All In Steering Meeting 19/02/2024

<big>Attendees</big>

Alessandro Caliandro <alessandro.caliandro@unguess.io>, Antonio Arezzo <antonio.arezzo@unguess.io>, Federico Malvezzi <federico.malvezzi@unguess.io>, Federico Pontelli <federico.pontelli@unguess.io>, Gabriele Consiglio <gabriele.consiglio@unguess.io>, Lorenzo Capecchi <lorenzo.capecchi@unguess.io>, Lorenzo Fanetti <lorenzo.fanetti@unguess.io>, Luca Dusi <luca.dusi@unguess.io>, Matteo Toto <matteo.toto@unguess.io>, Raffaella Cespites <raffaella.cespites@unguess.io>, Valentina Coppini <valentina.coppini@unguess.io>

<big>Business Question</big>

The meeting has been organised to answer the following business question: “As UNGUESS Experience, on top of tests and UX Research, do we want to extend services to design?” (i.e., create the design and then test it).

Given the evidence gathered on some projects in January, the answer is YES: we want to extend services to design.

In order to execute this decision, as described on this page, there are several risks to mitigate.

2024 will be a testing year to understand if we did good or not.

<big>Data points</big>

Customers asking for design on top of testing: INPS, Boscolo, Allweel, Lottomatica, Marchon, Unipol, etc.

The margin on an experiment (INPS) was good: 40%

<big>Decisions and actions</big>

By design, we mean the graphic design of a prototype, which can then be tested using our platform (e.g. Figma prototype). We do not intend to realise the entire product engineering, only the graphic design and prototype to be tested.

The strategy follows “upstream backward internal integration” in the software production value-chain with consequent advantages in, among others, efficiency and quality control in the software production chain.

Every project will be done through the internal team (the people who are already in UNGUESS) and we do not intend to go beyond design, then we will do only “no-code-ish” projects. Internal resources will manage all the activities. In order to avoid resource saturation problems, we will not proceed with dedicated hires in advance (we will see later if this is necessary).

The sales team and the CSM team will push this new service. It will not impact wider strategic communication (i.e.: we do not do press releases or official communications telling that we are adding design).

To avoid turning UNGUESS into a design agency (which we do not want and is not our strategy; we are not an agency, we are not a design studio), Antonio Arezzo will control and estimate the maximum threshold of revenue generated by activities of this type (the objective is to sell “full packages”, including tests and UX Research, which therefore guarantee us, even if it’s a consultancy activity, higher margins and more scalable approach).

It’s therefore avoided to sell designs without testing/research but our current positioning (UX research, testing, crowd, etc.) with the addition of the product design. The year 2024 will be a period of testing, we will decide how to move for 2025 depending on 2024 results.

Sales training will be organised by Lorenzo Fanetti and Valentina Coppini, on the other hand, will manage the training and the CSM push.

Design projects must be sold at a margin of at least 60%. We do not sell FTEs or the time of our people, we sell projects.

In any case, since designers come from the product team, we accept a slowdown of the product. That might translate into less validation research in the sprint but more validation after release. The platform's “graphic quality” might also slightly degrade (given the resources spent on design for customers).