CoFoundersLab

CoFoundersLab is an entrepreneurial platform that supports connecting entrepreneurs to each other, building businesses together, and sharing knowledge along the way. As the sole designer, I was responsible for pushing product innovation based on entrepreneurs' latest needs--connect efficiently, share knowledge easily, and incubate ideas with CoFoundersLab’s accelerator. I held many roles during my 2 years at CoFoundersLab while the platform was rapidly expanding. From working on a company merger design strategy to launching a series of initiatives based on entrepreneurs’ real time feedback, I was able to use and develop all my design and business skills in research, design, and development in a varied atmosphere.

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Role
Product design lead
Year
2015 - 2017
Contribution
Entrepreneurial social networking
Startup forum
Metrics-driven design process
Peer quotes
Overview

Contribution

Entrepreneurial social networking

I was responsible for reinventing CoFoundersLab’s initial and only product--the social networking feature--in the beginning. I was laser-focused on how the product could solve the users’ biggest pain points, which was finding a fitting business partner who shared the same business goals but offered an additional skill set. I reinvented the onboarding process and the connecting and interaction process.

Startup forum
While entrepreneurs are connecting online, CoFoundersLab hosted in-person weekly events in multiple cities. I found that users have to use the Meetup platform to ask and answer startup questions on the Meetup event page, which was not stored on the CoFoundersLab platform. Entrepreneurs are not able to communicate and inherit knowledge within the community. After identifying the needs, I created a forum for entrepreneurs to ask and answer questions, educate themselves, and contribute back to the community.

Metrics-driven design process
As the design lead, I took on the metrics setup and management role. I came up with the tracking strategy and implemented feature tracking using Google Analytics, Hubspot, Hotjar, etc. Through the tracking process, I was able to prioritize the design initiatives based on real-time users’ interactions.

Peer quotes

"May was a prized addition to our team. She has so many outstanding qualities that it becomes a challenge to mention them all. My entrepreneurial ventures are committed to aiding clientele in different capacities. For my ventures to reach their highest potential, many things are needed, one of which is an excellent platform design to attract and keep clientele. May filled this role perfectly in building designs for us from the ground up. She has proven herself many times over to be an excellent product designer and information architect, producing creative, intuitive approaches to design challenges. By applying a suite of design thinking and methods, she created and enhanced our products as well as user bases. In addition, she demonstrated a strong ability to lead the design direction and create stunning user experiences with quick turn-around, all while taking into account changes and tight timelines. May’s passion at surmounting problems to arrive at the best design solutions was an excellent example of her savvy. Her deep knowledge of the competitive landscape fostered her attention to detail, which directly fed into her keen ability to constantly deliver a suite of cohesive products in the ecosystem. She has been an invaluable asset and we all very much enjoyed working with her, as she brings a positive attitude and great energy to any team she works with. "

- Managing Partner

Impact

- Grew monthly active user from 50k to 300k
- Established design process to serve entrepreneurs
- Set up a data-driven design system to track user behaviors, A/B test and leverage metrics tools to optimize user experience
Now I look back, entrepreneurs’ passion and energy pushed me to build better products and be a better version of myself. The platform gave me an opportunity to listen to entrepreneurs, familiarize myself with the startup world, and nurture the community’s growth. I spent many hours thinking about the market fit and business models. CoFoundersLab ended up not only being a social media platform, but also a B2B entity and an e-commerce platform.