From strangers to a turning point
I appreciate the endorsement.
Yesterday, I received an appreciation (more like a thank you note) publicly, from a founder I’m working with right now and this blog is the ripple effect of that recognition. Point is, everything we do matters to someone who cares!
First of all, I never cared for public endorsement. But truth be told, it feels good when my efforts and contributions are appreciated sincerely, without even asking! I guess this was something that I had in my mind (which I was hoping for) when I began my journey 14 months ago. I’m happy about it.
Ask, and it will be given to you.
This is how everything began. I was not fully open to the idea of posting something to a 600+ member group. But I had to because I was on my own then. I quit a big company in 15 days without securing another job. So, I typed a simple and short message and waited for some time. Overthinking will act as a blocker sometimes. And at a point, I just tapped that send button. Just do it scheme!
He replied after a few minutes.
I mean he and one other account, that was a dead end btw.
Now thinking, everything has its time. Sometimes there is no point in rushing towards something (also it depends). It will happen if it can happen. Again, Murphy’s Law!
So, the initial conversation went well and now I’m here writing this blog after 14 months. I remember when I said “I regret the decision to join the big company”, he said, “You don't have to regret that, maybe it was meant to happen so that we can meet”.
It’s a good journey so far. I wrote about my career journey in the below blog.
I don't want to work with people who just want to design something. I’m not fit for that category. I mean, I don't have any problem with that category, it’s just not my cup of tea.
Vision oriented vs project oriented
Understanding a vision is more important when you are working with founders. Anyone with a piece of basic knowledge and a developer can build any product, but it may not have any value, I mean for a long time. Firefly products are good, but it acts like a Falcon heavy booster rocket. It has a separation point, and if you don't have a vision from there, you are going to land in the sea.
You cannot be taught to have a vision. I’m sorry but it is not working like that. But you can have a vision, you just have to have the will to do it!
I recently told him this point that we are not planting trees for ourselves. I consider building SaaS in the same way. We the founder, designer, or developer are not going to use the product (in some cases, yes) daily. It is for people with needs. So it’s important to understand them and their needs.
When we are trying to build a project for the public it should be vision oriented, because I believe people need to be adapted to the vision instead of enforcing them to use a solution that we think is what’s best for them with our limited knowledge.
I wrote a blog about why ideas need to be adapted rather than imposed. I mean it’s not specifically synced with the topic I’m conveying here, but you got the point, right?
If you are going the other way, maybe it can still generate revenue, but there is no guarantee that users are happy with what they have.
What I learned
You know, helping him with his product-building/discovery journey has actually taught me quite a few things. Really interesting and meaningful experience so far!
Understand every single piece of information before jumping into the design.
Ask or find out all the confusion before offering a solution.
Compromise where you can save some money (sometimes building a design as it takes time, in startups, time = money. Especially when bootstrapping).
Find the balance between you as a designer and you as a founder.
Give solutions with data to back up. Because I founder needs to act fast, he needs information (but don’t overshare).
Be a team player when there is a team. Your job can not make others suffer.
Learn more and more information every day to uplift the journey process. As the saying, “One small step for man one giant leap for a startup”.
Fix a time for the meeting and be ready with all the necessary information.
Observe the mentality of a job-seeking person when hiring.
When you are stuck, go with the intuition and be ready to iterate.
Document everything needed
Create a system and never deviate unless needed.
Understand and design for the business to succeed. Not everything needs to be flashy and super-designed. Every simple thing will make an impact. Because customer support will get a message if something is broken or not working as expected. In an early-stage startup, the founder is the customer support. And he needs to spend time to reply and calm the angry customers. In short, keep the audience in mind always, even when you design a button.
Engage with the customers in the live chat. You will get a clear picture from there. No case studies or webinars can give this level of insight.
Be alert when the churn rate is uprising.
Attention to detail is what makes a great product. At the early stage, it may not be possible. But it should be your priority when the time comes.
Learn from building in public people.
Observe and acquire lessons from others’ failures.
Learn to cool it down when there is a disagreement.
Join in a discussion (anything with a common interest) where you can bring a positive vibe.
Iterate the designs and workflows constantly.
Simplify the process, as little and short as possible.
Make sure you just casually look into it before going live every week.
Designing for a startup is not just designing frames in Figma. It’s about driving forward. So help whenever you can wherever you can.
Be in reality check always, if no one tells you to do that.
I have many more points if I spent more time listing everything out. But you got my point, right? Your skillset will be widened if you work with startups. It basically teaches us to survive with what we have. I guess I got the chance that I was looking for and it mutually benefited both of us.