Website
Growth, Innovation, & Leadership
GIL is a collaborative accelerator and innovation hub hosted by the experts at the Basamh Group, working with scale-ups and start-ups to bring their visions to life within the Food and Beverage industry. Gill empowers entrepreneurs and driving innovation across the industry.
Project Scope
Website Design
Empowering Startups
Innovation Hub
Consultancy Services
Goal
Establish a website in a two-week timeframe to kickstart the program, and craft copy that is in harmony with GIL's vision.
Output
Created a website that not only embodied GIL's brand identity but also offered a user experience that flowed seamlessly.
Client’s Brief Background & Business Problem
My team & I were engaged by Basmah Group, a prominent Saudi food brand, on the design of a website for their forthcoming accelerator and innovation program, GIL (Growth, Innovation, Leadership). This initiative was strategically designed to empower startups and scale-ups within the Middle Eastern Food and Beverage sector, facilitating their journey towards becoming thriving and enduring enterprises. Through the GIL program, the objective was to revolutionize the industry by delivering expert consultancy, advisory, and management services to promising newcomers.
My Role & Responsibilities
In my role as a product designer for the Basmah Group's GIL (Growth, Innovation, Leadership) accelerator and innovation program website project, several key aspects of product design were central to my responsibilities:
User-Centered Design: My primary focus was to ensure that the website would provide an exceptional user experience for startups looking to engage with the program. This involved understanding the target audience's needs, behaviors, and expectations, as well as creating intuitive user journeys and interfaces.
Brand Integration: As a leading food company, the client had specific brand guidelines. I was tasked with incorporating these brand elements seamlessly into the website design to accurately reflect their identity. This included working with color palettes, fonts, and logo variations provided by the client.
Information Architecture: I played a critical role in structuring the website's content and information architecture. This required careful planning and organization of the content to make it easily accessible and understandable for users.
Competitor Analysis: Part of my role involved conducting competitor analysis to gain insights into what was working well in the industry. This helped in identifying design trends, user expectations, and areas where the website could stand out.
Prototype Development: Once the design direction was established, I started prototyping the website, creating wireframes and interactive mockups. These prototypes allowed for a visual representation of the website's layout, functionality, and interactions.
Copywriting Collaboration: While my primary focus was on design, I collaborated with the team on copywriting drafts to ensure that the content aligned with the design and the program's objectives.
Client Communication: Effective communication with the client was pivotal in understanding their vision, incorporating feedback, and ensuring the final product met their expectations. This involved presenting design concepts and discussing any adjustments to meet their needs.
In summary, my role as a product designer for the GIL website project encompassed various elements of design, including user-centered design, brand integration, information architecture, competitor analysis, prototype development, and close collaboration with the client. These aspects collectively contributed to the successful and timely delivery of the project.
How Did I Deliver?
As a product designer, I was tasked with creating a website for Basmah Group for their upcoming GIL (Growth, Innovation, Leadership) accelerator and innovation program. The goal was to provide startups with a platform to learn about the program, share their business ideas, and apply for participation, all to be achieved within a challenging two-week timeframe.
I began by holding discussions with the clients to grasp their business objectives, target audience profiles, and their brand values. Given their status as a leading food company, the client wanted a website design that authentically mirrored their brand identity. They supplied us with high-level brand guidelines, encompassing color palettes, font selections, and logo variations. However, these guidelines lacked specific details on the website's structure and user journeys. Instead, the client offered a reference website for design and copywriting inspiration.
The client also expressed a preference for utilizing a WordPress template for website construction. While this template wasn't within my team's usual expertise, the challenge was to set up the website within the stipulated two-week timeframe. Despite this initial unfamiliarity, we quickly adapted to the tool and managed to complete the setup in under a week.
Conducting a comprehensive competitor analysis, we refined the information architecture and began prototyping the design. Simultaneously, we conducted research and created draft copy inspired by leading accelerator programs.
Effective communication with the client was pivotal to the project's successful and timely completion. Following several rounds of feedback and collaboration, we refined the content and design and delivered the website ahead of the project deadline.