The Pace Mate product relies heavily on technology, using motion-sense capabilities to gauge a runner's stride and pace. Once the accurate tempo has been collected, the program selects songs of a similar tempo and beats per minute (BPM) and generates a playlist. It can be thought of as a cross between Nike + and Pandora. That being said, there would be the possibility of partnerships with these two entities. Additionally, a future product capability could be a heart rate monitor.
Gaining more knowledge about technology has allowed for the advancement of Pace Mate. Social media is one area that provides great opportunities to the product. A Pace Mate Twitter account and Facebook page would help give the product exposure to its target market. These avenues could also promote the brand while being a source of feedback from product users. Pace Mate employees would mainly utilize social media to monitor and respond to customers as a sort of customer service avenue. Furthermore, as Pace Mate gained popularity, it could generate its own form of social media incorporated into its app where runners can share favorite songs, workouts, and running discussions.
Cloud computing is also extremely relevant to Pace Mate. Pandora is a perfect example of cloud computing in that all of its songs are streamed to devices from cloud servers. Pace Mate would follow a similar model to provide the largest library of music to all of its users. With unlimited storage space, it could build a large library of songs and be able to cater to various listening preferences. Additionally, information regarding a runner's pace, time, and distance from a workout could be stored in the cloud. This would allow the user to monitor their workout history and track any progress they have made and then access the information at any time or place.
In terms of an operating system, Pace Mate will enter the market through the App Store for iPhones and iPods. iPhones are increasing in popularity, and iPhones and iPods are often the preferred mode of music storage for runners. However, for the program to be competitive, it will eventually need to be available on Android mobile devices, as well. Pace Mate is meant to be a transparent, easy-to-use program. For this reason, it would be important for designers to work collaboratively with programmers to develop a user-friendly and appealing product.
The feedback received on Pace Mate from peers was encouraging. The overall feeling was that Pace Mate would be widely-accepted and would make for more enjoyable workouts. Originally I was unsure what form the product would take. It has evolved into a mobile application that will have a corresponding website. A wristband (as opposed to a sneaker chip) will be used to track a user's heart rate and BPM. This wristband will be able to utilize similar technology to the products already provided by Nike, furthering the possibility for a partnership. The Pace Mate app will also have a corresponding website where users can access and track the statistics recorded and music played by the app. To make this idea a reality, I would need to establish storage space in the cloud and social media accounts. I would subsequently need workers to manage these, as well as a customer service team to manage customer concerns and feedback. Additionally, I would need designers and programmers to develop a user-friendly product and a database to manage the information on the corresponding website. Finally, I would likely need a legal consultant to manage risk, especially that associated with music rights and the privacy and security of customer information. Overall, I think Pace Mate is a very realistic and potentially successful entrepreneurial idea.
