Velocity Ave LLC

Yes, the rumors are true! We’ve launched a program for early-stage startups! Applications are open, spread the word.

Innovation vs. execution—these two modes should not be a dichotomy, and yet it’s the eternal tug-of-war for early-stage startups. Too often we see the abandonment of value for the promise of a timely launch or release. When we aspire to push boundaries with bold ideas, feasibility is the excuse, it’s what we say strains teams. Maybe it’s time to say “RIP Innovation,” it’s a passé buzzword that suggests a flashy overhaul. Where Velocity Ave LLC has seen startup success is with small, validated iterations that maintain operational focus and momentum. It’s about balancing those breakthrough moments with consistent delivery. Are you striking the right balance in your product team? #ProductDevelopment #Innovation #Startups #Execution #UXResearch

Sound advice on startup fundraising. We'd add: the cherry on top of a compelling pitch is research data that tells the story about the severity and importance of the problem. Check out this guide from Designer Fund for smart strategies on navigating your next raise.

👋 Hello from VelAve. This week we are conducting two concept studies - one in health care and a second in accessibility. Research in these verticals can be super emotional. One of our favorite tactics is to use six-frame storyboards. The power in a narrative is that: 1️⃣ Stories are a format we humans love. Told well, you can evaluate three altitudes critical to building products: the severity and importance of a problem, the current experience of existing tools or workarounds, and the potential value of specific features or product directions.  2️⃣ When you tell a story about a character, it creates a healthy amount of distance between the participant and the topic (the more serious the research the more helpful this is). 3️⃣ Distance is magical in that it empowers participants to both be reflective: to relate and also be critical. Concepts don’t need to be perfect. The less refined, the better. Low-fidelity stimuli lower the barrier to thoughtful feedback. They test assumptions, deepen understanding and are a key to saving development resources. ❓ What are some learnings and best practices you’ve gathered when using storyboards for research? 🕊 Now please excuse us, we need to get back to our research cave! #notesfromresearch #conceptstudy #zerotoone #MVP #startups

👋 Hello from VelAve. This week we are conducting two concept studies - one in health care and a second in accessibility. Research in these verticals can be super emotional. One of our favorite tactics is to use six-frame storyboards. The power in a narrative is that: 1️⃣ Stories are a format we humans love. Told well, you can evaluate three altitudes critical to building products: the severity and importance of a problem, the current experience of existing tools or workarounds, and the potential value of specific features or product directions.  2️⃣ When you tell a story about a character, it creates a healthy amount of distance between the participant and the topic (the more serious the research the more helpful this is). 3️⃣ Distance is magical in that it empowers participants to both be reflective: to relate and also be critical. Concepts don’t need to be perfect. The less refined, the better. Low-fidelity stimuli lower the barrier to thoughtful feedback. They test assumptions, deepen understanding and are a key to saving development resources. ❓ What are some learnings and best practices you’ve gathered when using storyboards for research? 🕊 Now please excuse us, we need to get back to our research cave! #notesfromresearch #conceptstudy #zerotoone #MVP #startups

❗ Velocity Ave just grew 200% ❗ We are thrilled to announce two new partners: Kelly Coney and Nisha Desai. With this expansion, we are formalizing the inclusion of Design in our services. If you’ve followed along on our journey you already know that we are bold activators who take initiative. Our core is client work, but we aspire to change product philosophy broadly and empower teams to develop around problems, with humans, while leveraging data.  To this end, in addition to expanding our capacity to work with more companies across research, design and strategy, both Kelly and Nisha are cooking up exciting mission-aligned programs that will help us drive towards our vision. Warmest, Maya Elise Joseph-Goteiner & Katrina J. Egert-Pecot

Incubating in the open is one the many things we love about our client Mudita Studios. A product we’ve been leading research for is on Product Hunt. Sign AI is a groundbreaking tool that uses generative AI to create a virtual sign language interpreter, making two-way communication easier and more inclusive for the deaf and hard of hearing. The solution will be available across multiple platforms, including desktop apps for Windows and Mac, a browser extension, plug-ins for popular video conferencing tools (Zoom/Meet/Teams/WebEx), and mobile apps for Android and iOS. This is a mission we care deeply about and we’re excited about the potential of Sign AI. Check it out on Product Hunt and support this critical vision to make video meetings more accessible and inclusive: https://lnkd.in/eFtFD9zy

🎂 Last month, Velocity Ave turned a year old! ❣ We’re celebrating with 10 clients, from startups to multinational companies. With each project we’ve continued to challenge the status quo of product development, bringing a nimble, experimental mindset while upholding our values: excellence, communication, transparency, and collaboration. 📣 Next week, we are announcing a new program: VELOCITY RAMP! Designed for early stage consumer-focused startups. Follow our page to get the update and application link.

Mudita Studios is incubating a product idea for improving accessibility in video conferencing meetings for those with visual, auditory, or cognitive impairments. Today these forums often leave these users feeling disconnected, left out, left behind, unseen, or not fully engaged. We believe the latest generation of AI tools and technologies offers great potential to address this, allowing those with visual, auditory or cognitive impairments to be fully engaged. As part of our exploration, we're seeking to connect with people who identify as having visual, auditory or cognitive impairments to learn more about their present challenges and their feedback on potential solutions. If you identify as having a visual, auditory, or cognitive impairment that creates challenges for you in video conferencing meetings, we'd appreciate your response to this anonymous survey: https://lnkd.in/gZTPNYba. And for everyone, we'd greatly appreciate you re-sharing this post to maximize our outreach!

Despite telling my child to embrace imperfection, I’m always apprehensive when it’s time to publish. My latest on Nimble UX is a collaboration with the great Ted McCarthy. We meld our philosophies to address a very important topic: expanding internationally. 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲? 🌍The TL;dr, there’s no formula for going global, in fact the copy-paste method usually fails (Ted covers some great examples). Designing for a market requires deep understanding of a locality — its cultural norms, social structures, power systems, and institutions. Localization has no proxy. Sounds simple, but we’ve both found it’s difficult in practice so we developed a framework that lowers the risk and cost of copy-pasting. 💡 Whether you're a part of a startup eyeing new markets or an established business looking to redefine your international strategy, our objective is to empower a more informed and effective approach to globetrotting products. 👉 Link to the full article: https://lnkd.in/gMqSxQBh Unvarnished comments, questions, and feedback are always welcomed here or via DM. And a special should out to our review committee Shima Houshyar, Risha Lee, Emma Roach and Kaelyn Quinn. Thank you. It takes a village! #GlobalExpansion #Localization #MarketFit #BusinessStrategy #Innovation #UXResearch