"Connor's analysis of our digital service, 'Startstreken,' was extremely valuable. He delivered an insightful and thorough report that provided us with a fresh perspective, identifying concrete opportunities for improvement on both a detailed and strategic level. We will definitely keep him in mind for future relevant assignments."
-Lena Mangersnes, Konseptleder, SpareBank 1 Sør-Norge

The Brief

For SpareBank 1 Sør-Norge, one of Norway's largest financial institutions, I conducted a comprehensive First Time User Experience (FTUE) analysis of their "Startstreken" digital service—a tool designed to help new entrepreneurs build their first business plan.

The wonderful team behind Startstreken at SpareBank 1 Sør-Norge had already built a powerful tool that integrated AI and real-world data to guide entrepreneurs through starting their own business and creating a business plan. They requested an expert, external analysis to get a fresh perspective on the new user's journey with the goal of further improving their new service. The primary goal was to identify hidden friction points, uncover opportunities to increase user value, and provide a strategic foundation for the service's future development.

My Approach - Simulating the Founder's Journey

To get an authentic "first time" perspective, I adopted a structured FTUE methodology rooted in my game design and user experience background.

1. Persona Creation: I created a detailed, realistic user persona, "Fjordtind Kaffe," a local specialty coffee roastery to navigate the service with a clear goal and context.
   
   

2. Chronological Analysis: I went through the entire Startstreken flow from start to finish, documenting my thoughts, points of confusion, and "aha!" moments in real-time. This method captures the immediate, unfiltered user experience.
   
   

3. Synthesis & Strategy: After completing the journey, I synthesized my dozens of chronological observations into three core strategic insights and a set of actionable recommendations. The final deliverable was a comprehensive 27-page report, and a summary presentation for key stakeholders.

Key Strategic Opportunities Uncovered

My analysis revealed three major opportunities to elevate the service from a helpful guide to an indispensable tool for entrepreneurs.

1. From Passive Form to Active Calculator: The financial planning sections provided a clear overview, but required users to calculate totals externally. I identified an opportunity to deepen engagement by transforming these sections into interactive, "bottom-up" calculators, allowing users to build their budget line-by-line within the app itself. This would turn a passive form into an active, value-adding partner in their financial planning.
   
   

2. Accommodating Diverse Business Structures: The initial user journey was expertly tailored for founders starting a limited company (AS). I saw an opportunity to expand the service's reach by introducing an early choice of business structure (e.g., AS vs. ENK). This would allow the service to tailor the rest of the journey, presenting only the most relevant information for each founder's specific needs.
   
   

3. Leveraging Unique Data for Deeper Insight: The tool's integration with external data sources was a key strength. I proposed an opportunity to further leverage the bank's unique position by introducing anonymized industry benchmarking. This would help founders answer the critical question, "Are my numbers normal?" and position the bank as a true data-driven partner.

Reflection

This project was a fascinating opportunity to apply the principles of systems thinking and user journey mapping, honed in game design, to a complex financial service. The core challenge was the same: guiding a user through an unfamiliar system, reducing cognitive load, and helping them achieve a clear goal.

One key discovery I made was that powerful improvements often come not from changing UI elements, but from challenging the core assumptions of the user flow itself. By identifying these strategic opportunities, I was able to provide the client with a clear set of actionable recommendations for the future development of their service. The project was a resounding success, and the client described the final report as "extremely good and insightful."