Hello from the Bird Buddy product team
about 5 years ago – Fri, Mar 12, 2021 at 01:29:56 AM

Hello,

While our developers are busy building the backend, implementing streaming protocols,  creating the architecture ready to scale and enjoying the vastness of AI, we, the product team, are in the middle of mapping user journeys for our hotly anticipated app. This is where Bird Buddy comes to life on your screen, at home, in the garden or at work.

With endless user possibilities, at times it is hard to curb our enthusiasm about the amazing things the Bird Buddy mobile app could do. 😊

However, September is fast approaching and we are focused on what is needed right now rather than squeezing everything into the first version (which means we have a growing list of cool ideas banked for future use and updates despite how hard it is saying ‘not yet’ to them right now).  

Until launch, our goal is to now focus on the user scenarios that we have the capacity to truly understand, carefully craft and design and develop, all the while taking your feedback into account to make the final product truly delightful. 

The first version of the app will of course do everything we have promised on Kickstarter. As well as some fun extras that we are keeping secret for now. 😊

For us, development of our app is serious business. Looking at some apps, the software saves you either time or money – or both! Think of Uber, Lyft, or even Photoshop. These tend to be more utilitarian and functional with differing user experiences (that is not to say there’s anything wrong with the UX of the mentioned products!). This is not enough for Bird Buddy as we want to be more than perfunctory. We want our notifications to be sounds of joy, indicators that you are about to have a delightful experience, not the dreaded tones of a work task to do or errand to complete. We are making our app, which is automatically part of the Bird Buddy product, one that everyone will love, using it to have fun in getting to know your feathered friends. 

When you look at it this way, Bird Buddy is much closer to games than it is to utility apps or work tools. Game design leads the way in user experience evolution, and since the very beginning we have decided to draw ideas, inspiration and methodologies from this field while remaining very careful to not make it feel like a game. No virtual game worlds, no gold coins, no badges. Instead, a lot of unpredictable, fun and joyous interactions. For now, we’ll tease you with a zoomed out preview of one of our core flows, and cannot wait to be able to share more.

We’ve also been busy with redefining our visual language. Since launching the campaign, we have learned a lot about you, our backers, and where we would like Bird Buddy to go from here. That is why we feel a rebranding is much needed. 

Our updated fun and energetic visual language will communicate some of our core values, such as the importance of sustainability, conservation, freedom and inclusivity, resonating with fellow nature-lovers and free spirits like ourselves.

There are over 18,000 species of birds in the world, and we want our logo to reflect that.  This means, we are looking for a fluid solution which would allow us to express both the diversity and uniqueness of our feathered friends, the ultimate Bird Buddy user. 

As you can tell much of what we are doing is a work-in-progress and when we can, you will be the first to hear about our next developments.

Thank you for taking the time to read through our latest weekly update.

Have fun and stay safe,

Romina and the Bird Buddy Team

Hardware Update
about 5 years ago – Tue, Mar 02, 2021 at 10:51:37 PM

Hello Bird Buddies!

We hope you are all doing well, staying safe, and enjoying your feathered backyard friends!

For this update we wanted to share some of our exciting progress on the hardware side of things. We are moving full speed ahead and didn’t encounter any delays during Chinese New Year since our development team is based in the US.

We really appreciate all of the great ideas and feedback that you have provided so far, and have taken much of this feedback and incorporated it into the refinements, development and testing that we are currently working on, including:

Industrial Design

We have made Bird Buddy slightly bigger to increase the seed capacity, make electronics more accessible, and improve the seed door access. In addition, we’ve been refining the surfacing and working with our manufacturer’s mechanical engineers and tooling specialists to ensure that the surfacing is manufacturable and durable enough to withstand whatever nature will throw at it. We have also made progress on the solar roof, coming up with a direction that should provide flexibility for mounting direction and LOTS of power for the battery. Many small refinements are also being made such as improved holes for drainage, access for cleaning, mounting method for suet ball attachment, and more.

