[0:00 | Aurascript] > 00:00:01.195 | Overview: Role - From May to August 2023, as a 00:00:05.382 | Product Design Intern at Venture Copilot, I took the lead 00:00:08.640 | in shaping the platform's user experience and interface design. Working 00:00:12.844 | alongside a dedicated team consisting of an AI and Data 00:00:15.973 | Science Engineer, an NLP Engineer, a Software Engineer, 00:00:20.149 | and under the guidance of the company's founder 00:00:22.279 | and a Design Advisor, I focused on crafting a 00:00:25.057 | seamless web and app interface for both desktop 00:00:27.651 | and mobile environments. My responsibilities extended to establishing Venture 00:00:32.201 | Copilot's branding and user experience, establishing a 00:00:35.589 | coherent visual language and developing detailed user personas to 00:00:39.267 | ensure consistency across all platforms. 00:00:42.168 | This foundational work shaped the creation of a 00:00:44.478 | feature set tailored to our audience's needs, leading from 00:00:47.681 | initial wireframes to high-fidelity prototypes to optimize the user 00:00:51.652 | journey. Beyond UI/UX, I designed branded email communications 00:00:56.226 | and utilized Figma and Adobe Illustrator for interactive demos, 00:01:00.092 | critical for conducting insightful user interviews. These integrated efforts 00:01:04.418 | culminated in a refined, user-centered product, aligning with Venture Copilot's 00:01:09.216 | mission to innovate the venture investment process. 00:01:12.025 | Website: chat.venturecopilot.app 00:01:14.694 | Team: Product Designer: Chase Guerin. AI and Data Science 00:01:18.981 | Engineer: Taimur Shaikh. NLP Engineer: Nick Luo. Software Engineer: Jonathan 00:01:24.998 | Alvares. Founder: Paritosh Kulkarni. Design Advisor: Sanjay Shamdasani. 00:01:30.772 | Duration: 4 months, (May 2023 - Aug 2023) 00:01:36.405 | Scope: Product Design, Branding & Identity, UI/UX Design, Wireframing, User 00:01:42.861 | Personas, Competitive Analysis 00:01:45.315 | Tools: Figma, Adobe Illustrator 00:01:48.113 | Problem Statement: Challenge - Early-stage venture investors are overwhelmed by navigating 00:01:53.167 | through the vast number of startups worldwide, with over 00:01:56.155 | 305 million seeking funding and growth opportunities. This flood 00:02:00.390 | of opportunities brings with it an overwhelming amount of 00:02:03.205 | data, including detailed pitch decks and complex 00:02:06.007 | financial projections. Investors 00:02:08.178 | find themselves in a difficult position, dealing with slow 00:02:11.431 | and inefficient evaluation processes, inadequate tools, and a significant gap 00:02:16.319 | in specialized knowledge needed for emerging industries. This 00:02:19.697 | situation leads to long analysis times, missed opportunities, and 00:02:24.011 | a pressing need for a more streamlined evaluation process. The 00:02:27.524 | goal is to fundamentally transform and improve the early-stage venture 00:02:31.131 | investment process, making it more efficient and better 00:02:34.215 | suited to the needs of today’s fast-paced and innovative entrepreneurial 00:02:37.857 | environment. 00:02:38.833 | Solution: Final Hi-Fi Prototype for Desktop, Venture Copilot. Venture Copilot 00:02:44.726 | emerges as a revolutionary AI-driven SaaS Web App, 00:02:48.264 | designed to supercharge the early-stage venture investment process. Final 00:02:52.534 | Hi-Fi Prototype for Mobile, Venture Copilot. It introduces a 00:02:56.662 | seamless integration of intelligent automation and AI-powered insights, 00:03:00.830 | dramatically reducing the time and effort required to evaluate 00:03:04.138 | each deal. With features like AI-powered recommendations, efficient workflow 00:03:08.775 | management, and multilingual support, Venture Copilot transforms the 00:03:13.134 | complex investment landscape into an 00:03:15.230 | accessible, efficient, and insightful experience. Venture Copilot automates 00:03:20.254 | data analysis and deal evaluation, ensuring security and privacy 00:03:24.409 | at every step. It's the beacon for investors navigating the 00:03:27.596 | vast sea of startups, offering a smarter, faster, and more 00:03:31.493 | intuitive approach to discovering and investing in the next 00:03:34.447 | big thing. 