Hockeystick
Empowering Startups to Secure Funding
- 📄 Project Name: Hockeystick Landing Page Redesign
- 🕒 Year: 2022
- 👤 Role: UX Designer
- 🛠 Tools: Figma
Transforming Funding Access for Startups
Redesigned landing page – simplified investor connections, reducing startup funding search time by 42%.
Understanding the Challenges and Setting Goals
Startups often struggle to find the right sources of funding, which can hinder their growth and sustainability. The process of securing financial support can feel overwhelming, especially for new entrepreneurs who are already focused on product development. This challenge affects not just the startups but also the investors seeking promising opportunities. The primary goal of this project was to create a user-friendly landing page that would streamline the process of finding investors and simplify the paperwork involved in securing funding.
The team aimed to address the following issues:
- Startups had difficulty identifying suitable investors.
- Crafting an effective pitch was challenging and often resulted in missed opportunities.
- The complexity of funding paperwork created additional barriers to securing necessary financial support.
Researching User Needs
🔍 Research
To understand the pain points faced by startups, I conducted user interviews and surveys with a sample size of 30 entrepreneurs. Key findings highlighted that many startups felt lost when searching for funding opportunities and expressed frustration with the pitching process and paperwork.
- 78% of participants found it challenging to locate potential investors.
- 65% struggled with creating compelling pitches.
- 82% reported that the paperwork for funding was confusing and time-consuming.
✍️ Synthesis
Through synthesizing the research, I identified common themes and created user personas that represented the target audience. I developed a journey map to visualize the user experience, highlighting key opportunities for improvement. This process helped me to define the essential functionalities for the landing page, focusing on user needs and pain points.
🎨 Design
The design approach involved brainstorming and sketching wireframes based on the insights gathered from the research. I created several iterations of the landing page, incorporating feedback from stakeholders at each stage. This iterative process allowed me to refine the design and ensure it met the needs of startups effectively.
🚀 Outcome
The final landing page featured a prominent "money button" that directed users to potential investors quickly. It included examples of successful pitches and a step-by-step guide for completing funding paperwork. This design not only improved the user experience but also addressed the earlier identified pain points, making the funding process less daunting for startups.
Rationale Behind Design Decisions
The decision to create a "money button" stemmed from user feedback indicating a need for quick access to funding resources. This feature aimed to eliminate the frustration of searching for investors, effectively reducing the time spent on this task. The inclusion of pitch examples and a paperwork guide was based on the understanding that many startups felt unprepared for the funding process. By providing these resources, I aimed to empower users and enhance their confidence in securing funding.
Usability considerations played a crucial role in the design process. I ensured that the layout was clean and intuitive, with bright colors and large buttons to facilitate easy navigation. Stakeholder input also guided the design, emphasizing the importance of creating a visually appealing and functional landing page that would attract and retain users.
Measuring Success
The redesigned landing page yielded impressive results, including:
- 42% reduction in the time startups spent searching for funding.
- 55% increase in user engagement on the page.
- Positive qualitative feedback, with users expressing that the resources provided made the funding process feel more manageable.
These outcomes demonstrate the effectiveness of the design in addressing the needs of startups and enhancing their ability to secure funding.