Designing Willa — Part 2, Direction
Learn about how we came up with Willa, a new fin-tech app for creative freelancers
This is the second part of my series around designing Willa. The first part focused on discovery and defining a problem, check it out here.
You need direction to answer the big questions, but it also helps with the nitty-gritty details. Should we build feature X or Y? Should this thing be green or yellow? It is not always easy to know which answer is the best, but a vision and a framework like a brand platform will help you see which answer is right for you.
The brand platform
Not to be confused with brand guidelines, which often deal with the visual aspects and tonality of a brand, a brand platform should be centered around the business model and purpose of the service. At it’s core is usually the “why” or the vision.
There are lots of different ways to create and visualize a brand platform. At Willa, we created our own, very simple structure. Even though we defined this ourselves, it is similar (or perhaps even identical) to what many other people have done before. It captures the parts I feel are most important when doing work like this.
A brand platform structure
- Why we do it
- What we do
- How we do it
- Who we do it for (or audience)
- What you get (as a user)
- Key benefits
- Our values
- The pitch
Filling in these blanks is part art, part science. It is an iterative process where you jump between the different areas, adding pieces to the puzzle. It is most efficiently done as a mix of solo and collaborative work.
I started by collecting input from the entire team. Different people had different approaches so I received a mix of single words, long format text, discussions, images as well as references to other companies. The purpose was to make sure everyone got heard, but also identify possible trends in the group that would be a good starting point.
Polish the diamond, don’t add sparkles to a lump of coal
You have an idea, that isn’t 100% golden rainbows, but maybe 65% good stuff. So you add something to it, another feature, another potential market, maybe sprinkle some AI or open APIs while you’re at it. Yet five things that are all 65% combined will still just give you, 65% user value (if even). And who cares about products like that?
Defining a small core and then polishing that diamond until it shines like the sun is your job, not coming up with stuff to put on top.
Thus the most important, and hardest, job when setting a direction, is to make it aspirational as well as focused. Try to avoid “this…, and also that”.
Although coming up with words was a solo effort (which was done in the collaborative design tool Figma), it was coupled with a number of deeper ongoing discussions with others in the team and a continuous back and forth with Peter Blom (our CPO).
None of this was something we packaged into a glossy book, but it is something that we come back to on an ongoing basis to help us make the right decisions. And all of it is considered to be something we continue to iterate and evolve (thus it has stayed in Figma, where anyone can edit it).
Side note on feedback
Make sure that you always present things that you want true input on in a scrappy way. If you present something that feels like it is done, you are not opening up for a collaborative effort of finishing it together. You are opening up for critique, not creative input.
Ask yourself. When you show something, are you looking for validation or do you want help adding or modifying what is there?
Tips for creating a brand platform
- Make sure there aren’t too many people trying to decide. Everyone is welcome to pitch in, but someone has to be in charge and make the hard choices (striking things or ignoring input).
- Try to be succinct, it is harder than you think. A big effort should be spent on removing things and creating focus. It is not about creating a list of everything you can think about, it is the opposite, it is about finding what is most important.
- Make sure that you are honest. Everyone can get behind “make the world a better place” but if it’s not your core, it’s gonna fall flat.
- Avoid platitudes, if it could apply to anybody it will not help guide you.
- In the beginning, the exact wording is less important, just try to convey a point. Towards the end, the wording becomes everything.
Summary of Willa’s brand platform
Why we do it
To make life better for creative freelancers everywhere.
What you get
Financial wellness and zero admin. Empowered with the means and confidence to spend time on what matters to you.
How we do it
Handles your money stuff.
Instant access to funds.
Peace of mind.
Key Benefits
Speed (time) — Unlocks planning, instant gratification
Money — Enabler, path to opportunities
Confidence — Focuys on fun, creativity, being you
Our Values
Be Yourself
Be Empathic
Be Reliable
Add Chilli flakes
The Pitch
Too many freelancers suffer from late payments and worrying about money stuff.
Willa helps you take back control and get paid on your terms so that you can stay in the zone and focus on what really matters.
Bonus tip, try the storybrand one-liner framwork for your pitch.
The Hero (freelancer)
Problem (suffer)
Solution (get paid on your terms)
Outcome (stay in the zone)
Testing things out
With a clear vision and direction it started becoming more clear what we should be making. Our next step was building a scrappy alpha so we could start getting feedback and input from our audience. The next piece on designing Willa is still in the works, stay tuned.
