Launch
As part of CalArts' intensive design course, I was tasked to build a platform for startup founders looking for co-founders, investors and users to help grow their startups.
Roles & Responsibilities
Solo UX/UI Designer
Application Demo
The user views, tests and invests in a product they love and would use daily.
Design Process
Foundational Research
Before designing anything I needed to understand what we should build, what are the user problems and how do we solve them? As part of the Software Development Life Cycle, I conducted research to bridge the gap between what the business thinks the user needs and what the user actually needs.
Interviews
I compiled questions from secondary research data and conducted remote interviews with developers, users and early stage startup founders that use platforms like Product Hunt and Kickstarter to answer what we should build.
The Problem
It’s not easy for founders to find co-founders, investment and build teams to help develop their startup ideas. Users are the core of any startup growth but are never really compensated for their lifetime-loyalty.
The Solution
Design a platform that will help startup founders find co-founders, investment and users to help grow their ideas into living innovative products while rewarding the average person for being a lifetime product user.
Personas
John Doe
Software Engineer
Age: 38
Family: Wife & Child
As a product developer, John is looking to help build a startup as a co-founder with an innovative co-founder or invest in user centered solutions which solve major pain points.
Goals:
Offer valued feedback.
Develop products he owns.
Invest in early stage startups.
Frustrations:
Building products for companies he doesn’t own.
Investing in the stock market has no real return like angel investing.
Zoe Kolisi
Founder
Age: 26
Family: Dating
As a startup founder, Zoe’s looking for a technical co-founder that will help her build a tech product and users who will support the startup from development to launch.
Goals:
Find early users for her tech product.
Find a technical co-founder.
Raise funding for her early stage startup.
Frustrations:
No coding skills to build an app or website.
Difficult to raise funding for an early stage startup with no traction.
User Journey Map
Wireframes
I did a quick ideation exercise (Crazy Eights) to come up with ideas for how to address gaps identified in the competitive audit. My main focus was on how the user would test and fund a product.
The designs focused on delivering personalization and easy user navigation.
After ideating and drafting some paper wireframes, I then created digital designs for the Launch app. The designs focused on delivering personalization and guidance for user to easily navigate the platform.
Low-fidelity Prototype
To prepare for usability testing, I created a low-fidelity prototype that connected the user flow of viewing and joining a business as a user.
Usability Study
I conducted an unmoderated usability study with participants remotely. The length of time for the study was between 30-60 minutes.
Findings:
People want an option to view all their preferences on one screen.
People want to easily share the businesses they invest in.
Improvements:
Added an “Explore” option on the top navigation bar where users can view their preferences.
When users invest in a business they'll be able to add and verify their social media accounts.
Mockup Designs
High-fidelity Prototype
The high-fidelity prototype followed the same user flow as the low-fidelity prototype, including design changes (with an additional screen) made after usability study.
Sitemap
After completing the app designs, I started working on the structure of the responsive website and used the sitemap to guide me on designing screens to ensure a cohesive and consistent experience across devices.
Responsive Web Designs
Design variations for mobile, tablet and desktop.
Accessibility Considerations
Clear icons and labels for interactive elements that can be read by screen readers.
Clear navigation on the home screen to help users navigate easily between preferences.
Even though the problem I was trying to solve was huge, diligently going through each step of the design process and aligning with user needs helped me build on an idea and deliver a useful solution.
Next Steps
Conduct research of how useful the app is in helping businesses launch with loyal users.
Add more business resources for founders to help build their startups.
Provide certification to users as proof of ownership.
