The Digital Platform - Strategy, Structure and Content

Introduction

The rise of the platform economy has brought on radical changes to the way we work, socialize and create value (Kenney and Zysman, 2016). Digital platforms such as Airbnb, Google, Amazon, Salesforce, GitHub and many more act as service-providers, marketplaces, sales-channels, mediators or hubs for data, code and tools. Platforms may be global enterprises or local niche players. They may follow a pure online strategy or be part of a hybrid business model. They may be for profit entities or embody community-based prosocial movements. They may be value drivers themselves or channels in the marketing mix. What all players in the platform economy have in common is their basic building block – the platform. Good platforms are rooted in a consistent strategy, they are intuitive in their architecture, convincing in their design with content that is highly accessible through organic web searches and they fit seamlessly into the broader platform ecosystem. Today’s decision-makers will not only have to engage with platforms as a part of their daily work, but they also need to be able to understand, develop and manage digital platforms. This course will take you through all stages of a platform development project combining theory on platform and content strategizing, insight from practitioners and hands-on work with user experience management tools. 

This course takes on the perspective of a decision-maker on the business-side of a platform project and will enable you to initiate, plan and manage a platform development project. Participants will gain a fundamental understanding of the platform economy and its basic building block – the digital platform. In particular, they will learn how to set up their own platform strategy and which steps to take on the way to a deployable platform. Furthermore, they will learn to go beyond the launch of their platform and maintain a digital innovation pipeline for their digital product. Ideally, the course would be set up for about 40 students, so that sessions can be designed interactive and with a focus on direct application of the learned theories and concepts (see examination).

Students are asked to ‘build’ their own platform or platform element (website, app or feature). Based on the course modules, they will complete bi-weekly assignments where they will develop a basic platform strategy, develop a wireframe and choose a design approach, define a content strategy, set up a project plan and a hypothetical performance dashboard.

Course content

1. Platform Strategy
   1. Understanding the Audience (gains, pains, goals)
   2. Understanding the Market (learn from the best in class)
   3. Vision & Goals
   4. Setting up the PMO (Timing, Resources, Scope)
2. Architecture and Design
   1. Defining and prioritizing key features
   2. Setting up the structure/architecture
   3. Defining a design (CI/CD)
3. Building and Scaling the Platform
   1. Agile vs. Waterfall Development
   2. Testing and Prototyping
   3. Pitfalls to avoid
   4. Self-Development vs. integrating partners (build, partner, invest)
   5. Cornerstones of successful Collaborations
4. Creating the right Content
   1. Setting up the editorial plan
   2. Reaching the right audiences
      1. Setting up a SEO Strategy
      2. Setting up a SEA Strategy
   3. Working with Content Creators (e.g. Influencers, Journalists, etc.)
5. Monitoring, Maintenance and continuous Refinement
   1. Defining key-metrics and KPIs
   2. Setting up a measurement dashboard
   3. Continuously learning from user behavior (quant and qual)
   4. Maintaining an active innovation pipeline
6. Incorporating fair design principles
   1. Ensuring universal Accessibility
   2. Designing Privacy and Participation Mechanisms