-script. || 1
−
| Question || Matrices <math>{\textstyle A}</math> and <math>{\textstyle C}</math> have dimensions of <math>{\textstyle m\times n}</math> and <math>{\textstyle p\times q}</math> respectively, and it is known that the product <math>{\textstyle ABC}</math> exists What are possible dimensions of <math>{\textstyle B}</math> and <math>{\textstyle ABC}</math> ? || 1
  
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| Case study || Watch the video with the case study. This is an example of HOW NOT to take a customer discovery interview. Discuss what went wrong? || 0
−
| Question || How to determine the rank of a matrix? || 1
  
  +
|}
  +
  +
==== Section 4 ====
  +
{| class="wikitable"
  +
|+
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! Activity Type !! Content !! Is Graded?
−
| Question || What is the meaning of the inverse matrix? || 1
  
 
|-
  
|-
−
| Question || How to restate a system of linear equations in the matrix form? || 1
 +
| Workshop || Estimate your target market using the TAM-SAM-SOM template in MIRO. Explain the data. || 1
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| Case study || Learn a market sizing case: online babysitting service || 0
−
| Question || Find <math>{\textstyle A+B}</math> and <math>{\textstyle 2A-3B+I}</math> || 0
  
  +
|}
  +
  +
==== Section 5 ====
  +
{| class="wikitable"
  +
|+
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! Activity Type !! Content !! Is Graded?
−
| Question || Find the products <math>{\textstyle AB}</math> and <math>{\textstyle BA}</math> (and so make sure that, in general, <math>{\textstyle AB\neq BA}</math> for matrices) || 0
  
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| Workshop || Use 3 tools from this lesson's theory that you are least familiar with or have not used at all. From each source, take one insight on the state of your project's market. (For example, the total size of your target market, a leading competitor, number of users, or a growing trend) || 0
−
| Question || Find the inverse matrices for the given ones || 0
  
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| Oral presentation || Take one tool from the list below and create a “how-to” guide to the service for your classmates. The guide could be done in a form of 1) video-instruction 2) text 3) visualized scheme 4) presentation. The guide must answer how to use a tool and give an example of its use on concrete case study. Studying the guide should take your reader not mach then 15 min. || 1
−
| Question || Find the determinants of the given matrices || 0
  
  +
|}
  +
  +
==== Section 6 ====
  +
{| class="wikitable"
  +
|+
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! Activity Type !! Content !! Is Graded?
−
| Question || Point <math>{\textstyle M}</math> is the centroid of face <math>{\textstyle BCD}</math> of tetrahedron <math>{\textstyle ABCD}</math> The old coordinate system is given by <math>{\textstyle A}</math> , <math>{\textstyle {\overrightarrow {AB}}}</math> , <math>{\textstyle {\overrightarrow {AC}}}</math> , <math>{\textstyle {\overrightarrow {AD}}}</math> , and the new coordinate system is given by <math>{\textstyle M}</math> , <math>{\textstyle {\overrightarrow {MB}}}</math> , <math>{\textstyle {\overrightarrow {MC}}}</math> , <math>{\textstyle {\overrightarrow {MA}}}</math> Find the coordinates of a point in the old coordinate system given its coordinates <math>{\textstyle x'}</math> , <math>{\textstyle y'}</math> , <math>{\textstyle z'}</math> in the new one || 0
  
  +
|-
  +
| Workshop || Exercises: <br> Personal SWOT Analysis <br> List of Personal Achievements <br> Analysis of Motivating Activities <br> Your Personal Vision || 0
 
