How it started?
The startup existed from 2015-2018 and created a product that allowed music to be broadcasted to horses and riders in order to strengthen the human-horse relationship. I joined the company following the first round of funding in 2016 as the first product manager on 3 different products: A mobile application, an e-commerce website and an e-learning course.
Riding with Music: the mobile app
The mobile application made it possible for both the rider and the horse to train with music, as each were equipped with an audio system allowing them to listen music. With a designer, a product owner and a team of 4 devs, I coordinated the strategy, discovery and delivery of the Horsecom mobile app.
Some features developed:
- Music library & training program: Exclusive musical content & training programs produced each month by our composers on the basis of specifications developed with our scientific and educational committee.
- Product backlog waiting list: Instant Messaging, Pace Calculator, AI Voice recognition, personal progression interface, playlist creation module, AI tailor-made educational sessions & programs.
Go-to-market via a e-commerce website
I also coordinated the design and development of the e-commerce website with the objective of launching and selling the product online. I was primarily focused on the strategy and the delivery. I worked with a brand designer, an UI designer and 1 dev, handling myself the UX design and writing.
Pivot to an E-learning platform
In 2017, user research told us that our users buying habits depend on the influence and opinion of a riding coach. At the same time, other user research told us that horse trainers are motivated to learn a new way of differentiating themselves through originality and wider teaching methods to gain more students. So we developed a "Riding with Music" training program for coaches at the center of the company's strategy. We launched an online program via an e-learning platform to train the riding instructors how to teach their students with the aid of music.
Key takeways
It was my first experience as product manager/owner. As it was an early stage company, we were very focused on product backlog and delivery. Some figures: 25k hot leads generated via our e-commerce website. 3k app users. 150 horse riding coaches who started the e-learning classes.
