Visualization	
  Tool	
  for	
  an	
  Internet	
  Product	
  	
   	
   Challenge	
  &	
  Selection	
  	
   I	
  am	
  a	
  co-­‐founder	
  of	
  an	
  internet	
  startup	
  that	
  is	
  in	
  the	
  domain	
  of	
  classified	
  ads.	
  It	
  serves	
  the	
  purpose	
   of	
  connecting	
  buyers	
  and	
  sellers	
  of	
  apple	
  products.	
  It	
  aims,	
  on	
  one	
  hand,	
  to	
  help	
  people	
  finding	
  the	
   best	
  deals	
  on	
  apple	
  products	
  and,	
  on	
  the	
  other	
  hand,	
  to	
  help	
  individual	
  or	
  professional	
  sellers	
  to	
   meet	
  the	
  largest	
  pool	
  of	
  buyers.	
  Since	
  this	
  is	
  very	
  niche	
  area	
  for	
  classified	
  ads,	
  it	
  becomes	
  extremely	
   important	
  to	
  generate	
  new	
  ideas	
  to	
  keep	
  the	
  user	
  base	
  increasing.	
  By	
  far,	
  it	
  is	
  at	
  the	
  stage	
  where	
  it	
   allows	
  sellers	
  to	
  upload	
  their	
  product	
  details,	
  photograph,	
  contact	
  details.	
  It	
  also	
  allows	
  buyers	
  to	
  go	
   through	
  all	
  the	
  products	
  and	
  apply	
  their	
  search	
  filters.	
  Both	
  services	
  (product	
  uploading	
  /	
  product	
   search)	
  are	
  free.	
  My	
  main	
  challenge	
  here	
  is	
  to	
  better	
  understand	
  both	
  customers’	
  problems	
  and	
   ways	
  through	
  which	
  I	
  could	
  solve	
  these	
  problems	
  with	
  the	
  objective	
  of	
  bringing	
  more	
  users	
  and	
   sellers	
  to	
  my	
  portal	
  and,	
  finally,	
  making	
  it	
  grow.	
  The	
  areas	
  I	
  want	
  to	
  improve	
  are	
  UI/UX,	
  Customer	
   Service,	
  Ease	
  of	
  Access,	
  Credibility	
  to	
  my	
  portal.	
   Having	
  my	
  startup	
  described,	
  I	
  decide	
  to	
  choose	
  “Visualization”	
  tool.	
  Customers	
  insights	
  being	
   extremely	
  important,	
  I	
  may	
  be	
  able	
  to	
  solve	
  their	
  problem	
  in	
  a	
  way	
  that	
  adds	
  value	
  to	
  my	
  customers.	
   Since	
  I	
  am	
  in	
  with	
  both	
  sided	
  market	
  (buyers	
  and	
  sellers),	
  it	
  was	
  extremely	
  difficult	
  to	
  apply	
  all	
   solutions	
  at	
  one	
  go.	
  I	
  had	
  to	
  customize	
  in	
  a	
  specific	
  way.	
  Who	
  would	
  tell	
  me	
  the	
  exact	
  tailor	
  made	
   requirement	
  for	
  customers?	
  Customers	
  themselves.	
  They	
  will	
  come	
  in	
  unique	
  ways	
  to	
  give	
  in	
  their	
   insights.	
  I	
  believed	
  that	
  using	
  visualization	
  tool	
  could	
  help	
  me	
  get	
  things	
  more	
  concrete.	
  Virtually	
  all	
   the	
  people	
  who	
  own	
  apple	
  device	
  or	
  want	
  to	
  own	
  apple	
  device	
  are	
  my	
  customers.	
  That	
  is	
  why,	
  I	
   wanted	
  to	
  closely	
  see	
  and	
  imagine	
  what	
  kind	
  of	
  users	
  and	
  sellers	
  I	
  was	
  dealing	
  with.	
  That	
  can	
  lead	
   me	
  to	
  what	
  kind	
  of	
  needs	
  they	
  have	
  in	
  terms	
  of	
  UI	
  and	
  customer	
  service.	
  In	
  other	
  words,	
  I	
  had	
  to	
   personify	
  buyers	
  and	
  sellers	
  that	
  used	
  or	
  would	
  use	
  my	
  website.	
  	
