A Zero to One Design of an AI Product
Overview
Pre-seed startup building an AI-powered B2B platform to help accountants and businesses manage financial workflows in one system.
Key Decision & Impact
Rather than executing against a defined problem and brief, I helped define the product itself—identifying key risks, aligning the team on users and MVP focus, shaping an early experience through research, educated intuition and judgment. This enabled the team to move forward with a clear, testable direction for both product and fundraising.
Key Contributions
Defined product and brand direction in an ambiguous zero-to-one environment, identifying and prioritizing high-risk assumptions
Drove early UX strategy and MVP prototyping in close collaboration with engineering
Scoped, hired, and managed external design partners to deliver outcomes supporting both product development and fundraising
Role
Head of Design
Tools
Figma, Framer, Slack, Jira
Company & Year
Alexion.ai | 2025
The Problem
Needed a brand that could resonate with both investors and early users
Team lacked alignment on target MVP user and core problem to solve
High-risk assumptions around trust, automation, and product direction
Rapid development required UX input to avoid sacrificing usability
Opportunities
Define a scalable brand and narrative to support growth and fundraising
Validate assumptions early to reduce product risk
Shape MVP direction around real user needs and behaviors
Ensure speed of development did not compromise usability
The Process
Discovery & Stakeholder Alignment
Risk Reduction
Prioritized highest-risk assumptions for validation (trust, control, onboarding workflows)
Identified onboarding for accountants as a high-value opportunity space
Gathered early signals through user conversations and competitive patterns
👉 Key decision: Narrow MVP focus to solving onboarding workflows as a wedge into the problem space
Early Design Exploration
Explored AI interaction models (assistant, invisible system, personality-driven)
Used low–mid fidelity wireframes and prototypes to rapidly test concepts with stakeholders
Designed for familiarity, low friction onboarding, and strong user control
Collaborated closely with engineering and leadership to converge on direction
👉 Key decision: Prioritize a flexible AI experience that balances automation with user control
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