In 2023, I became part of a three-month training program at Digital Product School by UnternehmerTUM. Here, I worked in a cross displinicinary team comprising a product manager, backend engineer, frontend engineer and an AI engineer.
We used Lean Start-Up techniques to rapidly validate hypotheses and move from one opportunity to the other until we found a promising one.
The goal after 3-months is to have a MVP of a user-validated product solving a real-world user problem.
ROLE
Interaction Designer
TIMELINE
Three months
TOOLS
Figma/Slack/Github/Miro/Protopie
Meet our Stakeholder
We were approached by Haus Des Stiftens, a leading social enterprise in Germany, with the question:
Wouldn’t it be great, if every activists of nonprofits in Germany could easily find information and get access to more than 1,000 funding programs from charities and companies?
Close collaboration with CEO
A key highlight of this project was the passionate involvement of the CEO throughout the entire program. As our primary contact, we engaged in weekly meetings with him, which significantly expedited our design decisions. This close collaboration not only taught me effective stakeholder management but also honed my communication skills, both within our team and in our interactions with him.
Wouldn’t it be great, if every activist of nonprofits in Germany could easily find and access more than 1000 funding programs from companies and charities?
PROBLEM SPACE
Currently, nonprofits face the laborious task of searching through fragmented online resources to locate suitable funding options and verify their eligibility for them. This process can take days due to the scattered information available online.
The Process
Problem Exploration
We looked for concrete user-problems within the problem space by gathering data and identify target groups:
Stakeholder interviews
SME interviews
Problem interviews with 10 Individuals
Desk Research
Click to download our Interview Insights
Validation
After the design sprint, we focused on deepening our understanding of the discovered problems. As we conducted more problem interviews the biggest pain points were formulated as opportunity (“How might we” - Questions) and ranked based on their potential impact (e.g. market size, how big is the pain for the user).
BULLS EYES
We used Bull's Eye to keep an overview and to detect patterns across several target groups.
Ideation & paper prototyping
Based on the decision on one concrete “How might we”-Question, we ideated about possible solutions for this opportunity. We tried to combine the best parts of every idea to produce a storyboard based on the User Journey.
Validate Riskiest Assumptions
Risky assumptions were identified, and prioritized and tested with the users, however as the interaction designer I focused on user risks such as why would a user not use it? After validating the different elements, we discussed the Lean Business Model and drew out a User Story Map to align for the last Milestone.
Build Minimal Viable Product
After the Story Map is defined, we each worked more specific to our roles. I built the walking skeleton, click dummy and interactive prototype as we continuously did user testing for each iteration. The software engineers built the MVP as we confirm our hypothesis. The PM and I also continued to conduct user interviews and improve the concept of the product. While the engineers were working on implementation, we worked on the vision of the product.
User Journey Mapping
Throughout the process, story map was our holy bible. As a team we consistently reference our story map to ensure alignment across all layers of the project. For each step of the user journey, we write down the tasks required for each team member. This approach acknowledges the dynamic nature of our project—constantly evolving based on fresh insights from user feedbacks. This shared visual language enhances empathy and understanding, ensuring that we are all viewing the user scenarios through the same lens.
Meet the Team
Stephen Mimi
PRODUCT MANAGER
INTERACTION DESIGNER
Jesseca Lam
BACKEND ENGINEER
Kilian Wimmer
Srishti Majumder
FRONTEND ENGINEER
AI ENGINEER
Göksu Güz
As an interdisciplinary team with Haus Des Stiftens we developed our product using user-centric, lean and agile methodologies. We did weekly iterations to organize the work and define a realistic scope for the the MVP.
PRODUCT REVIEW MEETINGS
Product review meetings served as a critical checkpoints where our evaluated the progress made during the previous iteration.
Achievements: What were you able to accomplish during the last iteration?
Current State: Where does the project currently stand?
Learnings: What new insights have you gained?
Showcase: What aspects of your work would you like to share with the team?
