Business Goals:

The startup I was working for aimed to validate that securing sponsorships is a major challenge for independent creators and brands, warranting the need for a dedicated platform. The objective was to build a functional, user-friendly platform that streamlines the sponsorship process and pitch it to investors as a scalable solution for the creator economy.

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User Goals:

To eliminate fragmented sponsorship negotiations, which traditionally rely on social media DMs, cold outreach, or agencies, and instead provide a centralized, transparent system where creators and brands can discover, negotiate, and finalize sponsorship deals seamlessly. This would ultimately save time, ensure fair compensation, and foster long-term brand partnerships.

We began the ideation process by brainstorming and sketching initial concepts on paper to determine the best user experience for both independent creators and brand representatives. Since the platform needed to work seamlessly across both desktop and mobile, we designed the two versions simultaneously, ensuring consistency in navigation, deal negotiation flows, and sponsorship tracking.

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After aligning on the core wireframes with the PM, we transitioned to digital prototyping, refining the layout and interactions based on user testing and internal feedback to create an intuitive and streamlined sponsorship platform.

It took four months of ideation, iteration, and refinement to finalize the design of the platform. Throughout this process, the PM and I continuously evaluated the interface, ensuring that every design decision aligned with user needs and behaviors. We conducted user testing with both independent creators and brand representatives, gathering insights on learnability, usability, and overall experience. Feedback from these sessions directly informed future iterations, leading to a more intuitive, efficient, and transparent sponsorship platform that streamlined collaboration between creators and brands.

This is one of the most essential interfaces for the platform, where brand representatives can browse, filter, and search for creators to find the best match for sponsorship opportunities. The list displays key information about each creator, such as their name, content category, audience size, engagement rate, and past brand collaborations.

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Additionally, each listing includes status indicators, showing whether:

• The brand has sent a sponsorship request
• The creator has responded
• A deal is pending negotiation or has been finalized

Users can open a dropdown or detailed view to explore deeper insights, such as content samples, audience demographics, and pricing estimates, enabling brands to make informed sponsorship decisions quickly and efficiently.

My Sponsorships page provides an organized dashboard for brand representatives to oversee all sponsorships at different stages. This section helps brands track active, pending, and completed collaborations in a structured format, making it easier to manage multiple partnerships simultaneously.

The page includes:

• Active Sponsorships – Ongoing collaborations with details on deliverables and deadlines.
• Pending Approvals – Sponsorship requests that are awaiting confirmation from either party.
• Completed Collaborations – Past sponsorships with performance summaries.
• Sponsorship Status Indicators – Labels such as "In Progress," "Pending Review," "Awaiting Payment," or "Completed."

Users can click on any sponsorship to access a detailed view, which includes creator details, agreed-upon deliverables, payment status, and contract terms. This page serves as a comprehensive sponsorship hub, allowing brands to monitor and manage all their collaborations in one place.

This is the dashboard for brand representatives to manage their ongoing sponsorship negotiations efficiently. The page organizes sponsorships based on their current status, helping users track discussions, finalize agreements, and take necessary actions at different stages.

The sponsorship negotiation statuses include:

• Pending Requests – Sponsorship proposals that the brand has received from creators but has not yet reviewed.
• Ongoing Discussions – Active negotiations where details like deliverables, pricing, and timeline are still being refined.
• Finalized Agreements – Deals where both parties have agreed on terms and are ready to move forward with payment and execution.

For each status, users can take different actions, such as:

• Reviewing and responding to new requests
• Modifying contract details and negotiating terms
• Approving or declining sponsorship proposals

Since "Finalized Agreements" often require urgent action, such as making a payment or setting campaign timelines, an icon in the top-right corner displays the number of pending sponsorships awaiting final approval, ensuring brands do not miss critical deadlines.

This section allows independent creators to efficiently manage and track sponsorship opportunities in different stages of the approval process. It ensures clear communication, structured deal flow, and timely decision-making for successful brand collaborations.

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1. Sponsorship Requests (Received) - This page provides an overview of all incoming sponsorship proposals from brands.

• Review brand details – See brand name, campaign type, expected deliverables, and offered compensation.
• Accept, Decline, or Counteroffer – Choose to move forward, reject the request, or propose different terms.
• Sort & Filter Requests – Categorize sponsorships by budget, campaign type, or deadline.
• Send Messages for Clarifications – Ask brands for additional details before making a decision.

