Climate Tech Marketplace (ESGentle) - B2B SaaS
A discovery and decision experience that helps sustainability managers find and compare ESG solutions — in a market built on trust.
CLIENT
ESGentle
Role
Product Designer
TIMELINE
20 Months
PLATFORM
Responsive Web, SAAS
TEAM
2 UX/UI Designers,
1 Full-Stack Developer,
1 Sustainability Advisor,
1 CEO
Outcome
Improved sustainable solution discovery efficiency by 40%
Achieved an 80% task success rate in usability testing
Adjusted a design system with over 30 components for ongoing feature development
Outcome
Improved sustainable solution discovery efficiency by 40%
Reduced sustainability decision-making time by 30%
Achieved an 80% task success rate in usability testing
Adjusted a design system with over 30 components for ongoing feature development
Improved sustainable solution discovery efficiency by 40%
Achieved an 80% task success rate in usability testing
Adjusted a design system with over 30 components for ongoing feature development
Context & Problem
ESGentle is a San Francisco cleantech startup with one mission: accelerate ESG adoption through a centralized platform for sustainability solutions.
The problem: managers had to prove impact while working from fragmented data — no centralized, comparable view of ESG vendors. They spent 10–15 hours a week manually searching, relying on reports, networking, and cold outreach.
How might we help sustainability managers quickly discover and compare ESG solutions?
UX Research
17 stakeholder interviews (finance, manufacturing, retail)
2 ESG expert sessions
Reviewed 8 existing ESG-related platforms and climate tech directories.
Distributed a 10-question survey to a network of sustainability professionals via LinkedIn
Received 42 responses
Key insights:
Top decision factor: verified impact metrics (78%)
Top frustration: lack of centralized database (65%)
Most desired feature: side-by-side solution comparison (72%)
No competitor offered apples-to-apples comparison or transparent credentials.
Strategy
Positioned around decision-making efficiency, not vendor listings — so managers can compare, trust, and act. Built a filterable marketplace (category, budget, impact), energy-efficiency and offsetting solution flows, and a repeatable UI system.
Solution
We designed the MVP with features focused on streamlining discovery, comparison, and decision-making:
Filterable Marketplace
Users could browse sustainability solutions by category, budget range, impact, and more — enabling focused discovery.
Energy efficiency solutions flow
Offsetting solutions flow
Impact
Task Success Rate
80% (user testing)
Solution discoverability
↑ 40%
Design system
30+ components
My Role
I led design across all stages of the UX process:
led research and UX/UI across the engagement: ran all 17 stakeholder interviews
authored the 10-question survey that drew 42 responses
Created customer journey maps, user flows, and site architecture
Designed responsive lo-fi and hi-fi prototypes in Figma
Adjusted a design system with over 30 components
Conducted usability testing, synthesized findings, and iterated quickly
Partnered with the developer for smooth handoff and implementation
Balanced speed with UX quality despite limited data, working within lean resources and tight timelines
Key Takeaways
In complex B2B marketplaces, clarity and trust sell. Focused, decision-oriented features create real value — even under tight time, budget, and research constraints.
Context & Problem
ESGentle is a San Francisco cleantech startup with one mission: accelerate ESG adoption through a centralized platform for sustainability solutions.
The problem: managers had to prove impact while working from fragmented data — no centralized, comparable view of ESG vendors. They spent 10–15 hours a week manually searching, relying on reports, networking, and cold outreach..
How might we help sustainability managers quickly discover and compare ESG solutions?
UX Research
17 stakeholder interviews (finance, manufacturing, retail)
2 ESG expert sessions
Reviewed 8 existing ESG-related platforms and climate tech directories.
Distributed a 10-question survey to a network of sustainability professionals via LinkedIn
Received 42 responses
Key insights:
Top decision factor: verified impact metrics (78%)
Top frustration: lack of centralized database (65%)
Most desired feature: side-by-side solution comparison (72%)
No competitor offered apples-to-apples comparison or transparent credentials.
Strategy
Positioned around decision-making efficiency, not vendor listings — so managers can compare, trust, and act. Built a filterable marketplace (category, budget, impact), energy-efficiency and offsetting solution flows, and a repeatable UI system.
Solution
We designed the MVP with features focused on streamlining discovery, comparison, and decision-making:
Filterable Marketplace
Users could browse sustainability solutions by category, budget range, impact, and more — enabling focused discovery.
Energy efficiency solutions flow
Offsetting solutions flow
Outcome
Task Success Rate
80% (user testing)
Design system
30+ components
Solution discoverability
↑ 40%
My Role
I led design across all stages of the UX process:
led research and UX/UI across the engagement: ran all 17 stakeholder interviews
authored the 10-question survey that drew 42 responses
Created customer journey maps, user flows, and site architecture
Designed responsive lo-fi and hi-fi prototypes in Figma
Adjusted a design system with over 30 components
Conducted usability testing, synthesized findings, and iterated quickly
Partnered with the developer for smooth handoff and implementation
Balanced speed with UX quality despite limited data, working within lean resources and tight timelines
Key Takeaways
In complex B2B marketplaces, clarity and trust sell. Focused, decision-oriented features create real value — even under tight time, budget, and research constraints.
Next Projects
Context
ESGentle is a San Francisco cleantech startup with one mission: accelerate ESG adoption through a centralized platform for sustainability solutions.
The problem: managers had to prove impact while working from fragmented data — no centralized, comparable view of ESG vendors.
They spent 10–15 hours a week manually searching, relying on reports, networking, and cold outreach.
How might we help sustainability managers quickly discover and compare ESG solutions?
UX Research
17 stakeholder interviews (finance, manufacturing, retail)
2 ESG expert sessions
Reviewed 8 existing ESG-related platforms and climate tech directories.
Distributed a 10-question survey to a network of sustainability professionals via LinkedIn
Received 42 responses
Key insights:
Top decision factor: verified impact metrics (78%)
Top frustration: lack of centralized database (65%)
Most desired feature: side-by-side solution comparison (72%)
No competitor offered apples-to-apples comparison or transparent credentials.
Strategy
Positioned around decision-making efficiency, not vendor listings — so managers can compare, trust, and act. Built a filterable marketplace (category, budget, impact), energy-efficiency and offsetting solution flows, and a repeatable UI system.
Solution
We designed the MVP with features focused on streamlining discovery, comparison, and decision-making:
Filterable Marketplace
Users could browse sustainability solutions by category, budget range, impact, and more — enabling focused discovery.
Energy efficiency solutions flow
Offsetting solutions flow
Impact
Task Success Rate
80% (user testing)
Solution discoverability
↑ 40%
Design system
30+ components
My Role
Key Takeaways
In complex B2B marketplaces, clarity and trust sell. Focused, decision-oriented features create real value — even under tight time, budget, and research constraints.
I led design across all stages of the UX process:
led research and UX/UI across the engagement: ran all 17 stakeholder interviews
authored the 10-question survey that drew 42 responses
Created customer journey maps, user flows, and site architecture
Designed responsive lo-fi and hi-fi prototypes in Figma
Adjusted a design system with over 30 components
Conducted usability testing, synthesized findings, and iterated quickly
Partnered with the developer for smooth handoff and implementation
Balanced speed with UX quality despite limited data, working within lean resources and tight timelines