CIRKEL · PEER-GROUP PLATFORM · 2023
Cirkel, a Berlin startup, helps companies build small peer groups so employees feel safe to speak up. Three design interns worked with the CEO and CFO on the website and core product. I owned sign-up and the matching questionnaire; Amy designed the homepage and Austin the dashboard and live session.
ROLE
UX design intern, sign-up & questionnaire
TEAM
3 designers + CEO & CFO
TOOLS
Figma
STATUS
Hi-fi prototype. Not adopted.
WHAT CIRKEL DOES
Cirkel matches employees into small peer groups based on their goals, values and skills. Groups meet on a steady schedule with guided exercises, and the company gets a read on engagement and trust over time. Four ideas sit under the product: co-creation, commonality, intimacy and consistency.
THE STARTING POINT
Each of us ran a competitive analysis. Mine compared Cirkel with Slack, Bonusly and Working Out Loud, then held Cirkel’s own homepage up against them. Three gaps came out of it.
01
The product wasn’t explained
Visitors couldn’t tell how a Cirkel group actually works.
02
No proof
No case studies or stories from people who had been in a group.
03
No way in
There was no sign-up, so nobody could try it themselves.
My competitive analysis: position, features, audience, weaknesses, reviews, cost and opportunities.
MY PART
Matching only works if people tell Cirkel what they care about, so the questionnaire is the product’s front door.
•
Sign up with Google, Apple or email.
•
Four short steps: goals, the team atmosphere you want, the skills you’d like in peers, then values and time zone.
•
Values are picked from cards, each with a one-line definition.
•
A progress bar and Save & finish later on every step.
THE REST OF THE FLOW
Homepage, designed by Amy
Explains the four-step method before asking for a demo, with case studies by industry and quotes from members. The case-study numbers in the mockup were placeholder copy, not results.
Dashboard and live session, designed by Austin
Groups, next session, calendar, tasks and group chat in one place. Sessions run on an agenda rail: check in, exercise, discussion, check out.
DECISIONS
Show how it works before asking for a call
The analysis showed visitors had nothing to judge Cirkel by, so the homepage leads with the four-step method.
Break the questionnaire into short steps
Matching needs a lot of answers. Four steps with a progress bar and save-later make that less of a wall.
Give every session the same structure
Consistency is one of Cirkel’s principles. The agenda rail tells the group where they are and what’s next.
Check in and check out on the same scale
Asking how people feel before and after a session gives organizers a simple signal of change.
WORKING TOGETHER
We reviewed the work with Cirkel’s CEO and CFO over video calls, and each designer brought their own research into the shared direction.
OUTCOME
We handed over a high-fidelity prototype of the homepage, sign-up, matching questionnaire, dashboard and live session. Cirkel went on with their own site. I can’t point to launch metrics, but I learned how to turn a founder’s method into something people can try, and how to argue for a design from research.