Engineering

On the mechanical side we are developing our BOM(bill of materials) and tooling pull strategy to simplify the tools and optimize assembly as much as possible, as well as narrowing down our material selection and finalizing 3D CAD files for DFM (design for manufacturing). On the electrical side we’ve landed on our block diagram and main components (this took some time and testing of different options to make sure we had the right balance of processing power, camera quality and power consumption) and we have been running a variety of tests for WiFi range, bird sensing, seed sensing, power consumption scenarios and others to ensure that things will work properly from day one.

Component Sourcing and Logistics

As you know, COVID has had a massive impact on many things over the past year and global logistics and manufacturing has not been immune. For us, this means that where we used to be able to order electronic components, sensors and processors on shorter notice, the lead times for popular components are now sometimes as far as a year out. Luckily, we’ve already identified the long lead components and due to our current volume projections we have some negotiating power. So far, we have been able to secure the components we need in time to stay on schedule. This remains one of the biggest risks to the project timeline, so we are doing everything we can to mitigate it and will keep everyone posted. We’ve also brought in a logistics and supply chain expert, Dan, who has led these efforts at companies like Logitech and Dyson and is helping us develop our strategy and vet fulfillment and shipping partners so that as soon as we have our product ready, we will be able to deliver it to you quickly!

That’s it for now. We’ll have more updates to share soon and as always please reach out with any questions, comments or ideas.

Thanks and have a great week!

– Kyle and the Bird Buddy team

Meet the Team
about 5 years ago – Tue, Feb 23, 2021 at 12:26:07 AM

Hi Bird Buddies!

We are dedicating this week’s update to introduce you to the wonderful people without whom Bird Buddy would not be possible! We are proud to say we have created a great team of experts and bird-lovers, and here is the down-low on us all.

FOUNDERS

It all started with an idea and a wish to take birdwatching to a whole new level. These guys came up with a smart bird feeder that would also identify the bird at the same time, and the rest, as they say, is history!

FRANCI

Franci is in charge of software development and has previously worked with the likes of Snap and Porsche on launching new products. He taught web design and development for seven years, and spent his childhood documenting local bird populations and loving it. Favorite bird: Eurasian magpie.

KYLE

Industrial designer and hardware developer extraordinaire. He has worked at top consultancies and with Google as the design lead on Chromecast which went on to sell over 22 million units globally. He is part Native-American (his other name is Ma-Con-S-Squah which means Little Bear) and is currently restoring an 1845 farmhouse in Michigan. Favorite bird: northern flicker.

ŽIGA

Žiga is in charge of product development, and this isn’t his first rodeo either! He has worked with really successful projects in the past, among others, My Talking Tom, a global mobile game hit with over 1 billion downloads. He crossed the Atlantic ocean on a sailboat and owns a dog. Favorite bird: European robin.

DEVELOPMENT AND ENGINEERING

Of course, this wonderful idea could not come to fruition without our developers and engineers who are creating the amazing features that Bird Buddy offers. We are excited to announce that we have selected a top tier, US-owned Contract Manufacturer that has integrated offshore facilities and a California-based engineering and development team. Working directly with a vertically integrated partner means that we gain efficiency in things like component sourcing, prototyping, testing, and design-for-manufacturing, and the fact that they are US-based is already proving extremely valuable because it enables clear communication and time zone alignments for meetings and quick feedback.

MITJA

Mitja is in charge of developing the Bird Buddy app and we could not have a better person for the job. His past experiences include Prodajko, a location-based classifieds platform currently used by over 50,000 users a month, which he developed with a colleague. In 2015, he was also the Microsoft Imagine Cup world semi-finalist in the Innovation category. He plays guitar in a rock band and once ate pizza every single day for a whole month; he still loves it. Favorite bird: hummingbird.

