Research > test > pivot > test > pivot . . .
2014: Before it all started
The idea for STARTUP to IPO originated in 2013-14 as an edu game.
At that time I was hired by Cphbusiness academy to help in establishing a new education titled Innovation & Entrepreneurship (I&E) while I was also offered to teach innovation theory to marketing economics students.
I became inspired by designer coleagues who developed a democracy board game – that has since become a standard in educating Danish students on the principles of democracy – to design something similar for the I&E education.
The challenge was to find a relevant game play for my yet to be designed board game.
At the same time my good coleague Carsten Levin at the IT-University in Copenhagen (ITU) – where I had been associated since 2000 – offered me to co-teach his course Innovative Business Models for Digital Platforms. Therefore I left Cphbusiness and shelved the game idea for a while.
2019: Covid – the perfect time to do the research
At the ITU we encouraged Lean Startup principles among other theory to the students who worked on actual business cases. Their companies found their efforts and solutions exceptionally relevant. That became central to my game content.
Covid-19 delivered the space to move ahead as everyone quarantined.
This seemed to be the right time to research and study game design. So I dug in and found help and inspiration from the good people like miguel Sicart at the Games Research Group at ITU. Parcipitation was online.
I read every book an article from the curriculum on game design and then some and talked with many bright people who had designed and developed games in Denmark. For some reason a lot of them were called Jeppe, and Jeppe Norsker was referred me to the rest!
2022: The initial sketching began
In March 2022 I was ready – in theory – with the first proof of concept ... barely a sketch!
The edu game idea had grown to encompass an infotainment perspective with relevance for companies as well as regular gamers.
The first post proof-of-concept game tests resulted in feedback that was brutal:
- ”You have three games in one.”
- “Your story telling steals the focus of the game.”
2023: A grant to go ahead
2023: A grant to go ahead
Happily, on the very same day I recieved a grant from Otte Bruuns Fond, that was the encouragement I needed.
Then test number 3, 4, 5 etc. followed as the learning curve flatten for a while until test 8 revealed flaws that had not appearing in the participants feedback protocol before. A new radical redesign followed.
Each iteration lead to a simpler and simpler version and now after 12 game tests and more than 60 design revisions a new chapter of testing is starting – in the class room.
2024: Do you know the book ‘ 24 Steps ’ ?
In October 2024 coleagues at CphBusiness was introduced to STARTUP to IPO.
They pointed out striking similarities between my game play content approach and the approach in the book “24 Steps to a Successful Startup” by Bill Aulet to innovation.
So why had I not read Bill Aulet’s very successful book, they asked?
It turned out it was released at the time I startet to design – and stopped researching! Hmm, there seem to be some learning in that.
Since the book has come to stay and is central to teaching of of Entrepreneurship in many places I have and will adapt the game even furhter as the following game tests may inform me. That will be for the next chapter.