ROUND
Web platform to connect leaders of technology with their peers.
My role: Senior Product Designer
Timeline: Year 2022
What is Round?
Round is a cutting-edge social community platform that has been expertly designed to foster connections between business leaders of all backgrounds, including C-suite executives. The platform's primary focus is on facilitating peer networking and professional development events, allowing members to build valuable relationships and enhance their skill sets in a supportive, collaborative environment.
What sets Round apart from other professional development communities, such as LinkedIn, is its emphasis on privacy and exclusivity. Rather than being an open forum for anyone to join, Round is a private platform that is reserved exclusively for top-tier business leaders. This creates a unique sense of camaraderie and trust among members, allowing for deeper connections and more meaningful discussions.
One of the key features of Round is its Core Groups, which are curated micro-networks of peers who share similar interests and goals. These groups allow members to connect on a more intimate level and discuss topics that are relevant to their specific industries and professions. By facilitating these peer-to-peer interactions, Round provides its members with unparalleled opportunities for growth and development, both personally and professionally.
Overall, Round is an invaluable resource for business leaders who are looking to expand their networks, enhance their skills, and stay on the cutting edge of their respective industries. With its focus on privacy, exclusivity, and peer-driven interactions, it is a truly unique platform that is sure to revolutionize the way that professionals connect and collaborate in the digital age.
Upon joining, I noticed that Round had a solid business strategy and an admirable goal. However, the user interface did not align with the platform's message. The functionality failed to cultivate a sense of community necessary for driving adoption.
Problem
My Role
To create a product that would meet the needs of our community, a design workshop was organized for Round's leadership and colleagues. The workshop centered on contemporary design thinking, which involved empathizing with potential community members and identifying their needs. The objective was to develop a platform that would cater to these needs and provide the necessary functionality.
As the data available to us was limited, we conducted the workshop in-person and digitally via Microsoft Teams. The brainstorming session began with post-it notes being used to gather the high-level needs of the community. The data were then categorized and prioritized to create a visual summary of the community's high-level needs.
This workshop proved invaluable in helping Round's employees think like potential community members and develop a customer-focused mindset. By taking this approach, we were able to identify the needs of our community and create a platform that would provide the necessary functionality to meet those needs. The end reswas a product that was tailored to the community's needs and was well-received by its members.
Research
I created an informative infographic based on the insights and data collected from the workshops.
I was able to rank and categorize data to develop workflow diagrams successfully. These diagrams proved invaluable in pinpointing individual requirements and dependencies, enabling me to isolate the essential features necessary for the Round platform.
After gathering valuable feedback from customers and analyzing relevant data, I skillfully crafted task flows that give us insight into how the users would use the application. I made it my top priority to ensure that all actions could be efficiently completed in five steps or less, in accordance with Miller's Law. My meticulous attention to detail allowed me to create a comprehensive task flow that includes all the necessary features for practical and seamless navigation, resulting in an exceptional user experience.