|}
  
|}
  +
  +
==== Section 7 ====
  +
{| class="wikitable"
  +
|+
  +
|-
  +
! Activity Type !! Content !! Is Graded?
  +
|-
  +
| Pitch session || The final Market Research report should follow the structure discussed <br> Content of the oral presentation may include: business description, market overview, main sources used in the research, competitors overview, monetization opportunity, market size, further stages of research or business work, team, comments on some challenges during the work || 1
  +
|}
  +
  +
=== Final assessment ===
  +
'''Section 1'''
  +
# For the final assessment, students should complete the Market Research paper.
  +
# It should follow the market research paper structure, contain information about market volume (TAM SAM SOM), data must be gathered with help of data sources learnt.
  +
# The paper should refer to market potential and give the basis to make business decisions, answer questions on how to start and develop your idea, what is your business model, target customer persona, product MVP etc.
  +
# Grading criteria for the final project presentation:
  +
# Market sizing has been carried out
  +
# Customer segments are named
  +
# Сompetitor analysis has been conducted
  +
# At least 2 prominent data sources are used
  +
# Customer discovery interviews conducted
  +
# Future steps are mapped out
  +
# The final report is visualized clearly and transparent
  +
'''Section 2'''
  +
  +
'''Section 3'''
  +
  +
'''Section 4'''
  +
  +
'''Section 5'''
  +
  +
'''Section 6'''
  +
  +
'''Section 7'''
  +
  +
  +
=== The retake exam ===
  +
'''Section 1'''
  +
# For the retake, students have to submit the results of the market sizing exercise with the TAM SAM SOM method in the form of a visual framework studied.
  +
'''Section 2'''
  +
  +
'''Section 3'''
  +
  +
'''Section 4'''
  +
  +
'''Section 5'''
  +
  +
'''Section 6'''
  +
  +
'''Section 7'''

Latest revision as of 09:50, 29 May 2023

Market Research for IT Startups

  • Course name: Market Research for IT Startups
  • Code discipline:
  • Subject area: Technological Entrepreneurship

Short Description

This course is for students who see themselves as entrepreneurs. The course is designed for the early development of business ideas and provides methods and guidelines for business research. The course teaches how to assess the potential of business ideas, hypothesis thinking, methods for generating ideas and testing their quality

Prerequisites

Prerequisite subjects

  • N/A

Prerequisite topics

  • N/A

Course Topics

Course Sections and Topics
Section Topics within the section
Ideation tools
  1. Art VS Creativity
  2. Ability to discover
  3. How to generate ideas
  4. Creativity sources
  5. Ideation in groups
  6. Rules for ideation for startups
Market research content
  1. Types of research: primary vs secondary
  2. How to plan a research
  3. Market research chapters content
  4. Frameworks used in a market research (SWOT, Persona, etc)
  5. Tools and sources to conduct a competitors analysis
Customer development
  1. Interviews are the main tool for “Get Out The Building” technique
  2. The "Mum's Test"
  3. Jobs-To-Be-Done
  4. Good and bad interview questions
Market sizing
  1. Market analysis VS market sizing
  2. Sizing stakeholders and their interests
  3. Sizing methods
  4. TAM SAM SOM calculation examples
Data for a research
  1. Sources and tools for competitors overview
  2. Sources and tools for product and traffic analysis
  3. Sources and tools for trend watching
  4. Life hacks for search
Founder motivation
  1. Ways to Stay Motivated as an Entrepreneur
  2. Exercises for founders motivation
Pitch Day
  1. Market research results presentations

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

What is the main purpose of this course?

This course aims to give students theoretical knowledge and practical skills on how to assess market potential at an early stage of an IT startup (or any company) development. The ultimate goal is to teach students to conduct market research for their business.

ILOs defined at three levels

Level 1: What concepts should a student know/remember/explain?

By the end of the course, the students should be able to ...

  • Market research techniques using open data,
  • Typology of market assessment methods,
  • Types of research data and their application,
  • Market research components: competitors overview, value proposition, trend watching, venture status, business models, buyers profile etc

Level 2: What basic practical skills should a student be able to perform?

By the end of the course, the students should be able to ...

  • Methods of ideation,
  • TAM SAM SOM method, 2 approaches,
  • Applied tools and resources for market sizing,
  • Principles to work with business hypotheses

Level 3: What complex comprehensive skills should a student be able to apply in real-life scenarios?