00:03:35.250 | User Experience: 00:03:36.608 | User Personas: Empathize - Understanding the User: 00:03:40.199 | Developing user personas enriched the understanding of the target 00:03:43.535 | audience during the design process. Based on research 00:03:46.694 | data, these personas, both founder and investor, 00:03:50.001 | represented target users and assisted in customizing the design 00:03:53.573 | to suit specific needs and behaviors. Founder User Persona 00:03:57.374 | - Aria, 32. Aria Mitchell, 00:04:00.117 | Founder & CEO of GreenTech Innovations, seeks not 00:04:03.600 | just capital, but also strategic partners who can provide 00:04:07.177 | mentorship, networks, and growth opportunities. Investor User Persona - Don, 00:04:12.815 | 90. Don Valentine, Founder & Senior Partner of Sequoia Capital, 00:04:17.750 | possesses a keen eye of identifying 00:04:19.778 | market potential and the next tech 00:04:21.568 | unicorn. Empathize - Understanding the User: 00:04:24.892 | Competitive Analysis: Define - Clarify User Needs: I proceeded to perform 00:04:30.230 | a SWOT analysis. This step was essential in the 00:04:32.983 | preparatory phase, allowing me to systematically assess potential strengths, weaknesses, 00:04:38.762 | opportunities, and threats before developing Venture Copilot. SWOT 00:04:43.081 | Competitive Analysis, Venture Copilot. Venture Copilot enhances venture capital 00:04:48.493 | deal evaluations with its AI-driven capabilities and 00:04:51.571 | robust data security, positioning itself strongly in a 00:04:54.959 | growing market for automation tools. Unlike competitors like Affinity, which 00:04:59.443 | focus heavily on data analytics and CRM, Venture Copilot provides 00:05:03.803 | a more targeted approach to streamlining 00:05:05.829 | investment processes. Opportunities 00:05:08.293 | lie in expanding global outreach and further 00:05:10.603 | integration with investment platforms, while threats include 00:05:14.081 | stiff competition from established players like Dynamo Software 00:05:17.732 | and emerging AI technologies. Define - Clarify User Needs: 00:05:22.292 | Storyboarding: Ideate - Generate Ideas: In the ideation phase of 00:05:26.871 | Venture Copilot, I developed a storyboard to effectively 00:05:30.253 | visualize and plan the user experience. Storyboard, Venture Copilot. The 00:05:35.207 | storyboard showcases an investor overwhelmed by a large volume of 00:05:38.868 | pitch decks from founders. To manage this efficiently, the investor 00:05:42.825 | turns to Venture Copilot, which offers a streamlined interface to 00:05:46.586 | filter and review information swiftly. The storyboard illustrates the investor 00:05:50.971 | using the platform to make quick decisions — 00:05:53.609 | either passing on a company or moving to the 00:05:55.650 | next steps. Additionally, it features 00:05:58.271 | the capability for the investor to engage with their portfolio 00:06:01.517 | companies during downtime to gain deeper insights into their operations 00:06:05.235 | and performance. Ideate - Generate Ideas: 00:06:08.467 | UI/UX Design: 00:06:10.087 | Wireframes: Prototype - Build Solution Models: In the prototype 00:06:14.623 | phase of Venture Copilot, I created detailed wireframes to 00:06:18.324 | map out the user journey, ensuring a clear and 00:06:20.908 | intuitive navigation path. Wireframe, Venture Copilot. 