Genesis Cloud, a Germany-based cloud hosting company, is dedicated to making high-performance cloud computing both affordable and user-friendly. In response to shifting market trends, the company strategically pivoted its business model from a Business-to-Consumer (B2C) focus to a Business-to-Business (B2B) approach. This transition was fueled by the recognition of mid-sized start-ups' need for collaborative, multi-user account capabilities and customized computing solutions.
Genesis Cloud
Product Design
2022-2023
Figma, Figjam, Confluence
As the Lead Product Designer, I spearheaded the design strategy and execution for Genesis Cloud’s transition from a B2C to a B2B business model. My responsibilities included conducting extensive user research to identify the unique needs of mid-sized start-ups, facilitating collaborative workshops with stakeholders, and defining key objectives to guide the design process.
The ideation process began with a comprehensive research phase. I delved into various internal feedback sources, including social media comments, past user surveys, and feature requests from the Canny platform, to gain a deep understanding of user sentiment and needs. This analysis was complemented by mapping out competitors and applying the “I Like, I Wish, I Wonder” framework, which highlighted areas for improvement and potential opportunities. To further enrich these insights, I conducted over 10 in-depth interviews with B2B users to gather firsthand knowledge of their experiences and expectations.
Key takeaways from the user interviews emphasized the importance of transforming individual user accounts into organizational accounts to better facilitate team-based work. Participants stressed the necessity of having member roles and access controls for enhanced security and efficient management. Additionally, there was a clear need for multi-project support to enable better resource management and streamlined operations.
Collaboration across internal teams played a crucial role in aligning the design with technical and business goals. The Infrastructure, Resources, and Back-end teams provided vital information about technical constraints, while the CTO offered guidance on security and legal requirements. This collaborative effort extended to MVP planning, where significant input from Product and Front-end teams ensured a well-rounded and feasible development strategy.
To support the development of the MVP, we outlined essential user flows, focusing on key actions such as creating an organization (both for new and existing accounts), inviting members, and managing resources with appropriate access controls. These flows were mapped out using detailed diagrams, which served as the foundation for translating our design concepts into comprehensive mock-ups.
Our mock-ups played a pivotal role in shaping the prototype, supported by our well-established Design System. This system facilitated a smooth transition to high-fidelity prototypes, ensuring visual and functional consistency across the user interface. Throughout this process, we developed over 200 new pages for interactive prototypes, not including modal windows and other interactive components, allowing for a complete and thorough exploration of user interactions.
To refine the product experience, we conducted qualitative usability testing. This phase focused on assessing changes to the main navigation, evaluating custom solutions, and validating the newly designed user flows. These usability tests provided crucial feedback, helping us fine-tune the prototype and enhance the overall user experience.
After conducting three rounds of usability testing, we refined the user flows to ensure they were both smooth and intuitive.
Users were struggling to find the new Organization feature. To address this, we implemented a Product Announcement Tooltip, which effectively increased the discoverability of the Organization feature and future updates. This solution provided users with clear, immediate guidance, improving overall feature adoption.
Some users found the copy unclear, and important success or error messages were either missing or ambiguous. To resolve this, we created a Content System in conjunction with our Design System. This not only clarified the copy but also standardized the success and error messages, ensuring a consistent and user-friendly experience.
This project was a testament to the power of teamwork. The immense effort required from every team made this initiative one of the most significant in shaping the company’s culture and fostering collaboration. The dedication paid off when we successfully launched the project nearly a year later 😱, culminating in a celebratory trip to Mallorca with the entire Genesis Cloud team!
The transition to the B2B model has been a resounding success, with 20,000 active accounts and over 1,000 organizational accounts, which now contribute to 70% of our current revenue. We also signed three long-term customers, including PhotoRoom from France. While our KPI was to sign five customers, PhotoRoom alone reserved 50% of our new NVIDIA H100 cards and committed to a B100 upfront purchase—surpassing expectations and validating our strategic shift.
The impact on product performance was equally remarkable. Quantitative metrics showed a significant improvement in resource utilization, jumping from 49% in Q3 to 82% in Q4 of 2023. This optimization not only enhanced efficiency but also contributed to overall product growth and scalability.
