PlaybookUX
About the Company
PlaybookUX was founded to address the lack of affordable, comprehensive UX research tools for startups, small businesses, and freelancers. The software focuses on unmoderated testing, where users review websites and provide real-time feedback. PlaybookUX aims to make UX research accessible, allowing businesses of all sizes to collect valuable insights without requiring a researcher to be present during testing. The platform has attracted major brands as well as independent freelancers, creating a wide customer base from various industries including product management, marketing, and design.
The company specializes in qualitative research but has added other types of research over time, making it a versatile tool for product development and user experience testing. PlaybookUX continues to evolve its platform, adding new features and capabilities to meet the needs of its diverse clientele.
Idea Behind Company
Lindsey Allard came up with the idea for PlaybookUX after working in sales and various product management roles. She noticed a gap in the market for an affordable, easy-to-use UX research tool that small businesses and startups could leverage. Her experiences in these roles highlighted the need for better research tools, as many existing solutions were either too expensive or didn’t offer the features required for quality research.
Allard’s entrepreneurial mindset was shaped by her family background, as her father and grandfather were also business founders. Partnering with Kristen, a fellow Dartmouth College lacrosse player who worked in financial services, they combined their experiences and identified a mutual need in user research. The duo sought to solve the UX research problems they had encountered in their careers by creating PlaybookUX, a user-friendly, cost-effective platform.
Creating the Company
The process of building PlaybookUX involved extensive user interviews and research to ensure product-market fit. Lindsey and Kristen manually conducted initial interviews, using platforms like LinkedIn to connect with UX researchers and designers. Their makeshift approach allowed them to gather valuable feedback on their wireframes, which they continuously iterated based on user input.
PlaybookUX went through numerous prototypes before they had a high-fidelity product. By maintaining close relationships with their initial testers, they were able to refine the product over several iterations. This customer-centric approach helped PlaybookUX create a solution that aligned with users’ workflows. Additionally, Lindsey leveraged her connections with skilled developers to build the software’s infrastructure, which included multiple platforms for users, testers, and administrators.
Launching the Business
When PlaybookUX launched, Lindsey’s experience in product management helped her manage the release effectively. The MVP (minimum viable product) was launched within five months, just days before Lindsey’s college reunion, and received its first customer soon after. Though Lindsey initially feared they had launched too soon, the response was positive, and more customers followed in the coming months.
PlaybookUX doubled its development team post-launch to keep up with demand and continued to release new features regularly. The company also benefited from the rise of remote research during the COVID-19 pandemic, as businesses shifted from in-person focus groups to online research. The company’s growth was driven by organic traffic and word of mouth, without any spending on advertising.
Earnings
By early 2022, PlaybookUX was generating $150,000 in monthly revenue, with over 1,100 customers. The company has experienced consistent profitability since its first year of operation, driven by its organic growth strategy. PlaybookUX’s revenue has grown more than 100% year-over-year, and the company remains bootstrapped, using its profits to fund further growth and development.
Looking forward, the company plans to expand its customer base by hiring its first sales representative and exploring digital advertising. Additionally, PlaybookUX continues to innovate by adding new features, such as analytics tools that help businesses analyze user feedback. The future looks promising as PlaybookUX scales its operations while maintaining its customer-centric approach.
