Strategy & Research Internship

Designing a Mission-Driven Client Experience: Empowering the Client Journey in a Purpose-Driven Startup

Product: Mission-aligned client experience

Focus: Consulting service flow, brand messaging, and client-facing events

Employer: Go Big To Give Big (startup B2B consultancy)

My Role: Strategy & Research Intern

Company Overview

Go Big To Give Big is a startup consultancy offering accessible, mission-driven consulting services for small business owners, entrepreneurs, and nonprofit organizations. Beyond providing strategy support, the company seeks to build a values-driven community—bringing together individuals and organizations who use their businesses as vehicles for doing good and uplifting those in need.

The firm specializes in organizational growth, marketing strategy, and partnership development—facilitating collaborations where nonprofits and businesses can support one another through sponsorships and shared missions. Its goal is to make high-impact consulting more affordable and accessible than traditional corporate firms. It also aims to connect businesses more directly with the people they serve by facilitating purpose-driven events, client storytelling, and business leader meetups that reinforce the human impact behind the work.

As the Strategy & Research Intern, I led a user-centered research initiative that explored the full client experience — from how consulting services were communicated, to how digital messaging shaped perception, to how customers engaged with purpose-driven events. The goal was to align the company’s services and mission with user expectations, streamline decision-making, and build a more engaging, human-centered brand experience.

Project Overview

Participants included current and prospective clients, primarily small business owners, entrepreneurs, and nonprofit leaders. In exchange for discounted services, they engaged in surveys, diary studies, and interviews focused on their experience with Go Big To Give Big’s offerings, marketing, and events.

Participant Profile

Design Opportunities

Clarify Value Propositions

Explore how early-stage consultancies can communicate value in a way that feels specific, tangible, and immediately useful—without relying on vague or overly idealistic mission statements.

Communicating Offerings with Clarity

Identify the information clients need to confidently understand and evaluate consulting offerings (e.g., scope, duration, expected outcomes, benefits) and ensure that communication materials reduce ambiguity and hesitation.

Aligning Messaging Across Touchpoints

Examine how clients engage with the brand across channels (email, social media, events) and determine how to align tone and messaging to build trust, clarity, and consistency.

Designing for Emotionally Resonant Experiences

Explore how elements like event activities (e.g., writing letters to children in poverty) or storytelling in marketing can foster emotional connection, reinforce the brand’s mission, and deepen client engagement.

Research Approach

User Surveys (n = 500+): Captured broad insights on service clarity, messaging tone, and brand perception

Diary Study (15 days, n = 10): Tracked emotional responses to the consulting process and customer-facing initiatives

Follow-Up Interviews: Explored deeper narratives around clients' values, expectations, and decision-making behaviors

Card Sorts (2 rounds): Tested how clients grouped and understood key service offerings and digital content

Concept Testing (3 rounds): Evaluated messaging strategies and event experience framing

A/B Testing (3 cycles): Compared variations of landing page content and call-to-actions for performance

Synthesis & Analysis: Findings were synthesized using thematic analysis and affinity diagramming, allowing patterns across methods to inform design opportunities and actionable recommendations.

Key Insights

Recommendations

Clarity Over Lofty Promises

Users were fatigued by generic startup language—lofty visions, jargon, and vague promises. What resonated instead were specific, tangible value propositions that made the service feel immediately relevant and actionable.

Prioritize Clear, Benefit-Driven Messaging

Replace abstract mission statements with concrete value propositions. Use straightforward language to communicate exactly what the service delivers, who it’s for, and how it helps. Focus on outcomes, not ideals.

Consulting, Without the Corporate Vibe

Prospective clients were drawn to Go Big To Give Big precisely because it didn't feel like traditional consulting. They preferred a more flexible, informal, and conversational approach—one that felt collaborative, not prescriptive. Overly formal or structured tones caused disengagement.

Adopt a Casual, Collaborative Tone

Reframe copy and touchpoints to feel more conversational and human. Highlight flexibility, personalization, and partnership. Avoid overly rigid structures or industry buzzwords that mimic corporate consulting norms.

Confusion in Prototype: “What Exactly Am I Getting?”

The initial prototype of the consulting services (e-commerce) page lacked clarity—users struggled to understand what they were purchasing, what outcomes to expect, what benefits or discounts were included, and how the service would unfold. Even basic questions like “Is this a one-time service or ongoing?” remained unanswered, creating friction and hesitation in the decision-making process.

Clarify Offering Details and Flow

Redesign the services page with scannable sections: what’s included, pricing, benefits, expected outcomes, and timeline. Use visuals or infographics to break down the process. Add FAQs to preempt uncertainty.

Mission Matters, but Needs to Feel Personal

Clients were emotionally invested in the company’s mission, but mission-driven events (like writing messages to children) only resonated when they felt personal, purposeful, and clearly tied to the broader service experience. Without clear framing, these activities risked feeling disconnected or performative.

Design Events as Emotionally Resonant Touchpoints

Integrate purpose-driven activities more intentionally into the client journey. Frame them with storytelling, highlight their impact, and show how each client’s participation contributes to the bigger picture. Use design to help clients feel not just involved, but personally connected to the company’s mission.

Note: Due to a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), I cannot disclose the exact insights and recommendations generated from this project. The insights and recommendations presented here have been generalized to protect the company’s proprietary strategies and participant confidentiality.

Turning Client Insights into Strategy: A Mission-Driven Event in Action

Note: Faces have been anonymized (covered) to protect participant privacy.

Context: Through in-depth interviews, clients expressed a strong desire for meaningful ways to connect with others and contribute to a shared mission. In response, I proposed this event to translate that insight into action.

Top: This moment captures the relaxed setting where small business owners, entrepreneurs, and nonprofit leaders gathered to connect for community-building, with an emphasis on authenticity over formality.
Bottom Left: This photo highlights the school supplies (e.g., backpacks, notebooks, pencils) carefully assembled for children living in poverty, funded as part of the company’s commitment to reinvesting in community impact.
Bottom Right: Here, clients collectively prepared materials for shipment to underserved students, including writing personalized, empowering messages to accompany each supply kit.

Impact

Improved client retention by 12% through clearer service framing and more approachable, values-aligned messaging
Boosted conversion rates by 15% by iteratively testing and refining digital content, including service descriptions and calls-to-action
Strengthened emotional engagement, with more than 70% of participants describing the events as “personally meaningful” or “aligned with their values” in interviews and diary responses