Seamless Entry to Social Investment
All of Us Financial
2021
🤠 Product design lead
iOS
Outcome
Secured Funding
Accelerated Innovation
Mitigated risks
Overview
Involved, from Start to Finish
I was involved throughout the product development lifecycle, including:
Defining product vision and differentiators
Devising success metrics and product roadmap
Structuring the app and creating user flows
Iterative design with customer feedback
Establishing a user testing mechanism
Directing visual design
These contributions secured funding and helped with the startup's acquisition.
Streamlining for Market Fit
Despite its transparency mission, the startup had only 30 active users a year post-launch. The challenge was to craft an MVP that resonated with the market.
Issue #1
Ambiguous Value Proposition
To clarify the value proposition, I conducted lightning workshops to build the common ground among C-suite.
Three compelling concepts were born: Investopeers, Investacks, and Hunches.
Issue #2
Unverified Customer Needs
Demographics
Late 20s to mid-30s
High school education or equivalent
Behavioral
Willing to learn about investment
Multiple brokerage accounts
Trade infrequently
Psychological
Motivated by financial security and independence
Expect responsive and informative brokerage
Somewhat confident about investing
Issue #3
Hindered Development Cycle
Design strategy
Should onboarding be lightweight or more in-depth to relaunch this "new" product?
Initial Approach
Included an “interests” step to collect customer data during onboarding.
Complication
The C-suite’s enthusiasm for a “community” feature complicated the onboarding process.
Interim Solution
Proposed expedited onboarding with a bypass option, risking the loss of customer insights.
Refined Strategy
Leveraged testing data to guide design decisions.
To address concerns about complex onboarding, I proposed early user testing. Results showed high dropout rates due to overly complex steps.
Our target customers, young and curious social investors, prefer discovering features organically. Based on this insight, we revised the product accordingly.
My Insights from Orchestrating a 0-1 Product Launch
1
Stay Sharp and Build Alignment
How?
In strategy workshops, it's easy to lose track. Implement mechanisms to pause and recap. I use Figjam for live notes and visual stickies to solidify consensus.
2
Stay Close to Customers
How?
Limited resources often lead to ignoring customer feedback. Advocate for customers and demonstrate value with lean approach. It's better to validate early than regret later.
3
Start Small but Think Systematically
How?
From 0-1, speed matters. As it grows, it'd get complicated. Keep a backlog shared with key stakeholders, ruthlessly prioritize, and ensure everyone understands the direction.