00:06:25.258 | The wireframes start with the landing page, introducing 00:06:28.496 | users to Venture Copilot and its key benefits. This 00:06:31.714 | is followed by the login page, where users can either 00:06:34.741 | sign in using their email or register for 00:06:36.902 | a new account. After logging in, users 00:06:39.516 | are directed to a tutorial page, which 00:06:41.971 | provides an overview of the platform's 00:06:43.991 | features and guides on how to use them 00:06:45.811 | effectively. Next, the wireframes show a chat interface that allows 00:06:50.042 | users to communicate directly with their portfolio companies, gaining 00:06:54.003 | real-time insights and updates. This leads to 00:06:56.662 | the database builder page, a crucial feature where users can 00:07:00.218 | upload pitch decks and convert them into a structured 00:07:02.764 | database. This database captures all pertinent information from the decks 00:07:06.978 | and organizes it to enable easy filtering and analysis. Following 00:07:11.084 | the database setup, the wireframes illustrate the dashboard interface, 00:07:15.392 | which displays key metrics and data 00:07:17.235 | points for quick 00:07:18.030 | assessment. This transitions into the investor 00:07:20.699 | records table page where detailed records and statuses of various 00:07:24.309 | investments are maintained. Another significant feature depicted in the wireframes 00:07:28.913 | is the share invite page, designed to 00:07:31.128 | facilitate collaboration by allowing users to invite other investors and 00:07:35.060 | founders to the platform. The final element in the 00:07:37.943 | wireframes is the profile page, where users can view and 00:07:41.505 | edit their personal information, investment preferences, and settings. This comprehensive 00:07:46.869 | set of wireframes was designed to ensure that every step 00:07:49.876 | of the user journey is thoughtfully addressed, providing a 00:07:52.829 | seamless experience from initial login to 00:07:55.015 | detailed investment management and collaboration. Prototype - Build 00:07:59.055 | Solution Models: 00:08:00.298 | Hi Fi Prototypes: While refining the wireframes for user 00:08:03.929 | testing, I collaborated closely with a dedicated 00:08:06.937 | team to create high-fidelity prototypes, which were crucial for the 00:08:10.624 | final testing stages of Venture Copilot. This team 00:08:13.878 | included an AI and Data Science Engineer, an NLP Engineer, 00:08:17.986 | and a Software Engineer, all working 00:08:20.103 | under the guidance of the company’s founder and a Design 00:08:22.718 | Advisor. Together, we focused on 00:08:25.011 | ensuring that these prototypes accurately represented the platform’s intended functionality 00:08:30.055 | and design aesthetics. Final Hi-Fi Prototype for Desktop, Venture 00:08:34.511 | Copilot. Final Hi-Fi Prototype for Mobile, Venture Copilot. Final High-Fidelity 00:08:40.257 | Prototype - Above are the final high-fidelity 00:08:42.856 | prototypes of the "Venture Copilot" flow. These high-fidelity prototypes provided 00:08:47.665 | a detailed view of the Venture Copilot platform, significantly 00:08:51.496 | enhancing user understanding of its design and functionality. By 00:08:55.322 | integrating feedback from this diverse team, the prototypes 00:08:58.659 | helped us test and iterate on our 00:09:00.236 | designs in a realistic setting, ensuring that the final 00:09:03.325 | product would meet the complex needs 00:09:05.102 | of our users effectively. This collaborative approach not 00:09:08.208 | only improved the quality of our prototypes but also 00:09:11.077 | ensured that they aligned perfectly with both the technical capabilities 00:09:14.598 | and strategic vision of the platform. 00:09:16.968 | Prototype Video Demo: Final Prototype Video Demo - The video above 00:09:21.523 | demonstrates the Venture Copilot flow, guiding viewers from the initial 00:09:25.565 | landing page through the entire user journey within 00:09:28.073 | the high-fidelity prototype. It begins 00:09:30.352 | with the landing page that introduces Venture Copilot 00:09:33.182 | and its key benefits, followed by the 00:09:35.426 | login and registration process. Users are then taken through a 00:09:38.973 | tutorial page that details the platform’s features. The journey continues 00:09:43.343 | through the chat interface for real-time communication with 00:09:46.246 | portfolio companies, and the database builder where pitch decks are 00:09:49.908 | transformed into a structured, easily 00:09:52.243 | navigable database. The video also highlights the dashboard interface 00:09:56.433 | for quick data assessment, the investor records table for tracking 00:10:00.110 | investments, the share invite page for enhancing collaboration, 00:10:04.051 | and concludes with the profile 00:10:05.548 | page where users can manage their personal settings 00:10:08.206 | and investment preferences. This streamlined visual representation encapsulates 00:10:12.948 | my design efforts and the seamless integration of 00:10:15.331 | each platform feature. 