Oodles founder credits student team for successful launch of new charity microdonations app

Issue date: 27 April 2017

“Ready to hit the ground sprinting” is the verdict of Founder, Matthew Pullinger on the career prospects of the UWE Bristol final year students who developed the interface for Oodles, a new innovative platform for making micro-donations to charity.

Each year the third year Information Practitioner course for the ITMB programme invites local charities and voluntary groups to bid for student teams to carry out work that will enhance the service they offer. The University is keen to ensure that the students are given the opportunity to work to a real client brief.

A student team of four: Cameron Dempster, Edward Beeching, Dean Hollick, Jamie Steele and Perry May worked with the social enterprise for four months to help develop the user interface and marketing potential ahead of the recent launch.

Oodles Founder, Matthew Pullinger, said, “Oodles' aim is to get young people excited about local charities, so who better to provide input into the design and functionality of the platform than a team of enthusiastic, young professionals, about to start their careers.

“Working with the Envision team as part of the CAKE initiative has been a fantastic experience and the outputs they have delivered are top notch! Initially, the students' professionalism impressed us, but what really blew us away was their commitment and willingness to get stuck in. If we can inspire the same passion in our users, then we're on to something really special!

“The CAKE initiative aims to provide students with real world experience to prepare them for roles in the IT Management industry. I can safely say that Cameron, Dean, Ed, Jamie, and Perry are ready to hit the ground sprinting! The oodles platform couldn't have gotten this far without them, so a huge thank you to the Envision team, Nick and Hisham (ITMB course leaders), and to the University of the West of England.”

Cameron Dempster and Edward Beeching, on behalf of team Envision, said, “It was an incredible experience to work with a real client with a great project. It was great to work with both Matt and Lewis, who are both incredibly innovative and forward-thinking individuals, who are using modern technologies to transform the charity industry. Our team were very enthusiastic to get on board and support the project in any way possible, bringing along our own insight and contributions. As a team, we have learnt a great deal about project management, improved our communication skills and gained valuable insight into mobile app development.”

So impressed were the Oodles team with the students mobile app design that it was adopted for the final live version of the Oodles app.

Information Practitioner, Module tutor, Dr Hisham Ihshaish, said, “Congratulations to team Envision on a very successful project, it's testament to their professionalism and endeavour that UWE Bristol has been listed as a collaborator for the Oodles App. This module really helps students to prepare for the real world, it's essential to give them the space to practise their skills working to an external client brief. Working for charities and social enterprises engenders pride in our students and the Cake initiative enables them to see the value and impact of their work.”

To find out more about CAKE projects see here