Project Overview
Entrepreneurs in Cherokee County faced an overwhelming process when starting a business. We partnered with the Cherokee Office of Economic Development (COED) to simplify it.
Starting a business in Cherokee County required navigating multiple websites, PDFs, and government offices—causing frustration, delays, and frequent support requests.
I led the design of an AI-powered platform that guides entrepreneurs step-by-step through business formation using conversational guidance, personalized checklists, and access to essential documentation.
Timeline
3 Months
Role
Product Designer
Tools
Figma
Figjam
Zoom
Platform
Responsive Website
Status
Shipped
Live
Contribution
Primary research
User interviews
Concept ideation
High-fidelity designs
Prototyping
Problem Context
COED’s resources were stretched thin helping entrepreneurs navigate fragmented startup requirements.
Information about licenses, permits, and regulations was scattered across multiple sources. This lack of clarity caused repetitive support inquiries and slowed local business growth.
Our challenge was to design a single, reliable experience that answered every “What do I need to do next?” question with confidence.
Core Challenge
How might we turn complex startup requirements into an intuitive, AI-driven experience that gives entrepreneurs clear answers and actionable steps to launch their businesses confidently?
Prior workflow: entrepreneurs had to bounce around between multiple websites and offices to find the information they needed.
User Interviews
To understand the real challenges entrepreneurs faced, we interviewed local business owners who had recently gone through the startup process in Cherokee County.
Their stories revealed key pain points—like struggling to find accurate information, confusion around permits, and uncertainty about the right steps to take.
Interview notes from business owners and county officials who were fielding questions from entrepreneursd.
Research Synthesis
I analyzed interview findings to identify major pain points, missed feature opportunities, and areas of unnecessary complexity in the existing workflow.
Using AI tools to support synthesis, I organized key themes and insights that informed focus areas for the redesign—laying a clear foundation for improving the experience for both teachers and operators.
Notes organized into key themes
From the interview data, four key findings were identified that helped guide the design & feature list.
Industry Specific Challenges
Industry-specific groups offer crucial navigation help.
Intake Personnel Strength
Opportunity to capture and utilize this ‘brain trust’ for better guidance.
Supportive Business Community
Early insights from groups prevent common pitfalls.
Desire for Structured Process
Universal desire for a one-stop-shop with a clear roadmap.
Proposed Solution and Tradeoffs
We designed a platform that balanced innovation with feasibility — delivering the most impactful features first while deferring others that required deeper integration or extended timelines.
Our proposed solution was a centralized, AI-powered platform that simplified every stage of the entrepreneurial startup journey. The experience combined a conversational chat interface, a dynamic checklist tailored to each business type, and a searchable knowledge base of official COED resources.
Through close collaboration with COED stakeholders and engineers, we carefully scoped features that could deliver immediate value while ensuring a solid foundation for future enhancements.
Proposed Solution Highlights:
AI Chat Assistant: Guided users through startup requirements using conversational prompts.
Dynamic Checklist: Provided a step-by-step process for launching a business, adapting as users answered questions.
Knowledge Base: Centralized essential COED documents, regulations, and permit information for quick reference.
Tradeoffs & Deferred Features:
While our MVP achieved its primary goal — simplifying the business startup process — several advanced capabilities were deferred to future iterations due to time and data limitations:
External API Integrations: We initially planned to pull live data from state and federal sources (e.g., license verification, tax ID registration), but these integrations were postponed due to complexity and approval requirements.
Industry-Specific Guidance: Industry-level checklists and specialized workflows were also scoped for later phases, as developing accurate, compliant content would have required significant research and validation.
WireframING
To lay the groundwork for a clear and intuitive experience, we created low-fidelity wireframes that explored layout options for the platform’s core features.
We focused on guiding users seamlessly between the AI chat interface, searchable knowledge base, and industry-specific checklists. Prioritizing clarity and accessibility, the wireframes helped us test navigation patterns, define content hierarchy, and align with user expectations early in the design process.
AI Chat Assistant
The wireframing process for the AI Chat Interface focused on defining a conversational flow that could guide entrepreneurs through complex questions with natural language interactions.
Early iterations explored how users might engage with the assistant — from open-ended prompts to structured replies — while maintaining clarity, context, and trust. I experimented with various layouts for the chat window, response pacing, and quick-action buttons to help users efficiently discover resources or next steps without feeling overwhelmed.
Dynamic Checklist
The Business Starter Checklist UI evolved through a series of low-fidelity wireframes aimed at simplifying the step-by-step journey of starting a business.
This phase centered on balancing clarity and motivation — ensuring users could easily track progress while understanding each required action. I explored different checklist structures, grouping methods, and progress indicators to create a layout that encouraged completion and reduced confusion around what to do next.
Visual DESIGN
Building on the foundation laid by our wireframes, we created high-fidelity mockups that blended COED’s existing brand with a modern, approachable aesthetic.
Each screen was designed to guide entrepreneurs through their journey with clarity and confidence, whether they were asking a question, browsing documentation, or following a checklist. We also prioritized responsive design, ensuring the experience remained consistent and intuitive across both desktop and mobile devices. The result was a visually cohesive and user-friendly platform that met the needs of a wide range of users.
Entrepreneurs could ask natural language questions and receive clear, tailored responses powered by RAG technology.
The site was built completely responsive to adapt to every viewport.
Users could browse COED's documentation directly for deeper insights.
Step-by-step guides to help entrepreneurs navigate the startup process based on their chosen industry.
Step-by-step guides to help entrepreneurs navigate the startup process based on their chosen industry.
The community spotlight to gives entrepreneurs access to local business groups, programs and organizations.
Key Success & Outcome
Launched an AI-powered platform that streamlined the startup process for entrepreneurs in Cherokee County.
The experience combined a natural-language chat interface, searchable knowledge base, and industry-specific checklists to deliver clear, actionable guidance. Since launch, COED has seen improved engagement and fewer support inquiries—empowering local business owners to move forward with confidence and clarity.