The first quarter of the year was dedicated to thinking about how we can improve our platform, and further expand our ecosystem. From Tudor's weekly AMA series, you might have heard of new features we are working on implementing, but this time, we are adding a concrete timeline for execution.

Our New Roadmap will consist of four different Eras of Development, each having a different focus and building on the features of the previous. Today we will focus on the First Era of Development, starting from Monday, 1st of April.

First Era (April - July)

This will be one of the main transformative eras for HYVE’s development, as we will tie loose ends within the platform, improve the overall experience, and introduce groundbreaking collaboration features, even for web3 standards. We’ll be making strong progress in capturing the biggest trends impacting freelancing, while ensuring a new UX/UI, as part of our rebranding efforts.

However, we acknowledge that all our work, geared towards developing the best web3 collaborative ecosystem, would be futile without a strong focus on user acquisition. For this reason, we will change our current marketing approach, thus aiming to attract and convert more users towards web3, not limited to freelancing and collaboration.

Let’s take a look into the upcoming four months:

New features for HYVE

HYVE was built on a truly innovative idea: what if we could improve freelancing and collaboration, through decentralization and the many perks enabled by the advent of web3? As technology advances at an accelerated pace, we could not miss the opportunity to include some of these, thus facilitating collaboration on HYVE. 

HYVE x AI: Agent Marketplace

AI has been the buzzword for 2023, as the advent of ChatGPT revolutionized work and created panic amongst armies of employees globally. Truth be told, generative AI might make some positions redundant, but it will become the go-to tool that enhances productivity and allows professionals to service more clients.

In simple terms, HYVE will introduce AI Agents, a concept we have been working on for some time. 

HYVE’s users could create their own AI Agents, geared towards specific tasks which fall in the creator’s area of expertise.

An example could be a graphic designer building an AI Agent to automatically create logos for flower shops, by training them for this targeted assignment. 

AI Agents will provide a source of passive income for their creators, as clients pay on a per-use basis. This solution improves convenience and allows clients to obtain an immediate solution to specific assignments, quickly and cost-effectively.

Gaming @HYVE: In-game items marketplace

Gaming is one of the fastest-growing industries within the wider entertainment sector, bringing in higher revenues than movies, music and television combined. Within web3, gaming is also the sector that has garnered the most attention, empowering users with play2earn models, which can eventually provide a gamified way to derive income. 

Nevertheless, as gaming is still one of the fastest-growing industries, especially due to its high potential for monetization, we have noticed an increased opportunity for an in-game item marketplace. Items from games such as Fortnite, CS2 and Dota 2, are sold for hefty sums, as user bases are growing.

Rebranding part 1: UI/UX

We have repeatedly mentioned about a rebranding process, aimed at refreshing the overall look & feel of our project. Later in the year, we’ll get a new name, brand identity and overall creative direction (including all visual stimuli and minor details) for HYVE, but more on that in the upcoming Era article.

However, for now we’ll focus on less flashy, but essential aspects, namely UX/UI and workflows.  The UX/UI of the HYVE platform will differ in terms of browsing experience, with three distinct modes.

• Work Board: A section for Professionals looking for a job, as well as clients browsing for service providers and offers
• Marketplace: Specifically designed for clients looking to purchase something, be it a Digital Item, In-Game Items sold through HYVE or the specific services of AI Agents
• Directory: An exploratory module, where users can discover more about freelancer profiles, clients and enterprises that provide services and goods on HYVE

The three browsing model will be detailed further in the coming weeks, as we add more features and present them in the respective Era Articles.

User Directory

Within the past couple of years, we have introduced features such as Reviews, Chats, and User Profiles. However, several loose ends still require fixing in terms of discovering more about a freelancer or client and deciding whether they are the best fit for your assignment. Thus, we will introduce a User Directory, a comprehensive database where you can scroll through various freelancer profiles, and check their ratings & reviews, as well as previously completed projects. 

