SBA Ascent

The Challenge

As a woman-owned business, 11p dove headfirst into developing a brand, website, and collateral for SBA’s free learning platform geared towards helping female entrepreneurs gain useful tips and guidance on how to elevate and grow their business.

Services

Branding + User Experience + Instructional Design + Web Design + Print Design

Live Site

ascent.sba.gov

Awards

• 2021 Gold Hermes Creative Awards, The Pitch Playbook Infographic
• 2021 Telly Awards, Mastering A Marketing Plan Video
• 2021 Platinum Viddy Awards, Culture and Values Video
• 2021 Silver Davey Awards, Best User Interface
• 2021 Silver Davey Awards, Best Visual Appeal Utility
• 2021 Silver Davey Awards, Best use of Animation/Illustration

THE BRANDING JOURNEY

First, we needed to develop a name for the program. 11p collaborated with stakeholders to name the learning platform, Ascent. The name implies upward movement, from a lower to a higher state, degree, grade, or status; advancement.

Playing off the name, 11p designed a logo that used the visual mountain references as a metaphor for business obstacles and challenges, combined with a line graph moving in an upward trajectory to symbolize overcoming these hurdles to increased sales and business growth.

DIVERSE CHARACTERS

To support the learning platform and micro-learning tool development, 11p illustrated an extensive character library. We designed a variety of features and styles to reflect the diverse female audience. Creating a custom library enhanced the workflow for our designers, so they could produce over 100 micro-learning tools in a short period of time!

FEEDBACK AT EVERY STAGE

The UX process in building the Ascent platform consisted of five distinct phases: Discover, Design, Build, Test, Launch. Each phase of the project incorporated feedback from users, the business goals of stakeholders, and sound design decisions involving the small-business owner.

User Interface

Platform Design

Mobile Design

THE ASCENT EXPERIENCE

Ascent is comprised of “Journeys” that contain micro-learning tools pertaining to a specific topic, like marketing or access to capital. Female entrepreneurs can navigate through Ascent based on their needs and pick which Journeys will help them practice skills to elevate their businesses. The micro-learning tools come in a broad range of formats to address the time constraints of an entrepreneur on-the-go. Formats include infographics, worksheets, videos, key insights, success stories, and more!