Launchparty
Introduction
Many investment platforms are inaccessible to Gen-Z investors due to high minimum investment requirements, lack of guidance, and confusing jargon. Furthermore, Gen-Z startup founders often struggle to raise capital. Their youth and limited professional experience often undermine their ability to network and establish trust with investors.
The Launchparty mission is twofold:
For the Investor... We are building a platform to educate Gen-Z and lower barriers to becoming an investor.
For the Founder... We are connect founders to investors in their community, helping them raise capital and build hype.
My Role
As the lead UI/UX designer for this project, I worked closely with founding team to design the platform from ground up.
Project Highlights
Be a part of the community
View up-and-coming start-ups and sort by school, industry, and status. Meet your favorite founders at upcoming events.
Investing made easy
Each start-up has it’s own personalized hub. Here, you can find all their important documents, updates, and discussions. All the information, you need, all in one place.
Problems
1) Lack of Exposure and Funding Opportunities
Traditional investors and VC firms are hesitant to commit funds to Gen-Z founders, who are limited in professional experience and connections. To raise money, Gen-Z founders need a new way to gain exposure and reach potential investors.
2) Confusing Platforms
Many existing crowdfunding platforms have outdated user interfaces, making it difficult for startups to organize and present information. Moreover, they do not connect to a startup's social media / external sites, making it difficult for potential investors to see all relevant updates/information.
3) Lack of Educational Materials Catered to Gen-Z
There are few financial literacy educational resources tailored to the unique needs and interests of Gen-Z. Many existing resources are hidden behind paywalls, full of confusing jargon, or are taught through lectures that are too long to hold Gen-Z's attention.
Guiding Question
How can we design a platform that helps investors learn, while helping founders raise?
Goals
1) Support Young Founders
We aim to provide young founders with opportunities for mentorship, funding, exposure, and more.
2) An All-in-One Hub for Investing
We want to create a place where startups can interact with the public, find mentors, gain exposure, and engage community events. Furthermore, investors will be able to learn, invest, and engage
3) Streamline and Gamify Investment Education
Gen-Z users are tired of boring lectures and irrelevant articles. Let's reach them in a form-factor that they already know and love. Through concise "TikTok" style video lessons and fun "Duolingo" style quizzes and gamification, we will teach Financial Literacy, without the boring parts.
Impact
User Research
To better understand pre-seed stage trends and investor behavior among Gen-Z of various asset classes, we conducted a survey of 340+ Gen-Z students, alumni, and startup founders. The survey included questions regarding demographic, investing habits, and opinions on investing. The results for two of the questions are shown.
We then defined the following archetypes and mapped their respective motivations, needs, and challenges.
Design Process
Design Sprints
During weekly meetings, we conducted design sprints, synthesizing ideas from the CEO, CTO, Developers, and Designers. I synthesized these ideas into lo-fi concepts.
User Flows
Then, we developed user flows, mapping every action from the perspective of an investor and then as a founder.
Sketches & Concept Testing
Drawing from our design sprint sketches and our user research, we further developed our concepts. We went through over 100 total iterations, making incremental changes to improve user experience and address painpoints.
User Testing
After developing our concepts into prototypes, we interviewed Gen-Z founders and investors over Zoom, assessing their pain-points and interactions.
Final Designs
Reflections
Working with Launchparty was my first "real" project with a "real" company. At first, it was a huge learning curve, having to account for quick deadlines, developmental feasibility, and the volatile nature of investing trends and regulations. Furthermore, this entire project was done virtually (due to COVID). Finding Zoom meeting times with teammates across the globe was an unforeseen challenge, and a constant reminder to brush up on my Time Zone calculation skills.
Through user interviews and feedback, I learned to shed my own ego. I was confronted with the realization that my design will not be perfect on the first try, or the second, or third, or the hundredth. There will always be improvements to be made, and every single person's viewpoint is important in understanding how a design is understood and digested by others. Although I was frustrated at first by this "never-ending" cycle, over time, I began to appreciate it as a perpetual journey towards perfection, with unlimited attempts and no "correct" answer. This philosophy has pushed me to become a more persevering and diligent designer (and person).
I'd like to extend a huge thank you to my incredible team: Adam, Jimmy, Jay, Devin, Kevin, Stephanie, and the entire Launchparty Family <3
