A new development in the product engagement space, this SaaS platform allows brands to do more than re-market to their previous customers to create loyalty. The platform curates custom messages to customers after the sale based on data from the purchased products. The challenge was educating prospective brands on how this platform is customizable to their experience through a new website and marketing materials.
The team had a rough idea of goals; while I focused the raw materials with a design direction. Over the next year and a half, I worked with the team to update the marketing efforts and website direction to align with product pivots. I was the sole designer and developer on the project, led all design activities, and was the client lead for the project.
Activities: Research, UX/UI Design, User Interviews, Journey Maps, Competitive Analysis, User Personas, Wireframes, Digital Prototypes, Information Architecture, Branding (Color Palette, Graphics, Pitch Decks, Explainer Videos)
The website branding included animated illustrations, with different industry customer journeys displayed through graphics. This branding carried from marketing to the prototyping of the platform itself, which was in the prototyping and testing stage. I was the sole designer and created all the graphics using Photoshop and Illustrator. I also designed the website through Webflow and kept all marketing material up to date through our CRM, HubSpot.
Using low-fidelity prototypes, the general structure of the website could easily be tested in usability tests. Without much effort, adjustments could be made before going into the much more costly digital implementation.
Usability was a bit part of the web design process. Hosting the website on a staged site, shared with board members and potential investors to allow them to give feedback on the actual site itself before it went public.
The company was going through a round of funding, so quick updates on messaging and technology were necessary to align messaging across platforms as the platform itself changed and evolved. Having consistent messaging and branding was an important part of maintaining relationships, both with potential investors and potential clients.
Communicating what the platform does was challenging given that this is a new technology and is still under development. To help illustrate the point, I developed illustrations to help drive the point home visually.
Due to open communication with stakeholders throughout the design process, few revisions were required. The only updates needed were as new developments came from the platform itself and messaging needed to be updated to stay consistent. As a bonus, I worked with Malinda Gagnon, who brought her marketing experience from Google and WPP as well as with startups, to help bring this platform to the market with the best messaging possible.
With the updated marketing and website that I created, BlueSaaS was able to receive $5 million in funding and secure a partnership with a client with a $5 billion valuation.
Make sure to really (I mean, really really) get the expectations of the group right and to clearly communicate the exact goal of the individual exercises – I thought I did so, but I felt a lack of understanding here and there. I learned that having quick wireframes and prototypes can save a lot of resources in the long run: sometimes people have something in their head and although communication can be very strong, that idea does not actually accomplish the intended goal.
One of the exercises was an explainer video to help educate people on what this platform can do for them, and although I communicated with the CEO and messaging team throughout the storyboard and production, the final product did not feel right for anyone. It was only when we asked ourselves, "What is the goal of this video?" that we realized it was getting into into the details and not enough about the results that this platform can produce.
In addition, I would build at least two more personas, as the leadership we were targeting is not accessible. While running the CRM and managing email lists, I noticed that some interns and mid-level marketing managers were interested in what we were offering and were able to connect us with decision-makers in their company. I think zooming out on who we market to means that we would be able to educate more people, even if it takes longer to get to a decision-maker.
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