Case Study: Maska Polka - fighting back against the COVID-19

The Client

“Maska Polka” is a social initiative founded by doctors Šárka Solecka and Wojtek Solecki, both medical doctors. The project aims to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 by promoting mask usage through two primary objectives:

1. Education and Awareness: Enhancing public understanding of the importance of mask-wearing.
2. Accessibility: Facilitating access to masks by connecting producers with individuals in need.

The Challenge

The initiative lacked an effective online platform to meet its objectives. Our challenge was to create a functional and user-friendly website that would:

• Allow users to easily locate and acquire masks.
• Serve as a central hub for educational resources and updates.
• Enable administrators to manage and update content independently.

With only a week to assemble a team, develop the tool, and execute a promotional campaign, we faced a tight deadline. The urgency of the pandemic heightened the importance of a rapid and effective solution.

Assembling an effective team is critical to the success of any project, and the “Maska Polka“ initiative was no exception. Given the tight deadline, putting together a team with the requisite skills presented a significant challenge. Fortunately, the call for volunteers resonated quickly, attracting not only our own employees but also external contributors, including close friends and former team members. This spontaneous enthusiasm ensured we had a dedicated group ready to tackle the project.

With just a week to develop and launch the product, and with some team members working together for the first time, the task might have seemed daunting. However, our experience with interdisciplinary teams and established practices equipped us to handle such scenarios effectively. The final team comprised a product designer responsible for the brand’s visual identity and the website’s UX/UI design, a software developer for project implementation, and content writers alongside marketing and PR specialists for the initiative’s promotion and public awareness.

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How did we manage to finish the product on Time?

Here are some insights from our collaboration:

• Clear goal: The team rallied around a unified vision, with Product Owners clearly understanding the project’s needs and objectives. Through well-conducted workshops, we defined the target persona, developed a provisional roadmap, and planned our sprint. Constant communication between team members and Product Owners ensured alignment throughout the development process.
• Self-organization and responsibility: Each team member leveraged their unique skills and took ownership of their assigned tasks. Trust and transparency were key; team members made independent decisions while keeping everyone informed of progress and soliciting feedback. This collaborative spirit, driven by genuine motivation rather than obligation, was crucial to our success.
• Holistic product view: We recognized the importance of both the website’s creation and its branding and promotion. By maintaining an integrated approach, we ensured that no aspect of the project was neglected, which was essential for reaching and engaging our audience effectively.
• Agility and speed over perfection: Embracing an agile approach, we focused on rapid delivery rather than perfection. This involved leveraging existing tools like Mapotic for mapping functionalities and Contentful for content management. By avoiding the trap of perfectionism, we ensured the website’s timely launch and immediate utility, addressing the urgent mask shortage.
• Processes built into our DNA: The project blended internal expertise with external volunteers, including Product Owners and PR specialists. Despite concerns about different working styles, our structured processes -such as product workshops, persona creation, and roadmap development - guided the team effectively. The diverse backgrounds of our team members enriched the project, providing valuable insights and strategies that enhanced both the development and promotional aspects of the initiative.

Technology:

• Mapotic: Integrated for interactive mask location mapping.
• Contentful: Utilized as the CMS to facilitate easy content updates.

Outcome

The Maska Polka initiative, through its newly launched website, has become a professional and highly functional platform, significantly enhancing its visibility and impact. The engaging design, effective branding, and coordinated promotional efforts led to extensive media coverage and a growing user base. Beyond facilitating mask distribution, the platform serves as a key educational resource on hygiene and pandemic safety. We are proud to have supported this effort, demonstrating how a focused, agile team can deliver impactful solutions under tight deadlines, contributing to public health efforts in Poland.