StartupNow - A website and web app for a startup consultancy
“
Startups and investors asked for one thing: please, be clear.
StartupNow
Website and web app, 2015-2016
About the project
StartupNow is an Amman firm that helps governments, NGOs, companies and universities build startup accelerators and training programs. Its website had to speak to those partners and to the startups and investors they serve. We surveyed and interviewed both user groups, mapped the information hierarchy and designed a 36-page web app in February 2016, then designed and built the final responsive WordPress site in March 2016.
Project
StartupNow Website
Industry
Startup Consulting
Location
Amman, Jordan
Date
2015-2016
“
Client Request
StartupNow wanted a site that helps governments, NGOs and corporations help startups, with no jargon and no corporate look.
StartupNow
Project brief, December 2015
Design Pillars
Core UX Principles
Plain words and short sections, the one thing both user groups asked for.
A sitemap and information hierarchy that help visitors find what they came for.
Sections end in an action, such as launching an accelerator, booking a workshop or getting in touch.
User Research
What Startups and Investors Told Us
Two User Groups
We ran surveys and interviews with startups and with investors, the two sides the platform had to connect.
One Keyword
When we asked for one keyword, users gave us the same words: please, be clear.
Clear Tasks
The site had to help people find information, finish tasks and see a clear path between investors and startups.
The Challenge
Problem Statement
The Main Goal: Make a Wide Offer Easy to Read
StartupNow offers accelerator programs, training workshops, help with funding, due diligence reports and more, to partners as different as governments and young startups. The site had to explain all of it in plain words, look serious and wise to big organizations and still feel open to founders.
“
Plexable is an agency that truly gets UX. With their talented team and amazing capabilities, they were able to transform our web application to easily acquire all the customer segments we were previously targeting through ads.
Saeed Omar, CEO
StartupNow
Our Approach
Solution
From Research to a Live WordPress Site
User research, a sitemap, a 36-page web app design and a responsive website that we built on WordPress. It is an example of our Website Design work.
01 - Research and Structure
Surveys and interviews with startups and investors, then a sitemap and an information hierarchy.
02 - The First Web App
36 grayscale pages in February 2016, from services and funding to consultants, case studies and the blog.
03 - The Final Site
A responsive WordPress theme we designed and built in March 2016, with a home page, a blog and a contact form.
Before & After
The Blueprint & Evolution
February Draft to Final Site
The live site kept three menu items where the first design had seven.
Before: the February 2016 web app in grayscale, with an early version of the logo.
After: the March 2016 site with Home, Blog and Contact, in the full StartupNow colors.
Design
Key Features
Training Sessions on One Orbit
Five training sessions sit on one orbit diagram, from business model innovation to financial modeling, with Get in touch below.
A Contact Form That Asks First
Reach out asks visitors how they categorize themselves and how StartupNow can help, then leaves room for a short brief.
Design System
Visual Identity
Typography
Bold slab serif headings and buttons, with light body text and generous line spacing for the longer service copy.
Color Palette
A black starfield hero over white pages, with the logo’s yellow, red, teal and blue on numbers and brush-stroke buttons.
UI Logic
Home, Blog and Contact sit in both the header and the footer, and the main sections end with a call to action.
Impact
From Brief to a Live Site
Results for StartupNow
The site went live on our WordPress theme in 2016, and StartupNow kept adding content to it through 2019.
StartupNow
Result
By the Numbers
36 Pages
Designed for the first web app in February 2016.
2 User Groups
Startups and investors, surveyed and interviewed before we designed.
1 Responsive Site
Designed and built by us on WordPress, for desktop and mobile.
Research
Research Before Pages
Surveys, Interviews and a Sitemap
We surveyed and interviewed startups and investors, then turned what they told us into a sitemap and an information hierarchy. Wireframes ran next to the branding work, so the pages and the brand took shape together. You can see some of the results below.
Final Showcase
The StartupNow Website