2. Pending Brand Approvals - This section lists sponsorship deals that have been proposed by the creator and are waiting for brand confirmation.

• Track proposal status – View whether a brand has seen, ignored, or responded to the request.
• Send Reminders – Nudge brands to approve or reject sponsorships that have been pending for too long.
• Modify Deliverables – Adjust content types, pricing, or deadlines based on new discussions.
• Withdraw Request – Cancel proposals that are no longer relevant or interesting.

3. Negotiation in Progress - For deals that are actively being discussed but not yet finalized.

• Message & Discuss Terms in Real-Time – Use an integrated chat system to communicate with brands.
• Edit Proposal Details – Adjust rates, timelines, or campaign scope before final approval.
• Track Brand Engagement – See if brands have opened messages, responded, or requested changes.
• Confirm Final Agreement – Once both sides agree, the sponsorship moves to In-Progress Sponsorships.

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After completing a sponsorship deliverable, creators can use the Send Payment Request feature to ensure they receive compensation promptly and transparently. This function provides a clear process for requesting and tracking payments, helping creators avoid financial instability caused by delayed or inconsistent brand payouts.

• Request Payment from Brands – Once a sponsorship is completed, creators can send a structured payment request with an invoice directly through the platform.
• Track Payment Status – The system shows whether the payment is pending, approved, or completed, allowing creators to monitor outstanding balances.
• Escalate Disputes – If a brand fails to complete a payment within the agreed timeframe, creators can file a payment dispute for resolution.

By offering a structured and transparent payment request system, this feature reduces financial uncertainty, improves payment reliability, and ensures creators receive their earnings on time.

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I worked closely with the developer to clarify interaction flows, UI behaviors, and responsive design elements, reducing potential misinterpretations.

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Once the team built the live version of the platform, I conducted usability testing to evaluate the functionality, visual accuracy, and overall user experience. During this phase, I identified and reported minor usability issues, such as inconsistent button placements, unclear CTAs, and visual misalignments. I provided detailed feedback and recommendations, allowing for quick adjustments to improve the platform’s usability and responsiveness before launch.

I conducted three user testing sessions for the Creator Side interface using a clickable prototype. The first round of testing was done midway through the design process with Alex, an independent content creator. He gave the platform a high evaluation, stating that the sponsorship request process was clear and well-structured. He also provided minor suggestions, such as adding a "More Info" option for sponsorship details and making filter positions dynamic based on selection. These insights were incorporated into the current design.

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After the design was finalized, I conducted another round of testing with two non-creator users, Jordan and Taylor, to assess whether the platform was intuitive for a broader audience. Both users successfully completed all assigned tasks without confusion and described the platform as visually intuitive and easy to navigate.These insights will be considered in future iterations, ensuring the platform remains seamless, accessible, and efficient for all users. I am also planning additional user testing for the brand side interface to further refine the sponsorship collaboration process.

This was my first B2B UX project focused on independent creator sponsorships. I designed the interfaces for both creators and brand representatives, ensuring a seamless experience across desktop and mobile. The complexity of structuring a multi-step sponsorship process, integrating payment workflows, and balancing the needs of both creators and brands made this project a challenging yet valuable learning experience.

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One of the biggest challenges was understanding the sponsorship industry from both perspectives. Unlike traditional freelance or e-commerce platforms, the creator-brand sponsorship model operates with negotiation-based deals, fluctuating deliverables, and non-standardized payment agreements. I leveraged user research, competitor analysis, and journey mapping to build a system that simplifies sponsorship negotiations while maintaining flexibility for both parties. Additionally, my role expanded beyond initial expectations—I was originally focused on designing sponsorship request flows, but later took on negotiation management, payment processing, and creator outreach features.

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User testing was another critical learning experience. No matter how refined a design is, real-world testing always reveals unexpected user challenges. By conducting multiple rounds of testing, I identified areas where clarity, navigation, and process efficiency could be improved. Moving forward, I plan to continue refining the platform, integrating more user feedback, and ensuring that this product becomes one of the most effective tools for sponsorship collaboration in the creator economy.