   	
   Application	
  	
   To	
  start	
  defining	
  who	
  my	
  customers	
  were,	
  I	
  asked	
  them	
  various	
  questions	
  about	
  their	
  personalities	
   and	
  objectives.	
  I	
  asked	
  them	
  to	
  assign	
  their	
  personality	
  to	
  the	
  personality	
  of	
  any	
  animal	
  of	
  their	
   choice.	
  I	
  asked	
  them	
  associate	
  themselves	
  with	
  celebrity	
  of	
  their	
  choice.	
  Besides	
  that,	
  I	
  learned	
  them	
   while	
  using	
  my	
  portal	
  too.	
  I	
  asked	
  them	
  about	
  what	
  all	
  things	
  that	
  they	
  think	
  helping	
  them	
  and	
  what	
   all	
  features	
  actually	
  can	
  be	
  associated	
  with	
  their	
  characteristics.	
  To	
  Find	
  out	
  what	
  is	
  missing,	
  I	
  asked	
   them	
  the	
  different	
  questions.	
  I	
  asked	
  them	
  to	
  map	
  their	
  characteristic	
  with	
  their	
  favourite	
  celebrity.	
   For	
  users,	
  I	
  insisted	
  in	
  questions	
  about	
  what	
  they	
  aimed	
  when	
  searching	
  for	
  apple	
  device	
  and	
  how	
   did	
  they	
  decide	
  which	
  one	
  to	
  choose.	
  For	
  sellers,	
  I	
  explored	
  questions	
  about	
  their	
  marketing	
  efforts	
   and	
  how	
  they	
  decided	
  about	
  their	
  marketing	
  initiatives.	
  After	
  considering	
  23	
  buyers	
  and	
  8	
  sellers	
  I	
   was	
  able	
  to	
  draw	
  their	
  personas.	
  Then,	
  I	
  could	
  separate	
  them	
  accordingly.	
  	
   I	
  separated	
  “buyers”	
  group	
  in	
  two	
  main	
  ‘Personas’:	
  1)	
  big	
  sellers	
  (more	
  hierarchical	
  and,	
  generally	
   outsource	
  part	
  of	
  their	
  marketing	
  initiatives	
  to	
  a	
  promotion	
  agency);	
  2)	
  medium	
  and	
  small	
  sellers	
   (less	
  hierarchical,	
  usually	
  do	
  all	
  of	
  their	
  marketing	
  activities	
  by	
  themselves,	
  trusting	
  a	
  lot	
  on	
  free	
   social	
  media	
  promotion)	
  and	
  individual	
  sellers	
  (No	
  hierarchical	
  and	
  promotion	
  based	
  on	
  personal	
   contacts	
  and	
  social	
  media	
  promotion).	
  	
   Regarding	
  “Buyers”	
  group,	
  I	
  divided	
  it	
  also	
  in	
  two	
  different	
  groups:	
  1)	
  users	
  that	
  focus	
  on	
  iOS	
  devices	
   2)	
  users	
  that	
  want	
  to	
  own	
  mac	
  computers	
  3)	
  users	
  that	
  focus	
  on	
  wearable	
  devices.	
   	
   Insight	
  &	
  Approach	
   Visualization	
  tool	
  allowed	
  me	
  to	
  better	
  understand	
  my	
  customers	
  and	
  the	
  creation	
  of	
  ‘Personas’	
   made	
  me	
  think	
  in	
  a	
  much	
  more	
  clearer	
  way	
  about	
  them,	
  their	
  needs	
  and	
  their	
  main

challenges.	
  Defining	
  who	
  they	
  were,	
  let	
  the	
  task	
  of	
  defining	
  what	
  were	
  their	
  unspoken	
  needs	
  much	
   easier	
  and	
  certain.	
  Taking	
  those	
  personas	
  into	
  account,	
  will	
  make	
  my	
  marketing	
  efforts	
  much	
  more	
   focused	
  and	
  my	
  learning	
  about	
  my	
  customers	
  much	
  more	
  effective.	
  Now	
  I	
  know	
  that	
  I	
  have	
  to	
   approach	
  differently	
  to	
  each	
  one	
  of	
  my	
  personas.	
  For	
  sellers,	
  maybe	
  I	
  could	
  start	
  with	
  medium/small	
   ones,	
  once	
  my	
  website	
  is	
  new	
  and	
  my	
  marketing	
  budget	
  is	
  not	
  that	
  big	
  to	
  compete	
  directly	
  with	
  big	
   media	
  companies	
  (accessed	
  by	
  big	
  institutions	
  promotion	
  agencies).	
  For	
  buyers,	
  I	
  have	
  to	
  consider	
   the	
  differences	
  in	
  the	
  objectives	
  of	
  each	
  group,	
  once	
  the	
  message	
  of	
  simply	
  “acquire	
  knowledge”	
   doesn’t	
  fit	
  to	
  users	
  that	
  aim	
  certificates.	
  	
