Tyze.com | Social Signal

Client: PLAN Institute

Take the power of social networks to organize people, couple it with the intimacy and personal connection of small groups... and you have Tyze. It’s a platform for hosting personal support networks the most isolated and vulnerable in our society, grounded in the proven methodology of the Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network. Tyze offers scheduling, task planning and messaging – supporting the real-world work of the network – but the heart of each Tyze network is the storytelling that celebrates the person at the centre of the network. Tyze launched in closed beta in 2007, and is now working with organizations across North America to deliver Tyze networks to the people in their care.

How we helped

• We worked with PLAN Institute to develop a concept and strategy for using the Web to extend their expertise building personal networks.
• We developed a preliminary project plan that explored revenue options and partnership possibilities for Tyze.  We also wrote a series of supporting documents that helped convince several funders to support Tyze.
• Working closely with PLAN Institute, we developed a set of wireframes and a comprehensive set of technical requirements that guided the successful development of the site.
• We managed the build and development process, setting timelines and maintaining the business relationship with the developer. Following the initial launch, we maintained the queue for quality assurance and feature development, with a focus on keeping the networks operating smoothly.
• We organized and led an intensive day-long content sprint that created the site’s key documentation and generated content for a model network. We wrote and designed collateral for potential funders and partners, and created an introductory video to explain how the platform works. We managed the designer relationship and approval process for the logo design.

Impact

Allow the way people use your platform to help guide its development, and let the technology take a back seat to the work of building and strengthening community.  Most importantly, learn from proven offline community-building models.

Lessons

Allow the way people use your platform to help guide its development, and let the technology take a back seat to the work of building and strengthening community.  Most importantly, learn from proven offline community-building models.