my role
Project Lead | UX/UI Designer
team
Anthony Leung - UX Researcher
Jake Leung - UX Designer
Kelvin Chan - UX/UI Designer
Challenge
The task was to create a simple, scalable assessment tool that evaluates the founder's cultural, capability and competency fit and de-risk investment decisions in one go.
Solution
As we discovered, 2 pain points are detrimental to the investment decision process:
1. Lack of trust.
2. Lack of means to approach investors.
We designed a networking app instead of an assessment tool to solve the problems.
Result
Since the product is still under development, no numbers or data can be provided yet. However, the fund seeking timeframe is set to reduce from years to months.
The product
An exclusive networking platform for investors and startups: FINDER
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FINDER is a networking app that enables investors and startups to connect and build trust. By joining this exclusive platform, users can enjoy access to thousands of potential market players.
Instead of waiting for referrals to come like the current practice, this app recommends user profiles to investors and startups based on their preferences. They can also search for profiles that match their prerequisites proactively.
Once the users spot a potential match, they can use the built-in chat room to initiate a conversation, build a relationship and pitch.
key features
Invite-Only Platform
A new joiner must be invited by an existing member to ensure the legitimacy of users. Besides, the inviter's name will be displayed on the invitee profile, which serves as a referral to increase the user's credibility.
Algo-Driven Matching System
The app will recommend potential matches based on the user preferences and information they provide.
16-Personality Test
Founders are recommended to take the personality test. The test result will serve as supplementary information for investors to consider.
Watchlist
Users can save potential candidate profiles to the Watchlist and track updates.
Direct Chat
A built-in chatroom allows direct communication and relationship building between both parties.
interactive prototypefurther development
Our client has taken the project forward to continue working on the features and business models.
process
Building something from scratch in 2 weeks...
We began with secondary research to gain knowledge about the market.
Then we used empathy maps to hypothesis the pain points investors and founders face during the investment/fund-seeking process.
After that, we conducted 6 interviews with both investors and founders to validate our assumptions.
Market Research:
Market Background, Competitor Analysis
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User Research:
Empathy Map, Face-to-Face and Virtual Interviews
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Problem Definition:
User Journey Map
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Ideation:
User Flow, Style Guide, Lo-Fi and Hi-Fi Wireframe,
Interactive Prototype
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Iteration:
Usability Test
market research insights
1. Although similar platforms like AngelList, Fundsup and Crunchbase are available in the US, Asia is missing an outlet for startups to make connections and increase their exposure.
2. Making an investment decision is a complex process. It takes months for PE and VC to spot the startups with potential on average. And the current practice often relies on referrals.
user research insights
One significant insight from the interviews was about trust. 100% of our interviewees indicated that the legitimacy of the management team is essential for their decision making.
" The problem is not about whether there is enough information about the founder or business it is whether the data is true. "
Milko Van Duijl
Former President of Lenovo APAC
The determinant lies in the integrity of the management team.
Based on the data we gathered through market and user research, we created user journey maps to map out the most frustrating moment...
That startup team is a scam!
To investors:
The most frustrating part was spending a considerable amount of time researching and observing businesses and finding out the team was deceptive.
I don’t even have the chance to meet any investors...
To startup founders:
It was hard for them to connect with investors. Often, they can only rely on referrals which still are rare.
While investors are looking for the right business to invest in, founders are looking for investors that share similar values and visions. So, we can see it is actually a two-way street.
Therefore, the problem statement was set as:
How might we enable trust and connect investors and founders?
IDEATION
At first we struggled...
We were stuck thinking about how an assessment tool could measure trust and loyalty, something you can only know after spending time with that person.
Then we realised,
Instead of an assessment tool, we should focus on a product that can benefit both sides of the targeted user!
We had a stakeholder meeting with our client and explained what the users needed. Luckily, she understood and agreed that we should shift the focus.
Considering all the insights we gathered, we decided to create a networking platform that enables relationship building.
User Flow
To provide a tailored experience for investors and founders, we designed 2 separate flows for respective users.
For investors:
They need to provide an introduction and set investment preferences, so the platform can recommend suitable candidates to them.
For founders:
They need to give an elevator pitch and complete a personality assessment to promote themselves, which give them a better matching chance.
Wireframe
After that, we started visualising the content and functionality on each app page and gathered feedback from users with Lo-Fi wireframes.
Then we moved on to work on Hi-Fi wireframes.
Style guide
The app used a subtle marble texture as the background, satin sheen gold and black olive as theme colours to create an exclusive and trustworthy image.
iteration
We conducted usability tests with 3 potential users and made iterations to improve the app experience:
#1 Skip Button on Personality Test
Users felt forced to fill out the test without a skip button. If they are in a hurry, they would just close the app.
A skip button was added so the users can decide to complete the onboarding process in one go or skip it for now if they are busy when they sign up.
#2 Scroll Bar Missing
Users were confused about whether the box was scrollable.
A scrollbar was added to indicate it.
#3 Potential Harassment
Users expressed concerns about harassment and unwanted messages. So we revamped the page with two separate sections. One shows the accepted conversation room and one with pending invitations.
key learning
“To Solve the Right Problem and Solve the Problem Right”
My team was asked to design an assessment tool to fill the market gap in the first place. However, our research suggested the other way. This demonstrates the power and importance of conducting UX research before you ideate a product. And as UX designers, it is our responsibility to step up and convince the stakeholders.
Overall, it was a fruitful experience. Not only did we have the chance to design a product from scratch, but we also had the honour to interview some aspiring startup leaders and experienced investors. They provided a lot of insights and inspirations that broadened my knowledge and allowed me to grow as a person at the same time. I am super grateful that I have the opportunity to work on this eye-opening project!
Any questions, feedback or interesting thoughts to share?
Please, send it my way! You can track me down through my email or socials! ☺︎
Made from scratch with lots of 🤍 🤍 🤍 by Sandee © 2025
