There were a few:

• Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) are a middle-man company that sells software to other businesses at both the high & low end of development/coding maturity (a B2B2C company)

  • This puts ISVs in a tough position of needing to know their own space and the space of their customers on both ends of the development maturity spectrum

• Payments are both highly-regulated and highly-complex. This means there are A LOT of things to consider right out the gate, and even more so when reality is added into the mix

• When ISV customers are onboarded, they typically know nothing about payments nor development, thus making it difficult for them to set up their businesses to accept payments. BUT after a while, the same businesses typically get more mature in their understanding of the ecosystem and then suddenly need their payments system to be highly configurable

• If you put all of the above together, you have:

  • Two highly complex spaces to understand

  • At least 5 personas to consider :

    • ISV employee that is a novice

    • ISV employee that is an expert

    • End-User customer that is a novice

    • End-User customer that is an expert

    • Other players (such as payment gateway providers) that sit in the middle of the above personas)

A white-label payments provider wanted to build a new self-service portal to support both developers and finance teams at software companies (ISVs) who help small businesses (e.g. restaurants, boutique shops, freelancers, etc.) accept payments. The goal was to make it easier for novice users at ISVs to get started but allow power-users at ISVs the configurability they needed, while highlighting the provider’s capabilities, and create new ways for the provider to generate revenue.

As the Innovation/Product Strategist I led the entire project and cross-functional project team from introduction-to-delivery and was ultimately responsible for the overall success of the engagement

This included the following:

• Becoming familiar with and understanding the problem space

• Defining the project scope and setting expectations with the client

• Securing the logistics of the engagement

• Planning all activities of the design thinking workshop such that my team had enough information and visual artifacts to create a functional app and advertisement for the prototype

• Leading the cross-functional delivery team of: Product Strategists, Designers, Developers, Video Producers, Subject Matter Experts, Product Owners, Account Executives, and Client Business Liaisons

• Driving client alignment to a singular Customer Experience (CX) strategy powered by Mastercard Digital Labs

• Ensuring the entire project aligned with the Account Team’s overall roadmap for this client

• Most importantly, making it a fun experience for everyone involved

Project Timeline:

• Engaged with the client team October 28th, 2024

• Design Thinking workshop started December 2nd, 2024

• Client began building solution in prod on December 3rd, 2024

• Design Thinking workshop outputs delivered December 6th, 2024

Overall Approach = 7 Weeks

• Frame the Problem (6 weeks)

  • Kickoff meeting & alignment on problem to be solved

  • Aligning on workshop logistics

  • Client & Stakeholder interviews

  • Client preparing internal research

  • Analysis of client research

  • High-Level journey overview with the client

  • Design Thinking workshop planning

  • Workshop walkthrough with the client

• Align & Design (1 week)

  • Design Thinking workshop

  • Prototype development (during workshop)

  • Advertisement video creation (during workshop)

• Development (begins)

  • Production development begins (during workshop) prior to prototype completion

• Share (1 day)

  • Prototype delivery

  • Advertisement video delivery

  • Executive output presentation

Executive Pitch Deck —

An executive-level, compelling pitch presentation that showcases the story of why this new solution is right for the business and right for the customer

Fully functional prototype built for iOS —

A high-fidelity, interactive prototype that brings to life the customer experience by simulating the new product’s real-world functionality and serves as a key milestone to product commercialization

Advertisement video of the concept solution —

An advertisement product video that brings the new product concept to life and sells the key customer value proposition - rich media content is designed to increase interest and be shareable within the client’s organization

Week in review video —

A video reel of everything the group accomplished in the long week of Design Thinking, celebrating all the wins achieved along the way!

Core Team (x8)

• Product Strategists (x2)

• UX Designer (x2)

• Lead System Developer (x3)

• Video Producer

Account Team (x2)

• Account Executive

• Client Business Liaison

Client Executives (x3)

• Chief Technology Officer

• Chief Product Officer

• Chief Marketing Officer

Client Business (x6)

• Marketing (x3)

• Business Analysts (x3)

Client Sales (x8)

• Sales (x5)

• Customer Success (x3)

Client Technology (x8)

• Developers (x5)

• IT Admin (x3)

• Administration hurdles occur when expectations aren’t communicated ahead of time (client wanted us to directly share our prototype code, which was prohibited by policy)

• Development starting DURING the workshop created challenges, and ultimately it was helpful for the developers to fully participate in the workshop vs. concurrently coding while concept was still being developed

• Sometimes your own team members need coaching to overcome nervous energy when in front of a room

• Don’t be afraid to bring in humor/levity when appropriate (Shark Tank-style pitches to the working group)