Backed by the Financial Times, Sifted is Europe's leading media platform for founders, tech workers, and investors. The outlet purports to take a people–first perspective and "sift" through the industry's newswires to deliver breaking news, thought–provoking commentary, and actionable reports.
The idea for UK Startup Explorer was born in the context of a partnership with Microsoft for Startups: the tech giant's suite of solutions and support services for entrepreneurs. Editors contacted Accurat to create an interactive, map–based microsite spanning 21 regions in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The volume and granularity of data, paired with the site's intended level of high interactivity necessitated that we explore solutions to keep information highly organized. We put our knowledge of UX/UI best practices to use and took advantage of color–coding and a range of textures and patterns to distinguish visual units. The finalized design abstracts information for readability without sacrificing clarity.
We worked as an agile unit with Sifted's team, holding weekly syncs for core team members and biweekly meetings for a larger group of stakeholders. As a result, the end–to–end production process—from the research stage through design, prototyping, and implementation activities—occured in just eight weeks.