JAN

Jan is the one who makes sure Bird Buddy can actually see there’s a bird in front of the camera and tell you which bird it is! He is the wizard in charge of artificial intelligence, machine learning and computer vision. He has developed a computer-vision-based bin picker trained purely on synthetic data. He is a trained gymnast, having trained for almost 20 years and enjoys Ricky Gervais’ podcast series. Favorite bird: eagle.

TINE

Tine is in charge of backend development or, in other words, all the stuff that goes on behind-the-scenes. He loves analog photography and reading cyberpunk novels. Favorite bird: kakapo.

DESIGN AND ILLUSTRATION

Bird Buddy and its app would not be as awesome as they are without its intuitive, user-friendly interface. We owe that to our wonderful team of designers and illustrators who keep it looking fly.

ROMINA

Romina has oodles of experience doing art direction and user experience design across both tech startups and several marquee tech unicorns such as Stellar.org, Outfit7, Databox, Xamarin, IPFS, Zemanta. She loves skiing and snowboarding but is afraid of heights; not that it stops her. She plays the zither and finished elementary music school. Favorite bird: common kingfisher.

SARA

Sara has worked for companies of all sizes, from start-ups to big players like Ericsson and has loved it every single time. She has always been afraid of heights until she decided to overcome her fear by going skydiving. Her husband, her daughter and her all share the same birthday. Favorite bird: parrot.

LEA

Our illustrator, Lea, once designed and created the puppets for an animated recap of Orange is the New Black that ended up winning the London-based agency a Golden Drum award. Although she rarely draws them in her personal work, she somehow keeps getting bird-related jobs, and has a papillon dog that passionately hates jays. Favorite bird: raven and kingfisher.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT

Bird Buddy would not be where we are now without you guys, the wonderful community of bird-lovers that support our project. And our expert social media people are an integral part of our community.

POLONA

Polona is the friendly voice at the other end of the line who is here to answer any and all of your questions and requests, because your feedback means the world to us (it also inspires us for our next product ideas). She learned to read and write English by reading Harry Potter because she was too impatient to wait for the Slovene translation. With the right yarn and hook, she can crochet a beanie and scarf set in under an hour. Favorite bird: blue tit, robin and blackbird.

MAIKEN

Maiken is in charge of keeping you guys updated on what we are up to, as well as preparing interesting and informative bird-related posts for you to read on our social media. She dreams of one day being able to read classical texts in the original Latin and Ancient Greek, and likes to carve wooden spoons when she finds the time. Favorite bird: bearded reedling.

SIM

Sim is our writer and researcher in charge of the Bird Buddy blog. She knows the calls and songs of 72 bird species, and is currently renovating her Slovenian property with her wife and winging it. Favorite bird: shoebill.

MARKETING

Having a great product isn’t enough, people also need to see it! Our marketing team is here to make sure Bird Buddy reaches the right audience and birdwatching fans. You guys!

BENO

Beno has worked with the startup Omnipemf and helped them become one of the leading companies in their area. He loves analysing data and prefers news shows over movies. Favorite bird: European crested tit.

REBEKA

Rebeka formerly worked as product manager for a women’s health and wellness brand called Bellabeat and has since started her own company called Melon & Lime that makes pretty yoga gear. She is an art restorer by education and can say, “I want vegan food,” in Chinese. Favorite bird: long-eared owl.

LOGISTICS AND OPERATIONS

We are thrilled to say that Bird Buddy has received support from all corners of the world. But the finished product needs to make it to all of you lovely people and do so in one piece. Here is where this guy comes in handy!

MATIJA

Matija has previously worked as an industrial designer on three successful Kickstarter campaigns and has been a member of various startups. He grows olives and makes what is probably the best olive oil in the world. Favorite bird: seagull.

ORNITHOLOGY AND DOMAIN EXPERTISE

Bird Buddy is a product for bird lovers, but it is also as much a product for birds. That is why we are thrilled to have an expert on deck to make sure we do right by our feathered friends.

