First Month Startup Decision Guide
Design a founder workspace that turns broad startup questions into prioritized next steps, evidence, and expert referrals.
The brief
Understand the problem
Background
New founders encounter endless advice about customers, pricing, funding, legal setup, and marketing. Generic content can distract from the few decisions that matter at the current stage.
User context
Ava has a prototype for a booking tool and ten interested testers. She has not formed a company and is unsure whether to seek investment or validate payment willingness first.
Product problem
The product must organize guidance by stage, cite its source and region, and distinguish educational information from legal, tax, or investment advice.
Objective
Create founder assessment, prioritized learning path, decision worksheet, and expert handoff for the first month.
What to design
Define the experience
Required experience
- Startup context assessment
- Prioritized next-step plan
- Evidence-backed guide
- Decision record and referral
Screens and states
- Founder intake
- Thirty-day plan
- Guide detail
- Decision worksheet
- Expert directory
Core user flow
Follow the critical path
- 01
Ava describes her product stage and region
- 02
The workspace prioritizes customer interviews and payment tests
- 03
She completes a pricing decision worksheet
- 04
A legal setup task links to a verified local professional
Product rules
Requirements and constraints
Requirements
- Explain why each task is prioritized
- Show source, region, and update date
- Allow tasks to be skipped with a reason
- Keep assumptions and evidence together
- Label professional-advice boundaries
Constraints
- Startup rules differ by jurisdiction
- Advice becomes outdated
- The service cannot promise funding or business success
Reality check
States worth considering
Ready-to-use content
Mock data
Use this content to test hierarchy and realistic data states. You can expand it when the concept needs more depth.
Ava's next steps
- Interview 5 target customers
- Test willingness to pay with 2 price points
- Document cofounder ownership assumptions
- Legal structure guide requires Malaysia region confirmation
Finish line
What to deliver
- Five responsive web screens
- A prioritization model that shows evidence and assumptions
If you want more
Optional extensions
Optional direction
Visual resources
Use these as a starting constraint if you want one. They are not part of the required solution.