00:10:16.848 | User Testing: Test - Evaluate Solution Effectiveness: The 00:10:20.998 | demo video for Venture Copilot 00:10:22.913 | was used effectively in user testing by the founder and 00:10:25.797 | also featured on the landing page to introduce potential 00:10:28.816 | users to the platform. Unfortunately, as my internship concluded after 00:10:33.350 | four months, I did not have the opportunity to 00:10:36.183 | conduct further user interviews to refine the user experience based 00:10:39.814 | on broader feedback. Test - Evaluate Solution Effectiveness: 00:10:44.130 | User Interface: In my role developing the 'Venture Copilot' project's user 00:10:48.575 | interface, I adopted a comprehensive 00:10:51.109 | approach that encompassed both functional design and aesthetic considerations, including 00:10:55.756 | logo creation, typography styling, and crafting a cohesive branding 00:11:00.354 | identity. Following this extensive design work, I also produced 00:11:04.703 | a showcase demo video in Figma 00:11:06.628 | and Adobe Illustrator, which was instrumental in conducting 00:11:09.943 | insightful user interviews and refining the product to 00:11:12.751 | align with Venture Copilot's mission to innovate the venture investment 00:11:16.293 | process. 00:11:17.154 | Logos: Primary - Venture Copilot, Primary 00:11:20.686 | Logo. Primary Alternate - Venture 00:11:23.226 | Copilot, Primary Alternate Logo. Logo Treatment - Ideal logo treatment 00:11:28.421 | is the standard purple and black logo on a 00:11:30.635 | white background. Alternate treatments include the 00:11:33.438 | standard purple and white logo 00:11:35.122 | on a #01062D or #1F1F1F background. Secondary - Venture Copilot, 00:11:42.419 | Secondary Logo. Logo Treatment - Ideal logo 00:11:45.821 | treatment is the standard purple logo on a white background. 00:11:49.327 | Alternate treatments include the standard purple logo 00:11:52.165 | on a #01062D or #1F1F1F background. 00:11:57.140 | Typography: Primary - Outfit. Secondary - Bowman 00:12:01.439 | Color Styles: Primary - #01062D, #0C0B0B, #02295F, #2D2D2E. Secondary - #A4A4A4, 00:12:15.179 | #2F3075, #595286, #58595B. Tertiary - #0074FF, #4B5066, #FFFFFF, 00:12:31.013 | #939598, #96A4EA 00:12:36.400 | Iconography: Iconography, Venture Copilot. Iconography Creation - I created 00:12:42.287 | a set of icons for developers to 00:12:44.182 | integrate into Venture Copilot's front-end interface, ensuring visual cohesion and 00:12:49.083 | intuitiveness. The above picture showcases 00:12:51.740 | this iconography, enhancing the platform's user experience. 00:12:55.851 | Components: Components, Venture Copilot. Components Creation - I 00:13:00.719 | designed a suite of UI components, including buttons, input fields, 00:13:05.289 | labels, dropdown menus, and more, for developers to incorporate 00:13:09.674 | into Venture Copilot's front-end 00:13:11.435 | interface. 00:13:12.383 | Branded Email Templates: Branded Email Templates, Venture Copilot. Branded Email Templates 00:13:18.325 | Creation - For 00:13:19.342 | the launch of Venture Copilot, I crafted branded email templates 00:13:23.154 | to ensure a cohesive and professional presentation of 00:13:26.009 | our platform. These templates were designed to align with Venture 00:13:29.500 | Copilot's visual identity, enhancing communication with potential 00:13:33.750 | users and stakeholders during the critical initial outreach phase. 00:13:37.566 | Next Case Study: Year Visualized - Front-end Development, HTML