TJAŠA

Tjaša is a geographer and conservation biologist, but her true passion are birds, especially owls. She has authored several scientific publications and has hands-on experience working in veterinary clinics and research retreats. Since 2018, she has been working at DOPPS – Birdlife Slovenia to prevent bird crime. Her favorite part of the day is nighttime when everything but the owls goes completely quiet. Favourite bird: Eurasian scops owl.

MEDIA & COMMS

When we started crowdfunding, our campaign blew up. We have our media and communications duo to thank for making sure information on Bird Buddy reaches the right people.

CAROLINE

Caroline has been an environmentalist since forever, creating positive impact through PR and media. As her first job though, Caroline ran a wine bar near SoHo in London at the young age of 23 and got used to dealing with those who imbibed too much. She has an international powerboat license and loves pinball so much, she has an original Star Wars pinball machine from the 70s. Favorite bird: birds of prey and parrots.

ALEX

Alex used to work in the entertainment industry. She worked on film and TV sets, red carpets and got to know a bunch of actors. She used to be a competitive figure skater and was on an episode of the TV show Wonder Years when she was a teenager. Favorite bird: chickadees.

P.S.: We have begun sending out the BackerKit invitations! They are going out in batches, so if you haven’t gotten yours yet, don’t worry, you should receive it any day now.

Progress update (pledge manager, scam alert and our blog)
about 5 years ago – Tue, Feb 16, 2021 at 02:16:22 AM

Hi Bird Buddies!

We hope the new year is treating you well. It has been a while since our last update. We have been hard at work expanding the team and developing Bird Buddy so that it will be delivered to you as perfect as possible. As we finally have some much needed help you can expect regular updates from now on; we will aim for a weekly schedule!

Let’s get down to business!

First of all, we have now gotten the pledge manager up and running! As Kickstarter had some issues in collecting pledges from specific EU countries they kindly extended the collection window for a week. As a result we got our funds later than anticipated and couldn’t pay the fee for the pledge management system earlier. The platform we’re using is called BackerKit and it’s a great way for us to stay up-to-date on all your needs. You will receive an invitation to access your account by email this week (if you used your Facebook credentials to log in to your Kickstarter account, the BackerKit survey will be sent to the email address you use for your Facebook account.) There you will be guided through a survey that will collect your shipping address, choice of color and allow you to get more add-ons or Bird Buddies at the price of your original pledge. It’s super easy.

This will also be wonderful news for all those of you who, unfortunately, experienced some payment issues, because it will allow you to input your payment information again – this time hopefully without issues.

Please be sure to be on the lookout for the email in the coming days. Check your spam folder as well to make sure you don’t miss it!

Secondly, be aware of scammers! A number of you have reached out to us about a few websites that have copied our content and are advertising a “Smart Bird Feeder” that is supposedly available to ship right away. We are aware of two so far and have hired a legal team to fight them because they are doing a lot of unfair damage to our brand and, most importantly, to those of you who have accidentally ordered from them.

Despite our best efforts, these sites keep popping up, so be careful and remember: the only place you can buy Bird Buddy at this point is Indiegogo or, in the case of our Kickstarter backers, our upcoming pledge manager. If you run into any such sites, please report them to us and report their ads as “pretending to be another business”.

Lastly, we have finally got the whole gang together! We are proud to say that we have a team of wonderful and creative people from all over the world that are helping make Bird Buddy a reality. We will let you know more about them in our next update!

Have a wonderful week!

The Bird Buddy Team

P.S.: If you find yourself wanting more Bird Buddy content from us between the updates, we’re regularly posting all sorts of fun, informative content on our blog or on Facebook! In light of Valentine’s day, our most recent post offers a “bird’s eye view” on all things love. Who knew “regurgitation” would be on that list, huh? You can find the full post right here.

