For our Capstone Project, we were given a survey on the types of projects we would like to work on. This survey contained dozens of project ideas and asked that we rank our top five projects and provide a justification for our choices. As I browsed the various options for my final project, I came across I idea that I came up with on my own some months ago.
My wife and I were recently looking to adopt a cat and were surprised that there weren’t more pictures and information on the pet rescue websites in my area. We had also been brainstorming different ideas for home business and startup opportunities, so naturally we though about how we could help these pet adoption centers with increased awareness. We also met on a dating website (2 actually) so we joked about having a dating site for pets. It was a cute enough idea and we starting coming up with ways to make it an effective idea.
Adoption centers could post profiles of the “singles” in their adoption center with a couple of pictures and a short bio. We imagined that some adoption centers would get creative with it too. Then, the people who were interested in finding a pet could also create a profile with a bio and what they’re looking for in a “partner.” That would allow them to filter the pets by age, size, distance, and type, like cat or dog.
If they found a pet they liked, they could message the pet, and the adoption center could then reply as the pet to set up a play date. It would need to be easy for the adoption center to use, so maybe have some auto response options that would then lead the person to a calendar application. Everyone would have incentive to use the application too, since adoption centers could reach a broader audience, and adopters could search multiple adoption centers at the same time.
My wife and I though we might have a real winner of an idea on our hands, but I needed to check that it hadn’t already been done before. My wife was confident that we were on to something original, but when we started browsing the google app store, that turned out not to be the case. Dozens of pet dating apps were available, including some from well known organizations and pet brands. The competition was fierce, and it seemed the idea was gone before it even begun.
Fast forward to last week and what do I find in the project options for my capstone class? A pet adoption dating app! My idea was so done to death that it was even used as a template for a student project. But I wasn’t hurt. On the contrary, I was excited that I might still have the opportunity to complete my ill-fated idea. I selected it as my first choice and justified that because THEY STOLE MY IDEA… before I even thought of it.
