“We’re in the midst of the battle” – with laughter, Jan answers the question concerning the current state of affairs at JaSa. Quite a while ago, Jan and Salih have begun to work on the development of their prototype. It turned out that it was useful to change the technical approach, using a different hardware than at the beginning, staying close to the serial product. “Accordingly, this procedure takes more time in advance and is a bit bumpy at times”, Jan admits, “but as a result we will be able to start with a diversified and finished product.” To speed up the realisation, JaSa has support from a second engineer. The new hardware offers many possibilities. „We are now implementing things to keep options in store that we might use very much later in the process.” Instead of a hasty move, Jan and Salih take all the time they need for the development. “We don’t want it ‘quick and dirty’, but we want a proper and solid foundation for a good result”, both founders emphasize. “After all, we won’t sell a pound of bananas to our customers, but something much more complex,” Jan laughs.
The most important question is: What does the target audience need? What do users need, what is important for caregivers and nursing staff on the other hand? There have been additions to the previously planned possibilities. “We are pursuing a two-fold strategy, asking: What does a ‘best ager’ need who wants to use our watch him/herself, who checks and watches the data autonomously? And what is – in contrast – important to a senior who requires a high level of care and whose relatives, nursing service, or nursing home process the data?” Different target groups require different functions. Plus, these functions will have to differ and to be adapted accordingly concerning their design. Jan and Salih have already discussed their ideas with an agency – aiming at ‘looks’ AND handling. “All elderly people are not the same”, Jan knows. This is also why the JaSa team has grown to support the areas of sales and marketing. There is a merchant revising their business model and financing plan, developing a distribution strategy, and searching for possible subsidies for the completion of the prototype. The plan is to complete the prototype by the end of April, so that May would see a first run with test persons. “We take a very close look at what people really need”, says Salih. “In the long run, we don’t want our product to have functions that nobody wants.” Jan adds: “We are playing it safe – we’d rather look three times at the product ourselves, and then have an external person have another look at it.” Quite certainly: As they are developing a product for a very special and sensitive area, this is about more than the wisdom that there is no second chance for a first impression.
