StartBiz app is focusing on helping young professionals to start their digital businesses. StartBiz's primary target users include college students and young professionals who are concerned about their job security, with the wish to start an online business.
My role: As a UX designer I was leading the app and responsive website design from conception to delivery.
Project duration: 4 weeks
StartBiz identified a lack of general knowledge about how to create an online business. Even though the opportunity existed, many people who wanted to create an online business did not know how to start and launch their business.
Project goal:
Designing an app that improves education on the topic of business creation to help people out of unemployment and job insecurity by providing the tools to start their own online business.
user research
I used StartBiz data on startups to develop interview questions and conduct user interviews.
Most interview participants reported feeling insecure about creating an online business, and they didn’t actively try to get started.
The feedback received through research made it very clear that users would be open and willing to work on creating their own small online business if they had access to an easy-to-use tool to guide them.
personas
“I like great ideas and a lifestyle that gives me the freedom to create.”
age: 25 education: Design School location: London, GB family: single job: freelance stylist
Mosh is a stylist and works as a freelancer. He likes to try out new things and improve his skills. He loves to work for different clients but sometimes he is overworked. An online business would be great to sell products and reach more people but he can’t find the right platform to get started.
Goals
●Working online
●Finding new ways of creating sustainable fashion accessories
Frustrations
●How to create a business
●Finding information on how to start an online business
“If you want to achieve something, you need to work hard for it.”
age: 30 education: M.A. Psychology location: Atlanta, Georgia, US family: married job: consultant
Kiera is a full-time consultant who works in a small firm. She likes to browse the internet in her freetime and discover new trends. Owning an online business is her dream but she has little time to do the research and is uncertain about how to start. Most information she finds is vague and on many different websites which frustrates her.
Goals
●Building an online business
●Creating a platform to help people with anxiety disorders
Frustrations
●It is time consuming to gather all information
●There are many websites but none has an easy tool
competitive audit
An audit of a few competitor’s products provided direction on gaps and opportunities to address with the StartBiz app:
clear branding
straightforward navigation
focus on essential information
easy to use tools
ideation
I did a quick ideation exercise to come up with ideas for how to address gaps identified in the competitive audit.
My focus was specifically on the launch process to make it fast with simple features.
initial designs
Low-fidelity prototype user flow of making a business plan with the biz plan builder.
usability study findings
business plan builder
adding information
business launch toolIt was challenging to provide simple steps of creating a business plan. The usability test revealed these findings which I updated in the final design phase.
design phase
high-fidelity prototype
accessibility considerations
responsive design
With the app designs completed, I designed the responsive website.
screen size variations
“I like the design project idea!”
Users shared that the app made building a business plan and starting their small business an achievable and straightforward process.
What I learned:
Even though the problem I was trying to solve was a big one, diligently going through each step of the design process and aligning with specific user needs helped me come up with solutions that were both feasible and useful.
Next steps:
Conduct research on how successful the app is in reaching the goal of starting a business
Add more educational resources for users to learn about planning a business and funding.
Provide virtual rewards to users for successfully completing a task.
Thank you!
Thank you for your time reviewing my work on the StartBiz app!
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