Application Development, UX Design & Prototyping, Cloud Computing, Severless
The opportunity
SylvaCap came to VectorOne with a unique vision of developing a platform, called Pick 5, that gamified the stock market and promoted financial literacy. An educational component of Pick 5 could be leveraged by business schools to promote investing skills. SylvaCap wanted users to be able to pick a portfolio of stocks and create games based on the stock market that were simple and engaging. The platform would allow minimal trades and showcase a leaderboard and a rating system so that contestants knew how their trades were performing. Operationally the contest would be supported by investor advertisements within the platform’s newsfeed.
The strategy
As a first step, VectorOne brought SylvaCap’s vision to life by working with partners to design storyboards that demonstrated the desired contest environment of Pick 5. Then, our developers decided to build on AWS architecture for its scalability and flexibility. To protect contestant data, we implemented secure login and redundancy safeguards. Functionally we established a connection with a stock API service to showcase real-time stock ticker metrics. We also created a leadership-style results dashboard so that contestants could easily see performance compared with other users, further enhancing the gamification strategy. Once the components were decided, VectorOne developed a functional mockup to help secure funding and investors for Pick 5. Before launch, we hosted a beta group contest to showcase the platform’s functionality and features.
The technology
Several technological components were key to the frictionless user experience and engaging features within Pick 5. Our team created a secure connection and integration with Intrinio for financial information and market data. We also utilized Auth 0 for secure contestant login functionality, giving users peace of mind. Two different APIs for components of the software were used — Alpha Vantage & IEX. For advertisers, the platform incorporated affiliate marketing code tracking that tied into Google Analytics, providing key optimization and performance data.
The results
Initially the beta group was successfully deployed, providing valuable feedback and data for Pick 5’s official launch. With its first contest, Pick 5 gained over 4,000 contestants that utilized the software and platform. The robust gamified trading platform hosted a live contest with 10 monthly winners, ranging from $10,000 to $100 per user. Also, the educational platform encouraged contestants to learn basic components of trading and investing. Currently, the platform has hosted more than 6,000 users per month.