Platform Activity

The User Directory will be supported by another database, which will track overall Platform Activity. In a fully transparent manner, users will now be able to track when someone applies for a job when they have been accepted, or just regular updates of profile pages.

Simplification of Workflows

Another core aspect of the new UX/UI will be the overall simplification of workflows, from purchasing services and items to creating new listings. We aim to remove redundancies, such as unnecessary steps, and allow users to fully focus on their activity, rather than dealing with extra administrative tasks. 

Merging Jobs & Tasks

Jobs and Tasks will be merged into just Jobs, as we believe there was enough confusion between the two denominations. When a user creates a Job, there will be a specific option to choose from, whether the listing is a one-time assignment or recurring, requiring monthly payments and deliverables. 

Private & Public Listings

Further, we decided to differentiate between the type of listings as public or private. Private listings are assigned to specific individuals, based on their HYVE Profile or wallet address, whereas public listings will be made available for everyone to see on the HYVE Home Page. The listing type will be especially useful if you want to work with a specific group of freelancers, for a highly-specialized task, reducing the available number of applicants.

Listing Analytics

From a freelancer's perspective, knowing more about your competition is vital, especially when applying for a listing. We are introducing advanced Listing Analytics, which will allow prospective applicants to see the total number of applicants for a specific Job, or how their Offers are faring in terms of views and purchases. 

More collaborative features

While we have built our platform from scratch, we have extensive experience in developing payment systems. Some of our existing features will be enhanced, as we will also introduce some new improvements and integrations, aimed at simplifying the web3 freelancing experience and improve the adoption of our platform.

Instant Pledge

We will launch Instant Pledge, a feature that targets people who require an escrow account to settle deeds or transactions outside of HYVE. This removes the hassle of creating a listing on the platform, enabling one of the safest ways to send funds. Instant pledge will use HYVE’s cross-chain infrastructure, meaning payers and payees can select the cryptocurrency and blockchain to settle transactions. 

Telegram Bot

In addition, we will be building a Telegram Bot, initially just for the Instant Pledge function, using the on-chain escrow functionality and enabling the same level of security. Our ultimate goal is to further integrate the platform's features within the Telegram Bot, increasing convenience for occasional users. 

Simple invoicing process

Web3 freelancing can sometimes sit in a gray legal area, in terms of fiscal implications. It is sometimes hard to invoice work if payment is incurred in cryptocurrencies. We will solve this through the subsequent implementation of an invoicing solution. Thus, HYVE’s users will be able to instantly generate an invoice for their services, AI Agents or for sales of digital items.

Web3 Modal

We will be integrating Web3 Modal, a unique tool that allows users to select from a wide range of Blockchains and Digital Wallets, enabling even the least savvy blockchain freelancer to smoothly use HYVE's web3 infrastructure.

New Documentation for Onboarding

During this era, we will publish an extensive New Documentation section, bridging the information gap and ensuring everything is covered. From basic tutorials, on how to create or apply for listings, to more web3-oriented aspects such as staking, and how to utilize these new features in your favor. Our comprehensive documentation will be constantly updated, as we progress in our development and introduce even more features.

While we have presented a comprehensive set of features, aimed at simplifying the freelancing experience as well as a strong onboarding strategy, something has been missing...

User Acquisition

You might be impressed by all these new features we are building in our First Era, but it will all be in vain without proper promotion. We have been listening to our community quite a lot lately and one of the main goals has been to improve our Marketing efforts, popularizing HYVE in various circles and ensuring the adoption of our project. 

Using both novel and already established methods, HYVE will be promoted through brand ambassadors and public figures both in the web3 and traditional space. We aim to increase our participation in crypto and blockchain-related events, establish a better presence, and conclude more partnerships and potential infrastructure integrations.

Lastly, in the coming days we will make a new appointment (but that will be detailed later) that we know will bridge the gap between community feedback and the team working behind the project. Stay tuned on Twitter for an imminent announcement!

To sum up

That's it for today, we'll discuss it later in our Friday AMA series. Make sure to tune in at 7PM UTC and we'll answer all the questions you will have for the First Era.