DealMaker Case Study
Project Objective
DealMaker is a crowdfunding platform that specializes in helping businesses raise capital through private securities offerings, primarily targeting real estate, venture capital, and other alternative investments. It enables companies to efficiently manage investor relations, compliance, and fundraising processes, streamlining everything from investment syndication to investor reporting.
The objectives of this project were:
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Understand DealMaker investor audience and develop persona groups,
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Identify motivations, needs and pain points of both investor and Issuer users
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Develop key business recommendations to improve overall investment experience
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Prototype new experience to solicit responses via usability testing
DealMaker is a crowdfunding platform that specializes in helping businesses raise capital through private securities offerings, primarily targeting real estate, venture capital, and other alternative investments. It enables companies to efficiently manage investor relations, compliance, and fundraising processes, streamlining everything from investment syndication to investor reporting.
Original Design
The previous design was dated, disjointed and poorly guided novice users through an unfamiliar process; while providing little explanation and support to novice and expert investors alike in terms of what happened to their investment after purchase of shares.
Discovery
DealMaker had little knowledge or understanding of their two audience segments, investors and issuers, beyond some ancillary data. A key first step of the project was to outline perceived motivations and needs of these two groups and then set out on a validation process through interviews to substantiate true needs and pain points in order to create persona groups and develop strategies to improve the investment and investor relations experience alike.


Map Current State
Being new to the crowdfunding space, I first initiated a current state mapping process which included mapping the entire investment purchase, post purchase and issuer management systems and flows. I also executed a heuristic evaluation of current content and features for both processes.
User Interviews
I then created an interview discussion guide, planned and executed the communication strategy for recruitment of 12 investors and six issuers. I lead 18 one hour, two part interviews that questioned basic experience, motivations and needs of each group. The last half hour of the investor interviews focused of screen sharing the current experience to determine success and pain points with the 12 investors. This information the lead to very detailed findings that include persona groups for both audiences, clear definition of needs and future state feature set recommendations.

Journey Map
Taking the input from the interview sessions, combined with recommendations from both investors and issuers, I created a user journey that included feelings and thoughts across all stages of the investor process. I then outlined where investors were most confused or frustrated. Then outlining the key recommendations to each phase to help DealMaker understand where to invest their time in order to achieve a change of perception and solve for those investor frustrations.
Wireframes
Mapping those pain points and recommendations from the current flow, I developed wire frames to demonstrate where and how those content and feature recommendations could then affect the complete investment experience. Including start of funnel information and education through post investment and promotion of future re-investment opportunities.


Final Design
Wireframes were then translated into final design comps in Figma. Providing styles, components and assets for DealMaker then to begin an A/B testing strategy across the entire investment experience with the goal of increased conversion, improved investor satisfaction and stronger engagement between investor relations groups and their investors.