One Degree, Dual Impact

The new service promised to deliver 8-12 tailored funding opportunities through a 30-45 day process, but needed proper positioning and pricing structure to resonate with potential clients. Our research focused on understanding how to effectively present both services without overshadowing their established offering.

Research & Discovery

We conducted 12 in-depth interviews with industry professionals including:

• Past ODI clients
• Potential clients
• Grant writing professionals

Our participant recruitment strategy spanned multiple channels to ensure diverse perspectives. We collaborated with ODI's founder to identify and reach out to past clients and industry connections. Additionally, we posted recruitment messages in nonprofit-focused Slack communities, targeting professionals involved in grant writing and management.

To further expand our reach, we conducted targeted outreach via email to relevant professional groups and nonprofit networks. This multi-channel approach helped us secure 12 qualified participants representing various roles within the grant services ecosystem.

Our interviews centered on understanding how industry professionals perceived and valued grant research services. We explored their comprehension of ODI's new offering and gauged overall interest in a standalone service model.

Interview Structure

Rather than following a rigid interview script, we developed a comprehensive question bank to accommodate our diverse participant pool. This flexible approach allowed us to adapt our questions based on each participant's unique experience and relationship with grant services.

Our question bank was organized into key areas of inquiry:

1. Experience and Background

• "Can you tell me about your experience with grant research and writing?"
• "How did you first get involved with grant writing/research?"
• "How has your approach evolved since you started?"



2. Pain Points and Challenges

• "What are your biggest frustrations in the grant writing process?"
• "What part of the process do you like the least?"
• "Tell me about a time when you were frustrated during the process"
• What challenges have you faced in the past when writing grants?



3. Current Process Understanding

• "How do you determine which grants to apply for?"
• "How do you hear about grants?"
• "What tools or services do you currently rely on?"
• "How are you solving your problem right now?"



4. Success Metrics and Goals

• "How do you determine if your grant writing or research is successful?"
• "What are your goals for doing grant research and writing?"
• "Tell me about a time when you did not get the expected results?"

This semi-structured approach allowed conversations to flow naturally while ensuring we covered all crucial aspects of the grant service experience. The flexibility proved particularly valuable when interviewing participants with varying levels of expertise, from seasoned grant writers to those new to the process.

Before showing ODI's service page, we asked participants:

• "What questions would you want answered to understand that service?"
• " What do you need to know about a grant writing service?"
• " What do you expect to see on this page?"

This approach helped us gather unbiased expectations before participants viewed the actual service offering.

After establishing baseline understanding of participants' expectations, we transitioned to evaluating ODI's service page with a focused set of questions:

During Page Review:

• "What are you understanding from what you see?"
• "What do you understand about the two offerings that are available?"
• "Which part of the page has been useful to you?"

We specifically probed for missing information and areas of confusion:

• "What are things that you wish were on the page?"
• "What are things that you are looking for?"

Closing Questions:
These questions were crucial for understanding practical implications and potential adoption:

• "How would you describe this company to a non-profit colleague?"
• "Is this something you would pay for?"

This structured yet flexible approach allowed us to:

1. Validate our understanding of participants' needs
2. Assess the effectiveness of the current page design
3. Identify gaps between user expectations and actual service presentation
4. Gauge likelihood of service adoption

The progression from open-ended exploration to specific evaluation helped participants articulate their thoughts more effectively and provided clear, actionable insights for our redesign.

Prior to each interview, participants were sent a digital consent form outlining the research purpose, data usage, and recording permissions. We ensured all forms were completed and submitted before proceeding with the interviews, maintaining ethical research standards while protecting participant privacy and data rights.

Our research revealed several critical findings that informed our design decisions:

Core Issues and Contributing Factors

Our user research revealed several critical issues that needed to be addressed to successfully integrate the new service:

• Pricing structure concerns - Users found it difficult to justify a flat rate for varying project sizes
• Lack of trust-building elements - Need for more prominent display of expertise and track record
• Service clarity issues - Confusion around what the standalone service included

Our research and design process involved several critical pivot points that shaped our final recommendations and the presentation of ODI's services.

Pivot 1: Service Integration

Initial challenge came from ODI's need to incorporate their new one-off service alongside their existing membership model. The research focused on understanding how to effectively present both services without cannibalizing their established offering.

Pivot 2: Service Differentiation

Through user feedback, we discovered significant confusion around differentiating the two services. Users struggled to understand the distinction between the membership model and the new one-off strategic service, leading us to refine the presentation of both offerings.

Pivot 3: Trust Elements Repositioning

User research showed that credibility was a primary concern. We restructured the page to move trust-building elements (experience metrics, client testimonials, and track record) to more prominent positions.

Pivot 4: Pricing Model Evolution

Our exploration of pricing approaches revealed two significant challenges. First, user interviews showed strong negative reactions to the displayed flat-rate price. Second, while considering percentage-based pricing, we learned this conflicted with the Grant Professionals Association's code of ethics.

Pivot 5: Visual Organization

Through multiple iterations, we refined the layout and visual hierarchy to better communicate both services. This included testing various arrangements of graphic elements to enhance understanding and build trust through visual design.

Final Recommendations

1. Restructured Page Hierarchy
• Moved credibility indicators (10+ years experience, 3x ROI) to prime positions
• Added detailed client testimonials earlier in the journey
• Created clear visual distinction between service models


2. Pricing Model Revision
• Recommended moving away from flat-rate pricing
• Suggested more flexible pricing structure based on project scope
• Developed clearer value communication framework

The redesigned service offering page better reflected ODI's expertise while addressing key user concerns about pricing and value. The new structure helped potential clients better understand the distinct benefits of both the membership and one-off service models.

In presenting our findings to Jessica Merrell, ODI's founder, we encountered a leader genuinely eager to learn from user research. Unlike many founders who might view feedback as criticism, Jessica embraced the insights with enthusiasm and openness. During our final presentation, she noted, "Having market research to build decisions off of is great... having an outside perspective, supported by data and insights and for you to have come with solutions is amazing." Her response demonstrated a true commitment to user-centered improvement, as she planned to take our report back to her team to thoughtfully consider which recommendations to implement.

• The importance of pricing psychology in service design
• How to effectively position premium services alongside subscription models
• The critical role of social proof in building trust for high-ticket services