By the end of the course, the students should be able to ...

  • Identify and describe the market
  • Assess market potential for any business idea
  • Conduct relevant market research before starting up a business
  • Use the most relevant and high-quality data for a market research

Grading

Course grading range

Grade Range Description of performance
A. Excellent 85.0-100.0 -
B. Good 70.0-84.0 -
C. Satisfactory 50.0-69.0 -
D. Fail 0.0-50.0 -

Course activities and grading breakdown

Activity Type Percentage of the overall course grade
Paper #0: Market research structure 0-10 scale (costs 10% final)
Paper #1: TAM SAM SOM 0-10 scale (costs 20% final)
Workshops activity 3 points for each of 7 workshops: 1 point=participation, 2 points=discussion, 3 points=valuable results (costs 21% final)
Paper #2: Market research 0-10 scale (costs 30% final)
Final Presentation 0-10 scale (costs 20% final)

Recommendations for students on how to succeed in the course

Participation is important. Showing up and participating in discussions is the key to success in this course.
Students work in teams, so coordinating teamwork will be an important factor for success.
Reading the provided materials is mandatory, as lectures will mainly consist of discussions and reflections not slides or reading from scratch.
The main assignment in the course is Market research paper which is supposed to be useful not only for this course but s a basis for future business oriented courses

Resources, literature and reference materials

Open access resources

  • - article with reflections on the methodology book on the 55 typical business models
  • - a book with instructions on how to communicate with your potential users. How to conduct interviews so that you understand what the client wants to say and not what you want to hear.
  • - the case book on the Jobs To Be Done. With JTBD, we can make predictions about which products will be in demand in the market and which will not. The idea behind the theory is that people don't buy products, but "hire" them to perform certain jobs.
  • A selection of with a summary of key ideas from Harvard Business Review
  • F. Sesno "" - the book on how to get information out of people through questions.
  • a visual guide book to dealing with your inner procrastinator

Closed access resources

  • Crunchbase.com
  • Statista.com

Software and tools used within the course

  • Boardofinnovation.com
  • Miro.com
  • Notion.com
  • MS Teams

Teaching Methodology: Methods, techniques, & activities

Activities and Teaching Methods

Teaching and Learning Methods within each section
Teaching Techniques Section 1 Section 2 Section 3 Section 4 Section 5 Section 6 Section 7
Problem-based learning (students learn by solving open-ended problems without a strictly-defined solution) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Project-based learning (students work on a project) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Differentiated learning (provide tasks and activities at several levels of difficulty to fit students needs and level) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Contextual learning (activities and tasks are connected to the real world to make it easier for students to relate to them); 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Business game (learn by playing a game that incorporates the principles of the material covered within the course). 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
inquiry-based learning 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Activities within each section
Learning Activities Section 1 Section 2 Section 3 Section 4 Section 5 Section 6 Section 7
Interactive Lectures 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Lab exercises 1 1 1 1 1 1 0
Group projects 1 0 0 0 0 1 1
Flipped classroom 1 1 1 1 1 1 0
Discussions 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Presentations by students 1 0 1 0 0 0 1
Oral Reports 1 0 1 0 0 0 1
Cases studies 0 1 0 1 1 1 0
Experiments 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
Written reports 0 0 1 0 0 1 0
Individual Projects 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
Peer Review 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

