a boutique law firm's debut website
PROBLEM SPACE
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the challenge
The highlight of this project was designing the Capitalization Table Evolution Generator (CTEG): a first-of-its-kind tool designed to help early-stage founders model equity deal terms though a 'cap table' before engaging legal counsel.
the user:
pre-seed founder
A founder without a finance background who needs to model ownership stakes but lacks the budget for early-stage legal counsel.
the pain point:
complexity + cost
Building a cap table from scratch feels overwhelming and high risk. Existing tools are often too advanced or required paid accounts.
the design goal:
guided modeling
Create a friction-free, "educational" journey that allows founders to draft, compare, and error-check equity structures before legal review.
INITIAL CONCEPT
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tackling overwhelm
With the use case established, I moved into user flow and design. The client’s primary requirement for the CTEG was a comprehensive questionnaire. I recognized that supporting a user through complex spreadsheets by deploying step-by-step,
guided questions would breakdown the task burden, particularly for the uninitiated. I embraced this approach, leaned into a wizard-style interface, and proposed displaying one question per screen.
THE PIVOT
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I realized that the former approach risked creating fatigue as users click through too many screens without enough anticipation of what’s ahead.
I pivoted to progressive disclosure by grouping questions into drawers based on financing round. Users would now be allowed to skip ahead to preview all questions before committing time to the task, which was especially important because the ability to save work was not in the MVP's scope.
Before: Locked previews
The user flow demonstrates that disclosing subsequent sections in a linear order limits transparency and forces a user to gather data in chunks. Without seeing all of the subtasks involved, users could face overwhelm and loss of motivation.
After: Open previews
Users can review all questions in advance, which is especially important for the unintiated user. This improved flow helps users gather all needed information before becoming knee-deep in the task and avoid disruptions during their progress.
FINAL DESIGN
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The final responsive web design delivers a simple yet sophisticated representation of the firm's professional maturity and bespoke services. Mobile and desktop prototypes were handed off for development, along with other design specification documentation.
Explore the prototype
See wide screens
Cap table feature
Explore the prototype
See mobile screens
Core website
PROJECT RETRO
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Like most projects, this one had budget limits and tight timelines, which forced trade-offs during both the early discovery phase and the final engineering handoff.
Below are my top 2 learnings from the constraints I faced, ultimately about being resourceful and balancing quality with project scope.
Don't dismiss alternative data sources.
Design for real-world tech constraints.