SPRINT PLANNING
Sprint planning sessions were essential for aligning the team with the project's long-term vision while setting specific, actionable goals for the upcoming week.
These goals can be categorized into two types: implementation goals, which focus on the creation and refinement of product features, and discovery goals, which centered on research and gathering insights to guide future development.
Typically, the Product Manager will propose a weekly goal based on the project's current needs and progress. The team then discusses this proposal, contributing their individual expertise to refine and adjust the goals as needed.
DAILY BOARD MEETINGS
Our team conducts brief daily stand-up meetings, each lasting about 15 minutes. During these sessions, we focus exclusively on three core questions:
What did you achieve yesterday?
What will you work on today?
Do you need any support?
These meetings are intentionally kept short to maintain efficiency. We strictly address these questions to ensure clarity and focus. If more in-depth discussion is required on any topic, we schedule additional meetings. This approach keeps all team members informed about each other's activities, ensuring everyone remains aligned with the team's objectives.
WEEKLY STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS
We held weekly meetings with our stakeholders to discuss progress and address any challenges encountered. Our stakeholder is deeply passionate about the project, significantly enriching our understanding of the domain. However, it's crucial to acknowledge that despite his expertise, there may be inherent biases. This requires us to diligently validate all assumptions brought forward.
Initially, we faced challenges as our stakeholder had a preconceived solution in mind. Through persistent communication, we emphasized the importance of validating these assumptions to uncover potentially more critical issues. This process of continuous engagement and validation ensures that our project development is based on thoroughly vetted information and adapted to the most pressing user needs.
It’s All About Communication
Effective communication is more complex than it seems, especially in diverse teams where each member's background can influence their understanding and visualization of both problems and solutions. Through trial and error, we discovered strategies to communicate more effectively.
Break tasks down to the smallest steps
Breaking tasks down into their most fundamental components is essential, particularly in teams with varied specialties. For example, a broad task like "implement email notification system" can be divided into specific actions such as "design email templates," "code email sending functionality," "integrate with user database," and "conduct email system testing." This granularity helps set clear expectations and manage time effectively across different team members.
Learn to speak each other’s language
Learning to "speak each other's language" was crucial. Each team member's priorities and thought processes can differ significantly, making it vital for everyone to understand the perspectives and technical jargon of their colleagues. This mutual understanding aids in bridging gaps between different areas of expertise and ensures that all team members are aligned in their goals and methods.
Product Development Learnings
LISTEN, LISTEN, AND LISTEN
The product manager and I interviewed 10 individuals from various nonprofit sectors. We also encouraged engineers to join these discussions to better empathize with user frustrations. This collaborative approach ensured our team was unified in understanding and addressing the pain points, aligning our efforts towards a common goal. What’s most important is to NEVER make assumptions and ask leading questions that can bias the user. It’s most important to be an active listener and stay curious.
WHY, WHY AND WHY?
Always delve deeper by asking "why." Maintaining curiosity is crucial as users might not fully recognize their underlying problems. For example, in a workshop, the analogy of desiring 'faster horses' was used to illustrate limited user foresight. By probing deeper with 'why' questions, we discovered users' true intent was simply to reach their destinations quicker.
DATA ADDS THE MAGIC, DATA SPEAKS THE LOUDEST
Data transforms abstract ideas into tangible insights, enabling informed decision-making and strategic planning. When our team encounters disagreements, we turn to data to guide our decision-making process. By grounding our discussions in objective evidence, we ensure that our choices are informed by real-world insights rather than personal opinions.This approach not only resolves conflicts but also enhances the overall decision-making quality, leading to more effective and efficient outcomes. In this way, data plays a crucial role in steering our team toward consensus and aligning our actions with the best possible results.
DON’T FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR SOLUTION
At one point, two months into the project, we made a significant pivot by completely changing our initial idea. This shift was driven by a crucial insight that fundamentally altered our understanding of the problem we were addressing. This new understanding prompted us to reassess and realign our approach to better meet the actual needs uncovered through continuous user engagement and data analysis. Such a pivot highlights the dynamic nature of our development process, emphasizing adaptability and responsiveness to emerging user insights.
