BudgetMatador: Every Startup Should Invest Into UX

Some of you might already know that some time ago we organized a small competition among the teams that participated in the local startup competition Ajujaht, which is the Estonian version of Dragon’s Den and Shark Tank.

The lucky winner was BudgetMatador, who got 5000 euros worth of our UX services. Now let’s take a closer look at the how the team has progressed.
 

Great to see you guys, what’s new with BudgetMatador?  

We are still in the product development phase, which means that our progression is closely related to our own energy levels and schedules. We hope to get the first working version live by the end of June.
 

Meanwhile we also negotiating with investors and we must say that winning the competition has given our negations a nice starting point. It is a very compelling argument because it validates our idea and investors see that we are developing a high-quality product that is also very user friendly.

Because we are building a Software-as-a-Service type product that has to sell itself then quality is the most important attribute to our success. It’s a strategic question for us.

The sessions have worked wonders on our team. By walking through the product we have shared some great ideas and suggestions among the team, which are all born from our own varied experiences. All signs point to a great end result.
 

What were your expectations when you first stepped into our office?

This is the first time we work together with Trinidad’s UX consultants. You might say that our experiences where quite realistic, but simplified. We expected advice regarding minimizing clicks, building an attractive user interface, and wanted to get some ideas about different functionalities.
 

What surprised you the most?

We didn’t think about the importance of walking through the user journeys with the whole development team. All team members have their day jobs, so it’s very hard to get everyone in the same room. Trinidad’s sessions helped us greatly and we do believe that the best surprises are still ahead of us.
 

How have our UX methods influenced your app?  

At the moment we are working on the user journeys. We have developed the project manager and CEO personas. Our team started from the beginning, discussing who the possible users might be, and also talked about our users’ needs outside our product.

We have had about 10-15 hours’ worth of sessions and just managed to finish the first steps of the project manager’s user journey in our app. This process requires a lot of time, but a unified vision and a kick-ass product are well worth the effort.
 

Did the results surprise you?

A unified product vision is great and working with such an experienced person such as Hegle is a delight. Thanks to her we have developed many ideas regarding the app. Opinions from people outside the project are also helpful in further fine-tuning the product and see how users can benefit the most.

With product development you always have two conflicted interests in play. On one hand you have to focus on developing the simplest of functionalities and publish them as soon as possible, while on the other you have to do some serious prework because fixing mistakes in the later stages is either hard or impossible.

Trinidad helps us do this prework. This is why every startup should invest a small portion of its first seed investment into UX consultations. You can invest into an experienced in-house designer or an outside consultant, the choice is up to you.
 

What are your future plans?

By the end of June we want to come out with the first version of our product and start testing it with the first test-clients and by the end of the year we want to come out with an open beta and get our first paying customers.

We will also start with our own newsletter to talk more about effortless cash flow management. If you want to join then send an email to uve.poom@gmail.com.

From Trinidad we want to wish a long life and swift growth to the team. And if you have a startup and want some guidance then do get in touch. Our first 4 consultation hours are always free.