SpeakingPal was at the recent BETT Show in London, showing our co-produced product with ETS (Educational Testing Service), SpeakingPal Plus! ETS is the world’s leading brand in educational testing services and is the creator of the well-known TOEFL and TOEIC tests. The Princeton-based institution administers over 50 million tests annually worldwide.
So, what is it like co-producing a product with a giant? In a word, satisfying. From the beginning of the product development, we felt a sense of pride and a realization that we were entering an interesting relationship. They respected our innovation, quick reaction, creativity and mobile expertise. We respected their quality content, high standards, impeccable experience and sheer enormity.
At first, we needed to explore each other’s strong points, ideas, ways of implementation, and decision making processes. ETS provided an array of content that we checked for compatibility to mobile. After a selection process, we agreed on types of content that were best suitable for a co-produced effort. The process dovetailed nicely, culminating in SpeakingPal Plus! – a product that allows users to practice both general English speaking and listening skills along with TOEIC practice exercises with genuine content provided by the test makers themselves.
The working relationship was professional, friendly, and very pleasant. The people that we worked with were always helpful, approachable and available. By the end of the process, we felt as though we were working as a real team. After all, it is how much you are able to accomplish together that really counts and this co-production process showed us the importance of every individual’s contribution to the overall effort.
So, what is it like to co-produce a product with a giant? I think things add up like this:
SpeakingPal + ETS = SpeakingPal Plus!