Formative Assessment and Course Activities

Ongoing performance assessment

Section 1

Activity Type Content Is Graded?
Discussion Difference between Art and Creativity. Examples from your personal experience
Tools to manage your attention: work with exercises above
Is it true that an ideation stage is the very first step to take when starting your own business? If not, what needs to be done before?
Idea diary: share your experience, was it useful? How to keep motivation to continue?
Sharing your business ideas: is it risky for a founder? Why?
Name and discuss principles of hypothesis thinking
Name and comment on ideation tool you know. Did you have an experience with it?
Where to take creativity? Your advice
Lets find examples of “Steal like an artist” approach among startups
Create a list of 5 business ideas you have ever had in your mind. Choose 1 and make an exhaustive list of the problems that are associated with the proposed business idea.		 0
Workshop Break into teams, choose from the list below 1 tool to work with. Use the templates to create new business ideas. Summarize the results. Share your results and experience of using the template with other teams 1
Exercise Start an "Idea diary" (not necessarily business ideas): create a convenient place for notes (notion, pinterest, instagram, paper notebook, etc.). Note the time/place/circumstances of ideas coming, learn to write down ideas. Draw conclusions from 1 week's work: where, when, how, why new ideas arise and whether you can manage their flow. 0

Section 2

Activity Type Content Is Graded?
Discussion What are the basic steps in market research?
What are the commonly used market research methods?
What research question types can be asked in surveys?
Should startup prefer primary or secondary research?		 0
Workshop SWOT analysis: compare your business idea with competitors and market situation
Get familiar with industry trends and reports: Find and create a list of 3 to 5 business research papers or trend reports in your industry		 0
Home written assignment Market research doc: create a structure that is:
1-2 pages long
Describes your business idea
Contains the structure of your future research
Contains a list of questions to answer during the research for each chapter proposed
Contains links and references to data sources potentilly interesting to use in a research
Its feasible: it should be a chance you may answer all the questions stated in the doc
The doc format is designed and well structured		 1

Section 3

Activity Type Content Is Graded?
Oral test Good or bad interview question?
Useful or useless feedback?		 0
Workshop Work on your customer profile using the Persona template. Make a client interview script with the help of the Problem-validation-script. 1
Case study Watch the video with the case study. This is an example of HOW NOT to take a customer discovery interview. Discuss what went wrong? 0

Section 4

Activity Type Content Is Graded?
Workshop Estimate your target market using the TAM-SAM-SOM template in MIRO. Explain the data. 1
Case study Learn a market sizing case: online babysitting service 0

Section 5

Activity Type Content Is Graded?
Workshop Use 3 tools from this lesson's theory that you are least familiar with or have not used at all. From each source, take one insight on the state of your project's market. (For example, the total size of your target market, a leading competitor, number of users, or a growing trend) 0
Oral presentation Take one tool from the list below and create a “how-to” guide to the service for your classmates. The guide could be done in a form of 1) video-instruction 2) text 3) visualized scheme 4) presentation. The guide must answer how to use a tool and give an example of its use on concrete case study. Studying the guide should take your reader not mach then 15 min. 1

Section 6

Activity Type Content Is Graded?
Workshop Exercises:
Personal SWOT Analysis
List of Personal Achievements
Analysis of Motivating Activities
Your Personal Vision		 0

Section 7

Activity Type Content Is Graded?
Pitch session The final Market Research report should follow the structure discussed
Content of the oral presentation may include: business description, market overview, main sources used in the research, competitors overview, monetization opportunity, market size, further stages of research or business work, team, comments on some challenges during the work		 1

Final assessment

Section 1

  1. For the final assessment, students should complete the Market Research paper.
  2. It should follow the market research paper structure, contain information about market volume (TAM SAM SOM), data must be gathered with help of data sources learnt.
  3. The paper should refer to market potential and give the basis to make business decisions, answer questions on how to start and develop your idea, what is your business model, target customer persona, product MVP etc.
  4. Grading criteria for the final project presentation:
  5. Market sizing has been carried out
  6. Customer segments are named
  7. Сompetitor analysis has been conducted
  8. At least 2 prominent data sources are used
  9. Customer discovery interviews conducted
  10. Future steps are mapped out
  11. The final report is visualized clearly and transparent

Section 2

Section 3

Section 4

Section 5

Section 6

Section 7


The retake exam

Section 1

  1. For the retake, students have to submit the results of the market sizing exercise with the TAM SAM SOM method in the form of a visual framework studied.

Section 2

Section 3

Section 4

Section 5

Section 6

Section 7

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