Microsoft: Becoming relevant to SMBs
Microsoft, a brand that needs no introduction, has always had difficulty reaching out to small and medium businesses because of a perception that Microsoft is better suited for giant enterprises. The brand wanted to break out of this perception and establish itself as an enabler of SMBs in India by giving them a holistic platform to learn, network, and grow their business.
NEM was tasked with designing a comprehensive platform that lets SMBs access a vast array of information and networking opportunities along with Microsoft’s tech solutions for businesses. The platform’s overall user journey, visual identity, and content flow was curated which included developing the website structure from start to finish, finalizing easily understandable and objective content for small/medium business owners, and deciding on relevant visuals that pushes them to become a part of this platform.
Our challenge was to visualize this SMB website in such a way that business owners would be compelled to register and reap the benefits that Microsoft can deliver.
The design for the website included three segments:
SMB Academy: a segment with curated tech and business-related courses from Microsoft, helping SMB owners upskill and enhance their knowledge.
Success Stories: a segment designed to inspire SMB owners with some success stories of companies that took their ventures to the next level using technology.
Microsoft Solutions: access to limited period offers on Microsoft Business Solutions like Business Basic, Teams, Dynamic Business Central, and Azure.
Our process included brainstorming user journeys, developing a rich site architecture, wireframing pages, and creating visual design options representing India’s SMBs. The visuals contained images of business professionals and start-up founders occupied in their work, instilling a feeling of ambition and success in the viewer. Easy-to-understand and aspirational language was used to support the visuals, complimenting the imagery and telling a complete story.