A Network for Entrepreneurs

In the spring of 2015, Netcito wanted to broaden their networking platform for a national audience. I was sought out to develop a cost effective strategy and design concept for expanding their online professional network. I had one month to revamp the social networking platform to allow Netcito to automate their on-boarding process and unify all their third party applications. This would eliminate man hours, costs, and most importantly gets members using and loving the website.

A major element of the project was to streamline the Netcito application process from one month to one day. Currently, every applicant went through an offline vetting process being placed into a circle. This caused delay in acquiring membership fees and the member’s disengagement from the site. I worked with Netcito to develop user journeys that walked them through every interaction and reduced wait time. From there, I helped simplify the process of creating a workflow that pre-qualifies candidates, and offers members the ability to join circles based on their answers to a series of questions. This process permits qualified entrepreneurs to on-board in a systematic and cost effective fashion.

Another important aspect was how members first engaged with Netcito and became familiar with the Netcito curriculum. Previously, members would receive a packet in the mail describing the unique facets of Netcito membership and curriculum. Netcito wanted to reduce the high costs and time associated with mailing these packets while simultaneously building on the initial excitement of the customer. Just moving online wasn’t enough to spark engagement. I created a framework for an online education tutorial that walked members through each chapter until course completion. A progression bar marked their progress throughout the course. This helped break up the orientation into smaller parts, making it more engaging, and reinforcing the member to read the rules.

Neticito is far from another professional social network focused for founders. Netcito’s key differential is their ability to attract elite members and who engage on the site regularly. However, the current vetting process had each applicant to go through many drawn out processes before becoming an active member. To ensure an elite level of the members are engaged on the site, members are required to participate in the Netcito curriculum. Members have to complete monthly tasks using a variety of third party software. In order to scale to a national audience and reduce costs, these elaborate processes had to be streamlined so members can quickly sign up, join a circle, and manage their own professional networking with ease.