Upstart Product Design:
User Sign-Up Flow
Case Study
— PROJECT OVERVIEW
— TOOLS
Adobe XD
Adobe Express
Canva
LottieFiles
— ROLE
UX Designer leading the app and responsive website design from conception to delivery
— RESPONSIBILITIES
> Conducting interviews
> Ideation & Wireframing
> Prototyping
> Conducting usability studies
> Accounting for accessibility
> Iterating on designs
> Information architecture
> Responsive design
— DURATION
Nov – Dec 2022
The Challenge
Many people want to start their own business or want to take their income into their own hands, but are unsure where to begin and overwhelmed by the high learning curve.
Upstart is a product dedicated to helping everyday people start their own small businesses. This tool teaches users how to get started at their own pace. Upstart’s primary target users include college students and adults who have a business idea they’re passionate about pursuing, but who don’t have the time or the resources to get started on their own.
The Objective
Design a concise and engaging user sign-up flow that will help new users identify their entrepreneurial goals, narrow down gaps in their existing knowledge, and offer a custom learning path based on responses.
The goal is to have the majority of users complete the sign-up flow and recommend relevant courses that will fit into busy schedules and ultimately boost user confidence.
— TARGET USER PROBLEMS
I interviewed 5 individuals who expressed interest in starting their own business to gain a better understanding about what exactly was holding them back. It became clear from these discussions that lack of time and knowledge were two key factors holding people back from pursuing their entrepreneurial goals.
— IDEATION
After identifying user problems, I drew several paper wireframes of various potential approaches I could take to reach a solution (as well as some basic app infrastructure).
— FIRST ITERATION
I created preliminary designs for the Upstart sign-up flow in Adobe XD. These designs focused on delivering personalized guidance to users based on their input during the sign-up workflow.
— INITIAL PROTOTYPE
To prepare for usability testing, I created a low-fidelity prototype of the flow.
— USABILITY STUDY
Participants
7 people
Location
- US, Remote
Length
- 10-20 minutes
Length
10-20 minutes
Purpose
- To see how many users finished the complete sign-up flow and collect feedback on the process
Study Type
- Unmoderated usability study
Results
- 7/7 users completed the flow
Length
10-20 minutes
— FINDINGS
Flow Engagement
Five participants felt that the sign-up flow was rather tedious and that it could be more engaging.
Learning Preferences
- Three users expressed a desire for more control over how courses are structured (i.e., optional quizzes, deadlines, and discussion boards).
Awards
- It’s Nice That
- AIGA
- Fonts In Use
- The Dieline
Contact
email@domain.com
000-000-000
— MOCKUPS
Using the feedback from the usability study to guide me, I created updated mockups of the sign-up process.
The complete user sign-up flow
— KEY DESIGN DECISIONS FROM USABILITY STUDY
— UPDATED PROTOTYPE
The high-fidelity prototype followed the same user flow as the low-fidelity prototype, including any design changes made after receiving feedback during the usability study.
— ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS
#1
Learning pathway determined by sign-up flow to eliminate paralysis by analysis over which courses to take and in which order.
#2
- Clear labels for interactive elements that can be read by screen readers and include options for audio-only learning.
Awards
- It’s Nice That
- AIGA
- Fonts In Use
- The Dieline
Contact
email@domain.com
000-000-000
— TAKEAWAYS
IMPACT: Users shared that the app made them feel like their next steps to starting a business were finally clear. One quote from peer feedback was that “the Upstart app lays out the path to starting a business in a way that’s simple to follow and engaging.”
LESSONS LEARNED: I learned that even though the problem I was trying to solve was complex and multifaceted, 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
Thanks for checking out my work on Upstart!
Want to work together?
Get in touch anytime via LinkedIn or by emailing me at jenniferwalkerux@gmail.com