STARTUP & INNOVATION
PROCESS AS CREATIVE DIRECTOR & CEO
BREAKING INTO INMERSIVE EXPERIENCES
Rhanks was born from a college innovation competition that evolved into something bigger.
I gathered a team to tackle a problem: the lack of information and interactivity in physical spaces.
After all, Google doesn’t have everything, so how do we access relevant insights about the places we visit, from storefronts to buildings? That was the question we set out to answer in 2020.
THE UX PROCESS
To answer our guiding question, we followed UX research methodologies and focused on designing the user journey for our solution.
I led the design process, which included research, problem framing, ideation, prototyping, and experimentation, grounded in design thinking principles.
Even though I was the project lead, we cultivated a culture of mutual mentorship, collaborative strategy development, and consistent integration of design thinking throughout the project.
This experience taught me how to effectively collaborate with a cross-functional team.
The following slides showcase parts of the innovation methodology we applied.
Our team structure varied based on project needs, but it typically included UX/UI designers, 3D animators, and both junior and senior full-stack developers.
CHALLENGES
Being a CEO was one of the most challenging chapters of my professional and personal life. It was a period marked by high levels of uncertainty, fear, anxiety, and rejection, what’s commonly referred to as an emotional rollercoaster.
Yet, this experience strengthened my ability to lead high-stakes projects, full of high expectations, obstacles, and risk.
Among the challenges I faced, were working with an emerging technology, cloud visual positioning in 2020. No one in our region had used it before, so I had to guide and motivate the team to achieve ambitious results despite the high-risk potential. I also had to manage the project with a limited budget, which demanded creativity, resilience, and strategic resourcefulness.
OUTCOMES
Undertaking a project with high levels of innovation and uncertainty always involves risk; risk we anticipated, but chose to embrace nonetheless.
Although Rhanks, as a startup, didn’t ultimately succeed, it gave us an extraordinary journey filled with professional growth and pride.
Thanks to Rhanks, we:
- Secured our first seed capital.
- Earned recognition from the National Industry and Commerce Department as a Woman Entrepreneur.
- Gained fellowships and built valuable industry connections.
- Acquired knowledge and experience that enabled me to deliver talks and workshops on innovation, and immersive technologies.
I also trained extensively in startup development, business strategy, innovation, and UX design through respected institutions in my region, including INCAE Business School.
