DesignIntelligence

Helping a global Architecture company define and realize their MVP

Product discovery
User flows and task definition
Prototyping
UX design
UI design
Software development
Application support

HATCHWORKS TEAM

Product Owner, Product Strategist, UX / UI Designer, Scrum Master, Solution Architect, Agile Software Development Team

Overview

DesignIntelligence, an organization that provides guidance and leadership in the architecture, engineering, construction and design industries, identified a common problem where architecture firms weren’t being effectively matched-up with professionals within the industry.

Hoping to solve this problem, DesignIntelligence engaged HatchWorks to define, scope, and build an MVP software solution that could both help architecture firms hire the right people, and help professionals find employment that matched their career goals within the architecture industry.

The Challenge

A three month delivery timeframe for the MVP ensured that project scope needed to be rigorously contained to functionality that met the core needs of firms and professionals. At the same time, the functional scope needed to allow both parties to curate and refine their experience in order for each to appeal to the other.

One key principle DesignIntelligence wanted to adhere to was that professionals’ profiles in the system needed to be protected from exploitation and biases. That meant that the solution needed a layer of discoverable anonymity that could provide enough context for firms to assess a professional’s skill set, while also safeguarding the professional’s identity until they chose to formally “connect” with the firm.

The Process

HatchWorks started the project with an in-person solution workshop where the team performed discovery, definition, and ideation exercises with DesignIntelligence’s executive team and core stakeholders. The workshop effort focused on aligning with DesignIntelligence’s vision and goals, as well as defining the core users’ needs, pain points, and critical workflows that would make the solution successful. Having this alignment and definition allowed the team to categorize the solution opportunity into impactful, attainable objectives.

The artifacts from this workshop allowed the team to prioritize user needs and create a scope of work that could tackle the core problems, delight users, and allow DesignIntelligence to validate that the MVP solution offered genuine value within the market.

After the HatchWorks team synthesized the input and information from the workshop, the team began creating the UX and UI artifacts needed to support development of the MVP. This included experience wireframes and clickable prototypes to convey interactions and workflows, as well as the creation of a foundational design system that encompassed the visual language of the MVP solution.

The Outcome

Within three months, HatchWorks delivered the MVP as a SaaS platform that allowed architecture professionals to create profiles that showcased their credentials with a richness unmatched by any other market solution. Firms were able to search and filter through anonymous profiles in order to find candidates with the level of experience, skills and specialization that meet the needs of their business.

The key outcome of the MVP allowed firms to send connection requests to appealing professionals, who could then evaluate the firm and decide whether or not to connect with them by granting access to their full profile and portfolio.

In creating this reciprocative connection dynamic between firms and professionals, the HatchWorks team was able to deliver a robust MVP solution that addressed the core problem that DesignIntelligence wanted to solve within the architecture industry, all within an aggressive project timeline.

About DesignIntelligence

DesignIntelligence is an organization that provides support, resources, thought leadership and an interconnected network for leaders in architecture and the built environment industry. They equip individuals and organizations of all sizes with tools and resources to strengthen their health, vitality, and resilience in the market.