Summary
Ownr is a B2B + B2C SaaS based application helping Canadian Entrepreneurs incorporate and manage their business without the need of a Lawyer.
Role
Sr. Product Designer (Design Team of 2)
The Challenges
Time Sensitive
With the acquisition of Founded, our team was challenged to not only update our branding to showcase the cohesive merge but also refine the ux gap identified from both existing applications.
Fill in the Knowledge Gap
As Ownr expands across Canada, the platform needed a way to educate entrepreneurs on the specific regulations and guidelines from province to rovince as well as federally incorporated companies.
Design & Targeted User
Ownr aims to educate and guide both new and experienced entrepreneurs on the legal requirements of a corporation. This would include the initial incorporation, shareholder management as well as hiring employees
The Visions
Use of Best Practice
Ease of use
We want to make the application as simple as possible to help users better understand the content and easily navigate the steps through incorporation
Affordable
Instead of hiring a lawyer to incorporate a business for thousands of dollars, Ownr looks to automate the process as much as possible to keeps costs low for inspiring entrepreneurs
Fun
Starting and growing a business should be fun. Ownr seeks to make the process as enjoyable as possible
Endless Benifits with Ownr
All-In-One Platform
Ownr gives entrepreneurs all the tools they need to incorporate and perform ongoing corporate management, all in one place.
Legal Documents
Ownr prepares custom legal documents that businesses need to stay compliant.
Managing Shares
Users can manage their cap table, including issuing and transferring shares, directly from their Ownr dashboard.
Perks and Partnerships
Ownr’s partners provide special offers to entrepreneurs on essential services they’ll need to get their business up-and-running.
Co-op with RBC Bank
Connect our client to RBC bank in the end of the purchase flow. It’s a win-win for both Ownr and our client that our users can get their money back, and we get more RBC subscribers
The Discovery
Ownr Customer Profile
26 - 33
34 - 41
41+
18 - 25
Male
Female
Prefer not
to answer
Key Findings
Ingoing Assumption
Customers are confused - about why to register their business, whether to register as a sole prop or incorporate etc - they look to Ownr to get answers to their questions.
Next Steps
Better position the Ownr value prop to cater to Incorporations
Consider offering only incorporations
Explore how to help sole props convert to incorporation
Research Insights
Most think they know why they wanted to register – for taxes, liability, legitimacy - and what they wanted to register as
Ownr’s current copy and pricing push sole prop
Sole prop is easy enough to do via the government
Incorporation is trickier, thus they value Ownr more for its integrated, step-by-step guidance
Incorporations also have more needs post-registration - higher LTV, BDA is mandatory
The Product and Service
Upgrade Your Plan
Ownr offers multiple plans for users' business situation and preference. We recommend suitable plans, but users can upgrade or downgrade at any time. Users can also pay for a one time change, rather than upgrading to a more expensive plan.
Sign Online & Keep Your Documents in Cloud
Ownr generates required documents and automatically emails them to the appropriate people for signatures. After the document has been signed, Ownr automatically files it with the government. By using Ownr, users can save a fortune in legal and accounting fees.
Check Out Business Tips and Perks with Ownr
Many users are new to running business. With Ownr, we provides tips and perks to fill in the user’s business knowledge gap.
Design Kickoff
Moodboard & Brand Lanugage
Based on our user persona, our target audience is generally young
We aim to avoid scaring users with legal jargon, while maintaining a friendly and professional attitude to build trust.
We aim to inspire and enable the journey of entrepreneurship.
Map Out User Journey
Think about where user is coming from and what they want to observe mostly before they gain fatigue from the heavy text
Most user will be coming from incorporation. Think how it will be laid out on dashboard, avoid emptiness and show useful data to user to feel that they need to continue subscription with Ownr
Wireframe
Design screens that user will get to when they interact with UI
Make sure the flow and design components sync well
Design System
Logo
Main
Subsidiary
shares
blueprint
Fonts
Component
Colours
Primary
Secondary
Illustrations
Diverse Characters
Jake
Rose
Sofia
Vivian
Jamie
Kyle
No-glasses Kyle
Shane
Shaved Shane
Objects
It’s Only a Start... What’s Next
Evolving Pricing Language
Our pricing is significantly cheaper than hiring a lawyer, but it can still be difficult to convince users of the value
Designing pricing language is challenging as most business owners do not fully understand what these terms are referring to. We are constantly evolving the pricing page to improve communication.
Increasing User Engagement with RBC
Connecting Ownr with RBC is challenging because education and set up is a long process.
Increasing bank account registration and improve product flow
Continuing Partnerships and Affiliate Program
Continue promoting partnership program through websites, ads, events, etc.
Get More Ownr Users
This is only a start, continue evolving product strategies and design to get more attention from potential or existing business owners
What I learned
Customer Won’t Wait
There's lots to learn for a new business owner. Most won't wait or contact us if they don't understand the business language. We need to continue testing and simplifying our visual communication.
Know It’s Obvious - Collaboration is Key
It is easy to come up with different design rules when multiple people are working on different pages of the same project. Setting up a design system and documenting design rules is important to ensure consistency, especially in a virtual working environment.