Founder
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Founder is our first product that is going to be launched under my upcoming startup, Conteur.
Using a strong pairing system through answers from your quiz results,
Founder finds its users the perfect team/idea for their next future endeavor and brings success to startups.
🏁 Summer 2021 Launch 🏁
My Role
Navigated multidisciplinary communication channels as project leader and designer – among business, design, developer, and research teams.
Directed the overall project and assumed hands-on roles within all three teams, utilizing Xcode and Figma.
Generated design and app prototype while leading research to establish Founder.
Delivered
Primary research, secondary research, concept development, user journeys, prototypes (HUD interface).
Team management, case study content strategy.
Duration
Ongoing
From June 2020
Tools
Figma
Xcode
Github
The ultimate barrier of a startup
580 MILLION entrepreneurs are dreaming of being the next unicorn with their mind-blowing ideas. Unfortunately, not everyone survives, with 90% of startups failing. There are obviously many reasons, but did you know “not having the right team” is one of the top 3 reasons they fail?
During an in-depth interview with Michelle, a CEO of an AI-based startup in South Korea, I asked her about the struggles of starting her own business. She talked about how and why it took such a long time to find the right people at the right time.
The team dynamic is one of the critical factors of a “successful“ startup. Being in a startup is not going to be all rainbows and sunshine. You need a strong team that supports each other, drive the company forward through all the obstacles.
A balanced team offers a company vision, culture, synergy, investor attractiveness and accountability.
In a balanced team, everyone’s roles and responsibilities can be made clear. Instead of a negative overlap, the synergies that are created when people from two distinct disciplines work together to propel the project forward. A good team goes a long way in protecting your company from turbulence.
- Ben Jen, Forbes Finance Councils member
There is currently no platform that helps startups create the synergy they need in a team.
As our team continued the market and competitor analysis, we realized that there were many platforms for recruiting established companies, but none regarding a newly formed startup. Even if they had one for startups, there were several pain points that needed to be addressed.
Poorly designed profile page with unnecessary personal traits section that “help” better understand the person
Perceived as untrustworthy due to low satisfaction in team recruitment
Unorganized categories between recruiters and job seekers
Our goal was to connect aspiring entrepreneurs and help them build the most compatible teams for success.
Pain Points
Based on the research insights and problem areas when starting a business, we created How Might We questions to ideate our solution.
Finding the right partner in crime
“ When you collaborate with a partner, not only will you share risks, but you will also get support and find a mentor to get through tough times. ”
- 22, Single-person startup
How Might We…
help users be part of a team that creates positive synergy together?
Finding who to actually recruit
“ I have no idea about the positions I need to recruit for or even how to build a full-fledged software development team.”
- 25, Startup CEO looking for recruitment
How Might we…
guide users choose the right people that will help the company grow?
Hard time finding a connection
“It’s hard finding people who are compatible to work with. especially when we start small as a startup, understanding each other is really important.”
- 34, Small business owner
How Might We…
engage people to understand one’s work ethics and personality better before forming a team?
Research
In-Depth Interview
To further understand the target user’s needs based on secondary research. We focused on learning upcoming startups/existing company CEO’s pain points during the beginning phase of their company.
Competitive Analysis
By understanding their design system and target, we were able to have a more clear vision of what our primary function would be.
User Testing
Making sure our functions fit the user's needs was very important. Because this was a new concept, experimenting with startup CEOs and employees and gaining feedback was crucial to creating a survey system for our target audience.
Persona & Journey Map
To accumulate research, insights, and data points into a persona to help us ideate. Understanding what typical entrepreneurs go through and visualizing their process.
Persona & Journey Map
Iterations & Explorations
Our team explored different design systems and functions. By conducting user testings and expert reviews for each phase, we understood what was best for our target users.
We explored from simple swiping methods, pitch deck formats to gamification and leaderboard systems.
But in the end…
People prioritize a successful pairing experience more than anything else.
All our interviews and testing concluded into one main point:
Our target users want an effective questionnaire or survey to figure out what kind of work ethics and personality other people have. Not “I am a hard worker.“ “I am a team player.“ type of test results.
Meaningful data can reduce the painful process of finding a good teammate.
That was it.
Solution and Impact
How are we different?
The unique part of Founder is a strong pairing system that matches teams with the most compatible person. Beyond filtering basic needs such as location and experience, Founder aims to better understand their users through understanding their values, work ethics, and much more.
Introducing, Founder.
Founder connects entrepreneurs to other like-minded individuals and helps you build a business from the ground up.
Finish a quick survey to help us find the best match for you
We know it’s hard to find compatible teammates. Our psychology teammate carefully designed the survey to help you out! Take the survey before you start looking for a team or a person; it will open new doors!
Personalized recommendations based on your preference
Before you begin the app, you will be able to choose the categories you are interested in. We’ll provide projects based on your taste!
Match rates are offered throughout projects and profiles to create compatible teams
Once you take our survey, we will use our pairing system to look for a team or a teammate that fits your needs and work ethic. We are here to help you find your fit!
Easy step by step guide to add your projects
We know you have a lot on your plate. We made every possible as easy as possible! We have an easy 3 step process to add your project. Don’t know who to recruit? Leave that to us. We’ll recommend jobs you might want to recruit. No need for extra googling :)
Key Takeaways
7 Designers, 3 Developers, 1 Psychologist, 1 Business administrator.
I’ve never led such a big group before. I was so nervous at first, thinking that I would mess up. 🥶
But I am so lucky to have such talented and hard-working people to be on board this project; it is turning out great! Founder is currently in development, expecting to launch this winter, 2020. I have always wanted to create a change with design, one industry at a time.
I feel like Founder is a great starting point of a new chapter in my life. :)