PLMBR was an early-stage startup building an AI-powered service marketplace and CRM platform. The idea was to use AI agents and a marketplace setup to remove the need for leads, saving the customer and contractor money.
Ultimately this project fizzled out due to a number of reasons that I will review in this case study. But it still provided an invaluable learning experience and shaped my design process.
Role
Designer
Industry
Service Marketplace
Duration
6 months
Process
In the beginning my process was to design as much as possible and trust in the direction we were headed.* We needed a lot designed and I had to work quickly. I prioritized time over research, prep and learning.
*My process since this has been largely shaped by my experience in failure as well as "The Lean Startup by Eric Ries". This means going through the Build -> Measure -> Learn feedback loop as quickly as possible. This is very important when trying to find direction and add new features.
As an early team member at PLMBR, I wore many hats across design and marketing. I led the full end-to-end product design for the application. In addition to the core app experience, I designed and built the landing page, supported social media marketing efforts, and created design assets and investor-ready slide decks.
Product Designer
My main responsibility was leading the design direction of the brand and the tools we were buidling.
Social Media Marketer
I also helped to provide social media assets and marketing.
Founder
Finally, as a founder I spoke with potential investors and worked on pitch decks.
Design
This is where we first went wrong. We spoke with two contractors and immediately started jumping into designing. We should have talked with more users to pinpoint our direction.
Still we used quantitative research and mapping to guide our direction.
Contract Generation Agent
A tool contractors could use to help generate contracts for jobs they were working on. Answer a few quick questions about the job and our agent will provide you a fully legal and extensive contract.
Material Marketplace Agent
A tool contractors could use to help generate contracts for jobs they were working on. Answer a few quick questions about the job and our agent will provide you a fully legal and extensive contract.
Social Assets
I learned a great deal from this experience. Although the website was eventually closed, it was invaluable in kickstarting my work with startups, refining my design process, and shaping a more holistic approach to design.
Clarify the direction
Before getting caught up in AI agents, marketing tactics, or vanity metrics, it’s important to create a clear roadmap. Defining goals and direction while still allowing room for changes as problems arise.
Understand the user
We should have spent more time speaking directly with contractors and end users. Instead, we moved forward assuming we had identified a critical problem, only to realize it wasn’t as needed as expected.
Speak up
At times I was rushed into making decisions without going through the correct due diligence first. Looking back I think I now have the confidence to go through the process that I believe is best.
Build -> Measure -> Learn
I have now refined my process to follow the build, measure, learn feedback loop. This is especially important in startups but can be used for every project.
I would love to connect, reach out to mcglynnc22@gmail.com