Our project was featured on the First Backer Newsletter, and we'd like to invite you to join its growing community of Kickstarter backers. You'll receive news on the freshest Kickstarter projects, amazing early bird offers, and awesome freebies right in your inbox. Click here to subscribe.

Dear Bird Buddies
about 5 years ago – Sun, Jan 17, 2021 at 10:20:04 PM

Dear Bird Buddies,

Bird Buddy started out as just another cool idea any one of us could have had that will likely never see the light of day. Through a series of happy coincidences followed by a lot of hard work, helpful advice and most importantly your support and feedback, we get the chance to make Bird Buddy a reality and truly give it our collective best so it’s as good as it can be.

Bird Buddy is now the #1 most funded Kickstarter project in the Gadgets category and #35 most funded project on Kickstarter ever. While this makes us extremely happy it also brings a huge sense of responsibility to deliver a truly amazing product that will live up to your expectations and define a new category for a long time to come.

Birds are the last remaining wildlife we still encounter in our daily lives. Their singing wakes us up in the morning and follows us wherever we go. They are all around us and are a great way for us to reconnect with wildlife and nature and hopefully increase our appreciation for it. It now seems more important than ever to rebuild our relationship with the wild and we truly believe Bird Buddy can play a crucial role in helping us achieve that. This adds a lot of weight to our work and gives us yet another reason to take no shortcuts and make sure Bird Buddy lives up to your expectations.

We’ll do our best to include you in the process and give you insight into our work every step of the way. We haven’t issued any updates recently as our approach was always that we don’t want to reach out with half-baked information or developments that are subject to change. From your feedback and with a bit of reflection it’s now clear to us that we were wrong. Final or no, giving you regular insight is the respectful thing to do and it gives you the option to comment and engage on topics before we make any decisions that are hard to reverse.

With that said, below is a high level list of activities that we have been engaging in over the past month or so. The reality is that as our funding was increasing we had to continuously adjust our activities to fit the updated budgets. We’re now hiring top talent in all required fields that share our passion for nature and wildlife.

• We've done 37 job interviews with engineers, designers, developers, marketing and finance experts. We've now selected 2 designers, 2 developers, 2 marketing experts, an engineer and a financial officer that will likely join the project on the 1st of February. Come February the team will more than double in size. The contracts aren't yet finalized so we're not 100% sure of all the dates yet and we can't share the portfolios of the people we'd like to brag about as we really are proud about some of the talent we managed to get on board.
   
• We've gone through a selection process for a hardware partner/manufacturer where we've evaluated 7 partners and are now left with 2 in consideration. We've engaged both for the first phase of the project so we get a better idea of how it is to work with each and will make the final decision in the coming weeks. But work is already well underway.
   
• We've had a lot of internal discussions and organizational challenges trying to decide how to organize in these crazy times. Do we go fully remote, or do we work from an office? How do we make sure that the working environment is as safe as it can be?
   
• We engaged copyright and trademark consultants to help us protect the brand and importantly innocent people that land on the scam pages that many of you have pointed out.
   
• We are evaluating various shipping and fulfillment options and partners.
   
• On an ongoing basis we engage with you, our backers, through comments and DMs. It was really important for us to give real answers here and take all the feedback into account so this was really a significant part of the day for us throughout the campaign.
   
• Throughout all of this, we've been working on making Bird Buddy better in pretty much every way. We've likely extended the battery life considerably through smart engineering.
   
• We're still adding cool app features to the backlog that you, our backers, come up with.
   
• And so much more...
   

The team really is all about sharing so we’ll think hard about how we can make our journey as transparent as possible to keep everyone in the loop and engaged.

We'll invite you to our pledge manager soon where you'll be able to adjust your pledge in case you wanted to add any additional add-ons or make any other changes. You'll also be able to choose the color of your Bird Buddy up until the time of shipping.

We can’t thank you enough for your support! We’ll now take the weekend to cool off a bit and return next week with full force working hard to deliver on our promise!

Thank you for being such an amazing community,

The Bird Buddy Team