FAIL FAST & FURIOUS
Failing fast and furiously in product development accelerated our learning, and promoted innovation. It was important to adopt a 'fail fast' mentality. It's preferable to discover the non-viability of an idea early on, saving time and resources. Utilize paper prototypes to test concepts inexpensively and quickly. Early validation can prevent costly commitments to ineffective ideas.
REACH THE PEOPLE THAT COUNT… BUT HAVING SOMETHING IS BETTER THAN NOTHING
It's essential to target the right audience during user testing to ensure the feedback is relevant and useful. However, if reaching the ideal audience is challenging, it's still better to conduct some user testing than none at all. Even broader user feedback is valuable and preferable to making decisions based only on guesses. This way, development is still guided by real user insights, making it more likely to meet their needs effectively.
Working Backwards with AWS
Throughout the process, AWS played a crucial role by grounding us in cloud computing basics and bolstering our technological framework. They introduced us to the Working Backwards approach, centering our focus on customer experience and value through the Press Release and faq method. This technique sharpened our vision, simplifying idea articulation and driving productive discussions with our team and stakeholders. By prioritizing end-user needs, we streamlined our development process, aligning each step with the ultimate goal. This approach not only sparked our creativity but also leveled the playing field for idea generation, encouraging bold thinking and a team-wide collaborative spirit. With DPS and AWS experts' support, we utilized this methodology alongside AWS's cloud solutions to craft scalable, customer-centric digital products.
It was incredibly exciting for me to really grasp and apply the true essence of what an MVP is, to deeply understand the principles of iterative and incremental development.
MV(E)xperiment
I learned that proposed MVP doesn’t necessarily represent the future product, it can be a very slim and lean experiment like creating an investigation assistant. It can evolve into the product later, but at the moment we want to learn as much as we can and begin to deliver value to our users with the least amount of effort.
LANDING PAGE DESIGN
Before diving into full-scale development, we conducted a lean experiment using a landing page to validate our solution. This was essentially the simplest form of our product, crafted before involving our engineering team in any coding.
I designed a landing page using that presented our services and distributed it among potential customers.
We received requests through typeform and we manually researched for funding programs that they requested. We send them a reply within two days of the programs they’ve requested and ask for their feedbacks.
This experiment not only guided us in prioritizing which categories of funding programs to focus on but also deepened our understanding of what non-profits are seeking. Additionally, it allowed us to experience firsthand the challenges they face when searching for funding opportunities.
What was truly remarkable about this approach was that we were able to deliver value to our customers right from the outset. Simultaneously, we gathered crucial insights that would inform the development of a better product.
We received up to 15 requests from various NPO organizations and were able to successfully help them find funding programs that could benefit them!
INSTAGRAM AD DESIGN
FACEBOOK AD DESIGN
By the end of the three months, we were able to deploy an accessible website that offered a centralized repository of publicly available funding programs in Germany, free of charge.
This streamlined non-profits' search for relevant funding. The core task was to aggregate data from various public funding schemes and extract critical metadata from them.
A significant challenge was to ensure uniformity in this metadata, as different sources may offer varying levels of detail. This standardized metadata would underpin features that help users identify suitable funding programs. Importantly, the platform will impartially present options from both large and small funding organizations, thereby allowing smaller entities to showcase their programs.
Once nonprofits register on the Haus des Stiftens website, they gain access to this compiled list of funding programs. Users can then quickly locate funding opportunities that meet their needs through various tools, such as filters, a search bar, an AI chatbot, or a recommendation system. This solid foundation allows for future enhancements to the platform, such as the introduction of mailing lists or special discounts.
Although visually our database was not the best looking database out there, but I am really proud of everyone who was able to deploy a working digital product that could actually help people.
Few selected screenshots from our deployed database:
