Together Apart

Co-working online. Be focused and accountable (slay the procrastination monkey). Feel people around you (stop feeling lonely and isolated). Network/collaborate. Virtually.

Comment

Inspiration

Personal Inspiration

I've been remote working for over ten years and know intimately the trials and tribulations this brings, for my mental and emotional wellbeing and productivity. Part of this remote working has been in my own business, where, it was only me who made the deadlines, other years it was contracting in a team.

It has been very lonely at times, and it has been so incredibly easy to procrastinate on things I know I need to do. I've been a serial coffee-shop worker just so I can feel people around me when I'm working. My trial of co-working spaces was hit and miss. It can be difficult to find a good fit, they can also be isolating and depending on budget... expensive.

The pilot

The first iteration of this project was 'Tomato Tuesdays'.

https://mjjuicedays.wixsite.com/tomatotuesdays

Three years ago my fellow entrepreneur buddy and I discovered that it was so much more productive, efficient and fun to work together online, over Zoom. Our network agreed. We would meet every Tuesday morning, and work on our own projects, but, together, on mute, over Zoom. We added some structure, and used the Pomodoro method to time our selves in productive spurts. Then, we'd have a chat and a coffee before going again. We all raved at how much more productive we were!

Here are some comments:

"I just got more done in 25 minutes than I have the whole morning, and I woke up at 6am!” Selma at 12:45 pm.

“I did loads there! It’s so weird! Knowing you were there with the ‘pressure’! I didn’t stop i just kept on going and that’s good. It just shows you as humans we don’t want to be alone do we?.” Christina 21:14

However, it relied on patching together different tools, and having a facilitator present to make sessions happen. So, it was hard to maintain momentum.

The whole world is now ready for this!! The world has come to join together online! So, it's time to put some life back in to the idea and build a platform, with a great team.

What it does

A platform that enables multiple people to come together (find each other / reconnect with each other) in a "virtual co-working space" from their own work space, over video.

The most significant part of this is that it “feels like you have people around you", whilst co-working online.
Real people working together side by side, virtually.

It brings connection, which is the missing piece from productivity apps and networking platforms already out there. The solution offers a format to focus with productivity tools (think Pomodoro timer and sessions), and built-in accountability plus buddy mechanisms peer-to-peer.

Problem it solves

Isolation, disconnection and loneliness when remote working (employees and freelancers).
The procrastination that comes from being self-managed and the many things that don't get done (the beat up).
The lack of impromptu interaction and networking that is characteristic of physically locating in work places and the even greater silos that produces. The lack of boundaries when merging work and home time/life together.

The solution you bring to the table (including technical details, architecture, tools used)

Real people working together side by side, virtually. “Feels like you have people around you.” (Connection/Buzz/Say Hi/Chance to meet new people). Bringing people together to work online and connect (Personal networks/Whatsapp). Productivity and accountability tools (Pomodoro method / Cuckoo timer / Organisational tools eg Google Docs) Virtual work space (ie Zoom Video)

What you have done during the weekend

Refined the value proposition Reviewed the customer feedback/ validation from our pilots. Identified the Customer Journey Designed the customer flow Prototype design sketches Team development and identification of roles Lean Canvas/Business plan Built the website Pitched!

How we built it

With the manual operating of video, focus timers and Whatsapp groups to gather people. We used customer journey map, business plan, customer flow, lean canvas, feedback and design.

The solution’s impact to the crisis

Not getting out as much Encouraging people to stay at home Isolation and loneliness with quarantine measures Help people adapt to new ways of working Keeping people connected, networking Meeting new colleagues Work with people from other industries, related professions, and complementary professions.

Challenges we ran into

To work with a tight schedule, to work remotely as a team, to figure out how to create necessary material for the project.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We know this works already! Using a combination of existing tools. We are proud to do so much in one weekend.

What we learned

We learned how to work together as a part of the team, to coordinate and get the job done. We used the idea of this project to stay connected and to work together.

What's next for Together Apart

Build a clickable prototype Conduct usability testing with our target users Get a great mentor

Built With

  • figma
Share this project:

Updates