   Despite	
  learning	
  a	
  lot	
  about	
  visualization	
  tool	
  and,	
  consequently,	
  about	
  my	
  customers,	
  I	
  believe	
  I	
   could	
  have	
  learned	
  more	
  if	
  I	
  had	
  interviewed	
  more	
  people	
  and	
  used	
  more	
  pictures	
  and	
  drawings	
  to	
   better	
  visualize	
  my	
  personas.	
  That’s	
  exactly	
  the	
  next	
  step	
  I	
  will	
  take,	
  in	
  order	
  to	
  enhance	
  my	
   customers’	
  and	
  business	
  insights.


Visualization Tool for an Internet Product Challenge & Selection I am a co-­‐founder of an internet startup that is in the domain of classified ads . It serves the purpose of connecting buyers and sellers of apple products . It aims , on one hand , to help people finding the best deals on apple products and , on the other hand , to help individual or professional sellers to meet the largest pool of buyers . Since this is very niche area for classified ads , it becomes extremely important to generate new ideas to keep the user base increasing . By far , it is at the stage where it allows sellers to upload their product details , photograph , contact details . It also allows buyers to go through all the products and apply their search filters . Both services ( product uploading / product search ) are free . My main challenge here is to better understand both customers ’ problems and ways through which I could solve these problems with the objective of bringing more users and sellers to my portal and , finally , making it grow . The areas I want to improve are UI / UX , Customer Service , Ease of Access , Credibility to my portal . Having my startup described , I decide to choose “ Visualization ” tool . Customers insights being extremely important , I may be able to solve their problem in a way that adds value to my customers . Since I am in with both sided market ( buyers and sellers ) , it was extremely difficult to apply all solutions at one go . I had to customize in a specific way . Who would tell me the exact tailor made requirement for customers ? Customers themselves . They will come in unique ways to give in their insights . I believed that using visualization tool could help me get things more concrete . Virtually all the people who own apple device or want to own apple device are my customers . That is why , I wanted to closely see and imagine what kind of users and sellers I was dealing with . That can lead me to what kind of needs they have in terms of UI and customer service . In other words , I had to personify buyers and sellers that used or would use my website . Application To start defining who my customers were , I asked them various questions about their personalities and objectives . I asked them to assign their personality to the personality of any animal of their choice . I asked them associate themselves with celebrity of their choice . Besides that , I learned them while using my portal too . I asked them about what all things that they think helping them and what all features actually can be associated with their characteristics . To Find out what is missing , I asked them the different questions . I asked them to map their characteristic with their favourite celebrity . For users , I insisted in questions about what they aimed when searching for apple device and how did they decide which one to choose . For sellers , I explored questions about their marketing efforts and how they decided about their marketing initiatives . After considering 23 buyers and 8 sellers I was able to draw their personas . Then , I could separate them accordingly . I separated “ buyers ” group in two main ‘ Personas ’ : 1 ) big sellers ( more hierarchical and , generally outsource part of their marketing initiatives to a promotion agency ) ; 2 ) medium and small sellers ( less hierarchical , usually do all of their marketing activities by themselves , trusting a lot on free social media promotion ) and individual sellers ( No hierarchical and promotion based on personal contacts and social media promotion ) . Regarding “ Buyers ” group , I divided it also in two different groups : 1 ) users that focus on iOS devices 2 ) users that want to own mac computers 3 ) users that focus on wearable devices . Insight & Approach Visualization tool allowed me to better understand my customers and the creation of ‘ Personas ’ made me think in a much more clearer way about them , their needs and their main challenges . Defining who they were , let the task of defining what were their unspoken needs much easier and certain . Taking those personas into account , will make my marketing efforts much more focused and my learning about my customers much more effective . Now I know that I have to approach differently to each one of my personas . For sellers , maybe I could start with medium / small ones , once my website is new and my marketing budget is not that big to compete directly with big media companies ( accessed by big institutions promotion agencies ) . For buyers , I have to consider the differences in the objectives of each group , once the message of simply “ acquire knowledge ” does n’t fit to users that aim certificates . Despite learning a lot about visualization tool and , consequently , about my customers , I believe I could have learned more if I had interviewed more people and used more pictures and drawings to better visualize my personas . That ’s exactly the next step I will take , in order to enhance my customers ’ and business insights .