New Application Discovery Meeting

This document helps us gather detailed information to assess feasibility, scope, and resource requirements for proposed learning technology projects. We will use this as a starting point in our discovery meeting which is part of our intake process. Not all the questions below will be relevant to all applications/ideas and we’ll only ask the pertinent ones.

The meeting should take about an hour and will be attended by the person who submitted the intake form and team members from LTIC.

Before the discovery meeting, the LTIC team will have reviewed the initial submission, sent this document to the person with the idea, with any extra requests we might have before we meet.

This looks like a lot, but things move quickly. And, again, not all of these questions will need to be asked.

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What is a discovery meeting?

A discovery meeting is a collaborative conversation between you (the person with an idea) and our team to fully understand your vision and needs. Think of it as a friendly, structured discussion where we ask questions to learn about the problem you’re trying to solve and who it affects, what success looks like for your project, technical requirements, timeline, resources, and support.

Introductions and Context Setting (5 mins)

  • Explain purpose of this meeting (information gathering, not decision)
  • Outline meeting structure and timeline
  • Set expectation for next steps and decision timeline

Problem Definition and User Context (10 mins)

Understanding the Core Problem

  • What specific problem or pain point does this address?
  • Who experiences this problem? (Instructors, students, staff, administrators?)
  • How are users currently handling this? What’s the workaround?
  • What does “good enough” look like versus “ideal”?
  • What happens if this problem remains unsolved?

User Base & Scope

  • How many users would this serve? (Initially? Eventually?)
  • Which faculties/departments/courses would use this?
  • Are users technically savvy or need high ease-of-use?
  • Any specific accessibility requirements for your user base?
  • Will this be opt-in or required for certain courses/programs?

Success Criteria

  • What would success look like 6 months after launch?
  • How would you measure whether this is working?
  • What feedback would you expect from users?

Functional Requirements (10 minutes)

Core Functionality

  • Can you describe the key features/capabilities needed?
  • Walk us through a typical user workflow (step by step)
  • What data inputs are required from users?
  • What outputs/results should users get?
  • Are there any “must-have” vs “nice-to-have” features?

Integration Needs

  • Does this need to connect with Canvas?
  • Integration with student information systems (SIS)?
  • Authentication requirements (CWL/SSO)?
  • API access to other UBC systems?
  • Data import/export requirements?
  • Need to work with other tools already in use?

User Experience Expectations

  • Should this be web-based, mobile, desktop, or multiple?
  • Any specific design/interface requirements?
  • Need to match UBC branding/style guidelines?
  • Expected response times or performance requirements?

Content & Data

  • What types of content will be created/stored?
  • Estimated volume of data/content?
  • Who creates/manages/updates content?
  • Content lifespan (archived after term? Kept indefinitely?)

Technical & Infrastructure Considerations (8-10 minutes)

Existing Tools & Alternatives

  • Have you looked at existing UBC tools that might meet this need?
  • Tried any external tools/platforms? What worked/didn’t work?
  • Aware of similar solutions at other universities?
  • Why build new vs adapt existing?

Technical Constraints

  • Any specific technology requirements or preferences?
  • Offline access needed?
  • Any performance/speed requirements?
  • File size or upload limitations?

Scalability & Growth

  • Expect usage to grow significantly?
  • Plan to expand to other faculties/departments?
  • Will feature set need to evolve over time?

Compliance, Privacy & Security (8-10 minutes)

Data Handling

  • What type of data will be collected/stored?
    • Student personal information?
    • Academic records or grades?
    • Research data?
    • Anonymous usage data only?
  • Who needs access to this data?
  • Any data residency requirements (must be stored in Canada)?
  • How long should data be retained?
  • Export/deletion capabilities needed?

Privacy & Security

  • Any FIPPA (Freedom of Information) considerations?
  • PIA required?
  • Research ethics approval needed?
  • Sensitive or confidential information involved?
  • Need audit trails of who accessed/modified data?

Accessibility

  • Must meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards
  • Any specific accessibility features needed beyond WCAG 2.1 AA?

Other Approvals/Compliance

  • Faculty/department approval already obtained?
  • Need approval from other university offices? (IT, Privacy, Legal, etc.)
  • Intellectual property considerations?

Timeline & Resource Expectations (5-7 minutes)

Timeline

  • Is there a specific deadline or preferred launch date?
  • Why that timeline? (Academic calendar, grant requirement, etc.)
  • Flexibility if timeline needs adjustment?
  • Pilot/testing period needed before full launch?

Requestor Involvement

  • How much time can you commit during development?
  • Available for user testing/feedback sessions?
  • Can you recruit test users from your area?
  • Comfortable being point of contact for questions?

Ongoing Support

  • Who will handle user support after launch? (LTIC, your department, shared?)
  • Training needed for users? Who provides?
  • Ongoing content updates needed? Who handles?
  • Who monitors usage and addresses issues?

Maintenance & Evolution

  • Expect to need regular updates/improvements?
  • Seasonal usage patterns (e.g., high during term, low in summer)?
  • Long-term vision (still using this in 5 years)?

Budget & Funding (3-5 minutes)

Current Funding Status

  • Funding secured? From where? How much?
  • Budget flexibility if costs exceed estimates?
  • Multi-year funding or one-time?
  • Funding timeline/deadline?

If Unfunded

  • Aware of potential funding sources? (TLEF, faculty funds, etc.)
  • Willing to pursue grant applications?
  • Able to wait for funding opportunity cycles?
  • Would a pilot/proof-of-concept help secure funding?

Cost Considerations

  • Understand there may be ongoing costs (hosting, licenses, support)?
  • Budget for these ongoing expenses?
  • Willing to explore cost-recovery models if needed?
  • There is a possibility that LTIC can help fund the initial proof-of-concept/small trial stage of your app, such that, if successful, you can more easily secure funding. Details on request.
  • For project requirements that reach up to $10,000, with verified department matching indication, LTIC requires a minimum of 2 months notice.
  • For projects requirements that exceed $10,000, again with verified department matching indication, LTIC requires at least 6 months notice.

Additional Context & Wrap-up (3-5 minutes)

Open Questions

  • Anything we haven’t asked that’s important?
  • Concerns or potential blockers we should know about?
  • Political or departmental sensitivities?
  • Previous attempts to solve this problem?

Examples & References

  • Can you share examples of similar tools elsewhere?
  • Mockups or sketches you’ve created?
  • User feedback or survey results?

Closing

  • Recap next steps and decision timeline (Day 14)
  • Explain our evaluation process (feasibility, impact, resources)
  • Clarify any follow-up information needed
  • Provide contact info for questions

Document Info

Version:

1.1

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The Learning Technology Innovation Centre (LTIC) is located on the ancestral and unceded territory of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ – speaking xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) peoples. These lands have long been a place of learning for Musqueam, with cultural and traditional knowledge passed down from generation to generation for thousands of years.