Noveltor

I led the startup to its new flagship product focused on helping therapists provide a better quality of service through digital activities for their clients.

Role

Consultant

Time

10 Months

Work

Product Management | UX

Team

2 Researchers, 1 Engineer

The Challenge

With only one customer, Noveltor sought to understand why therapists weren’t subscribing to their product, and how to improve it. As a consultant, my task was to steer the product in the right direction through product management, research, and design services.

MY approach

Through every stage of my work with Noveltor, I prioritized teaching the team my methods and gradually delegating key responsibilities. In doing so, I was able to create clarity, trust, and empower each team member through their unique strengths.

Results

A Successful Pivot & Team-First Culture

I. Assessment

Understanding the Challenge

I began my work by studying the company holistically, examining the process that led to their current product, the product itself, and their overall marketing efforts. Through this, I identified that the company had solely focused on obtaining product feedback from their customers without ever first truly understanding their needs. This lack of foundational research, combined with undocumented analysis of prior evaluative research, was now causing the team to question everything from their target customer to their product.

PREVIOUS PRODUCT

A Personal Values Journaling Tool

assesment takeaway

Limited Research Led to Confusion 

II. customer Definition

Is this the Right Target Customer?

Given the company’s confusion, I needed to first help them assess if they had chosen the right target customer or not. I grounded this ambiguous process by having the team define their mission statement, build a customer map based on their mission, and then select a target customer based on our market analysis. This process led to the validation of the current target customer, and more importantly, team confidence to move onto the next step given our rationale.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to help individuals become their best self through positive personal transformation.

Market Map

Mission-Relevant Potential Customers

Analysis Takeaway

Target Customer Validation

III. Problem Definition

Is This the Right Problem?

Although we validated the current target customer, the company lacked data on key customer needs, limiting our ability to assess if the current product was focused on a relevant problem. I developed a research plan and guided the team in interviewing therapists to better understand their needs when assisting clients. Analysis indicated the product’s problem scope was not a priority for therapists. That said, analysis also revealed a key need we felt capable of addressing.

Generative ResearcH

User Needs Study Details

Key findings

Wrong Problem, Right Direction

problem statement

A Need for Variety, not Singularity

IV. Solution Definition

Getting the Solution Right

Now that we had a validated target customer and a revised problem scope, we needed to define the right solution. I led the team through the process of ideating, affinitizing, and down-selecting solution candidates. To ensure we generated and selected relevant candidates, I developed a solution criteria based on customer research findings. The result was team consensus on our solution direction.

Solution Criteria

The Four Keys to Success

Ideation

120 Solution Candidates

Down-Selection

Consensus Solution Direction

V. Competitive Analysis

Clarifying our Market Position

Since pivoting, we had taken quick looks at existing solutions in the market, however, I believed we lacked a proper understanding of the market, our unique value proposition (UVP), and how to best implement it. I guided the team in conducting a competitive and inspiration analysis, the latter of which was used to draw inspiration from products embodying our UVP in other markets. Through this, we gained a deeper understanding of the market space, a refined UVP, and waves of creativity as to how to best implement it.

Competitive Analysis

A Refined Unique Value Proposition

UVP Inspiration Analysis

Learning from Other Markets

VI. Product Definition

Progress, not Perfection

With a refined UVP, we now had to assess if our concept significantly resonated with therapists, and, if so, how to accurately evolve its role, user experience, and engineering. I led our prototyping strategy and designed screens for research. The results were overwhelmingly successful levels of desirability, feasibility, and viability through five rounds of research, each with iterative prototype improvements and higher degrees of fidelity.

PROTOTYPING STRATEGY

Rapid Iterative Testing and Evaluation (RITE)

lo-fi concept eval.

Desireability - Role Validation

MID-fi concept eval.

Desireability - Role & UX Insights

hi-fi concept eval.

Desireability - UX Validation

coded usability tests

Feasibility - Engineering Validation 

Mvp Pilot program

Viability - Pricing Validation 

final deliverable

A Product Driven by Research

  • Creating an Activity | Pt.1

    I structured the creation process using a WYSIWYG interface to mirror the final output, a horizontal layout to enhance visibility, and a sidebar library for effective organization.

  • Creating an Activity | Pt.2

    The ‘Introduction’ feature in the Assign & Intro step helps clarify instructions, build rapport with clients, and generate social accountability for completion.

  • Creating an Activity | Pt.3

    The ‘Send to Client’ information structures the activity's logistical context and is added to the bottom of the first card to allow for a quick grasp on the client’s end.

  • Client Mobile App | Pt.1

    I designed a simple yet emphasis-driven home page to nudge clients to initiate their activity and minimize the steps needed to do so.

  • Client Mobile App | Pt.2

    I used progressive disclosure and a card deck metaphor to seperate activities into cards, reducing cognitive load for clients and presenting information as needed.

  • Client Mobile App | Pt.3

    The chat feature aims to cultivate a supportive environment for clients, facilitating the exchange of feedback during their activities.

  • Managing Activities | Pt.1

    I designed the dashboard to show therapists the most important information in a simple layout, allowing them to quickly take the actions they need.

  • Managing Activities | Pt.2

    I organized the client page to help therapists make informed decisions by providing a record of all activities and their metrics, tailored to meet client needs.

  • Managing Activities | Pt.3

    I created the activities inbox to streamline reviewing client activity responses using an email-style layout for familiarity and ease of use.

VII. Outcome

A Team Win

Within under a year of collaboration, the team and I were able to successfully pivot the product, win multiple start-up competitions, and generate ongoing conversations with venture capital firms.

The Business Win

A Successful Pivot

The Best Win

A Team-First Culture