The Business Oulu Service Voucher provides the necessary support for a start-up business. A voucher worth €1000-5000 is already a great boost for the commercialisation of a service or product.
In the first phase, businesses that have been operating for less than one year can apply for a business service voucher. In the next phase, the business service voucher will be extended to businesses that have been operating for less than 5 years.
The service voucher can be used to buy expert services from another company to help your business grow. The company must be a registered service provider.
This is a major boost to the commercialisation of a service or product.
MeKiwi is a service provider of the Business Oulu Service Voucher.
We offer six key services to help young companies develop their business.
The services are worth between 4000€ and 5000€.
1 Mobile app design
Designing a mobile app starts with understanding what you need it for. Is it used by the company’s employees or customers? Or does the app act as a channel to connect different parties?
Our team of experts will start from these points to integrate the application into your business. A well designed mobile app drives action towards your goals.
Designing a mobile application that supports your business includes:
1. Background and user research
Determine the user needs by interviewing the target audience.
2. Building scenarios for the product.
Why, where and in which situations is the mobile app used? We consider the technological limitations: what solutions can be done – and what makes sense.
3. User interface drafts.
What could the mobile app look like? How does the app support your brand?
If the mobile app is aimed at the market, we also look at how much it could cost and what kind of monetisation model it could follow. Would your product be scalable to other markets, or suitable for other purposes? On this basis, your mobile app becomes a demo that you can use when applying for funding to enter international markets, for example.
2 Business planning for a digital environment
Digital tools make things easier. Why make it difficult when you can make it easy? In our service package, we plan how you can make your business more efficient by using digital services. Let’s find the right digital tools for your business.
You know what you want to achieve. We’ll find the things that cause issues. We tell you what, where and how you could do things more smoothly with digital solutions.
3 Planning international business in a digital environment
Digital platforms enable the production and distribution of services worldwide. As part of the service package, we plan how you can expand internationally – or enhance your existing operations there.
We help you find the right digital tools for your business, analyse your business image in an international environment and the scalability of your product in your target market.
One way in which a start-up company can particularly benefit from this service is by commissioning a prototype or demo. A prototype or demo is needed when applying for a funding to export your product.
4 Developing and exploiting VR and AR innovations in business.
Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) deliver information in a completely different way than any previous technology.
Both can be used to play, either for recreational or educational purposes. All kinds of spatial and informational displays also work very well in VR and AR environments.
Working in a virtual environment is always about experience and emotion. This helps learning and remembering.
There is no need to teach a user to play virtually – with prices coming down, virtual glasses are already widely adopted by consumers.
As technology becomes more widespread, customised solutions are possible for more people. We can map the content of the service according to your needs. As an example, here is the conceptualisation of a virtual reality educational game in a nutshell:
1. Background and user research
Determine the user needs by interviewing the target audience.
2. Building scenarios for the product.
Why, where and in which situations would the game be used? We consider the technological limitations: what solutions can be done – and what makes sense.
3. User interface drafts.
Read more about the possibilities of the virtual world here. These are just examples – new ways to use the VR platform are being invented all the time. Maybe for you too!
5 Game testing
We test VR and mobile games on target audiences. We collect user experiences and ideas for further development in a report. We can use Oulu’s Tietomaa Science Centre as a testing environment, which is particularly useful when we need to test the game with a large number of users.
6 Concept design for a gamified service/tool
The game offers a way to improve customer satisfaction, build relationships and stay in touch with the customer. Gamification starts with getting to know the customer. What does the customer want and need, and what kind of action will they agree to? The starting point for gamification is a need – something you want to promote. Gamification can be used to support, guide, motivate or engage the user.
A gamified service does not have to look like a game. Game features are targeted to appropriate areas within the service.
The number one priority is the user experience. This includes the activity of the user, the responsiveness of the application, the structure of the application, its appearance and also the sound. Simplicity and efficiency are the key words here.
Designing a gamified service:
1. Background and user research
Determine the user needs by interviewing the target audience.
2. Building scenarios for the product.
We look at why, where and in what situations the mobile app is used. We consider the technological limitations: what solutions can be done – and what makes sense.
3. User interface drafts.
Whatever your needs, you can be sure that doing something like this will take you a long way. Click on the Business Service Voucher service catalogue here. There you will also find MeKiwi’s services. There you go!