Sustainability Platform for Startups

Girintec

COMPANY

Girintec

ROLE

Product Designer

Industry

SaaS

YEAR

2023

Project Description

Girintec is designed to help early-stage tech startups embed Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles right from the start. The goal was to empower founders to build responsible, scalable, and investment-ready products.

To achieve this, we designed a practical tool that bridges the gap between sustainability theory and real-world execution. It provides founders with actionable insights and decision-making support, grounded in ESG compliance and environmental impact metrics making sustainable growth both accessible and achievable.

Problem

While many startup founders are aware of the importance of sustainability, they often lack the practical tools, frameworks, and guidance needed to integrate it meaningfully into product development. As a result, sustainability remains a theoretical concept rather than a tangible part of their business strategy.

Objectives

  • Equip startup founders with tools to make ESG-informed decisions

  • Highlight key data and trends to support sustainable product development

  • Build a user-friendly and accessible interface tailored to early-stage startups

Role

I was the sole designer for this project, responsible for UX research, concept development, and UI design. I led the design from initial ideation through to high-fidelity wireframes, creating an intuitive, user-friendly interface.

Timeline

9 weeks

Team:

Solo project supported by desk research and peer feedback sessions

Design Process

The project was guided by market research, affinity mapping, and UI ideation to validate the need for the platform and design an interface that aligns with user needs and goals.


Discovery

During the discovery phase, I conducted desk research to deepen my understanding of the task, exploring ESG guidelines, startup growth metrics, and environmental impact data.

I then created affinity maps to synthesize behavioral patterns and market trends, helping to uncover key insights for the platform’s design.

Key Research Questions Explored:

  • Market size of tech startups

  • Consumer interest in sustainable products

  • Behavior and awareness among startup founders

  • Environmental impact of tech solutions

  • ESG criteria preferred by investors




Key Findings

  • Estimated 1.35M tech startups founded annually

  • Top sectors: Fintech, Healthcare, AI, Gaming

  • ICT accounts for up to 2.8% of global emissions, but can reduce emissions by 15–20%

  • Many founders are aware of sustainability, but struggle to apply it

  • No existing platforms tailored to support startups in building ESG-aligned products


Tools and Methodology

Tools : Figma, Notion, Miro, Google Forms

Methods : Secondary research, Trend analysis, Affinity mapping, Heuristic evaluation, Competitive analysis.

Define

Problem Statement Definition

How might we help tech startup founders embed sustainability and ESG best practices into their early-stage product development, without overwhelming them?

Scope

In Scope:

  • ESG-aligned ideation tools

  • Sustainability insights tailored to tech verticals

  • Interface design for MVP prototype

Out of Scope:

  • Full backend development

  • Real-time data integrations

  • Business model implementation

Solution

The dashboard is designed to help startup founders align their ideas with sustainability frameworks in a clean, easy-to-use interface.

Key features include:

  • ESG Regional Alignment: Tailored insights based on location.

  • Sustainability Profile: A personalized overview of your startup’s sustainability efforts.

  • ESG Goal Tracker: A tool to track progress towards ESG goals.

Design

The solution visualization phase kicked off with the user flow which was designed to guide startup founders through their sustainability journey step by step. It ensures a seamless experience from onboarding to monitoring progress. Key screens include:

  1. Onboarding

    • User signs up and provides basic startup information.

    • Guided introduction to the platform's features and how they align with sustainability goals.

  2. Sustainability Profile Setup

    • Users input their company’s key details (industry, size, location) to generate a personalized Sustainability Profile.

  3. ESG Regional Alignment

    • The platform suggests ESG guidelines based on the user’s region and industry, helping them stay compliant with local sustainability regulations.

  4. Goal Setting

    • Users define specific ESG goals (e.g., reducing carbon footprint, improving social impact) and track progress via the Goal Tracker.

  5. Dashboard Overview

    • The ESG & Product Monitoring Dashboard provides users with a live view of their product's sustainability metrics and progress towards goals.

  6. Continuous Monitoring and Feedback

    • Users are given actionable insights and recommendations based on their dashboard metrics, helping them make decisions and stay on track.




Low Fidelity

In the low-fidelity design phase, we focused on sketching basic layouts and wireframes to establish the structure and flow of the platform. These early designs allowed us to quickly explore different approaches and gather feedback without getting caught up in visuals or details.

Key points of this phase:

  • Wireframes: Simple, black-and-white sketches were used to map out the placement of elements (buttons, navigation, forms) and test how users would interact with the platform.

  • Focus on Functionality: The goal was to ensure a smooth, logical user flow and intuitive navigation before adding any design elements.

  • Iterative Feedback: These wireframes were shared with stakeholders and potential users to gather feedback and make adjustments before proceeding to high-fidelity design.

This approach allowed us to validate the core user experience early on, ensuring that the product was aligned with user needs before refining the interface.


High Fidelity

Once the low-fidelity wireframes were validated, we moved on to high-fidelity design to bring the platform to life. This phase focused on creating a visually polished and interactive interface, ensuring that the user experience was both functional and visually engaging.




Anticipated Results and Impact

The design of the Girintec platform aimed to deliver the following outcomes:

  • Empowering Founders to Align Products with ESG Principles:
    The platform provides intuitive tools that allow startup founders to easily align their products with ESG principles. This enables them to track sustainability metrics and ensure their products are developed responsibly and sustainably from the ground up.

  • Simplifying Access to Sustainability Data for Informed Decisions:
    With an accessible and clear interface, the platform makes sustainability data and ESG decision-making straightforward. Founders can quickly assess and track their progress, making it easier to stay aligned with their environmental and social goals.

Takeaways & Learnings

  • User Feedback:
    Although this was a case study, I simulated user feedback sessions, which helped refine the design to ensure it met user needs and expectations.

  • Iterative Design Process:
    The project reinforced the importance of an iterative design approach — starting with simple wireframes and gradually building toward a more complex, refined design.


Conclusion

Girintec imagines a future where sustainability is an embedded part of tech innovation, not an afterthought. This case study reflects how research, strategy, and UX design can empower founders to build smarter and greener products from day one.