Support Navigator - A Personalized, Embedded Tool for Resource Discovery

Written By Stephanie Kissel

The Situation

After launching a statewide Support Directory with the support of NC IDEA, we saw two major issues: First, though Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs) saw the value in a unified support directory, they didn’t want to send their users away from their websites to utilize the Support Directory we had created. Second, entrepreneurs weren’t getting matched with the most relevant resources. The original tool lived on Supportedly.com and used broad categories that made it hard to find the right fit for the types of businesses and stages of business development founders were in.

We needed to build something better. A more dynamic, customized tool that ESOs could truly own, and entrepreneurs could actually use.

What I Did

Utilizing the feedback we received from over a hundred ESOs and entrepreneur users, I led the redevelopment effort to evolve, fund, create, and launch the Support Navigator as a standalone, embeddable tool.

Project Management

  • Created and ran a robust customer discovery cycle including segments of both end users (ESOs and entrepreneurs)

  • Oversaw development timelines and testing cycles, including accessibility reviews and stakeholder feedback sessions

  • Created documentation and training tools for partner use

Product Strategy and Development

  • Solved the largest ESO issue by building as an advanced iframe, embeddable in each ESO’s website

  • For the entrepreneurs, we designed a dynamic question flow that guided them to the right resources based on business stage, industry, and specific needs

  • Improved UI/UX for both desktop and mobile use, focusing on clarity and ease

Customization and Partnership Enablement

  • Created an admin functionality for each ESO to ensure they had access to their user data without exposing user data from other ESO sites

  • Made the Navigator semi-customizable so ESOs could add their own branding, including colors and logos to better fit their websites

  • Shared search data with ESOs to help them better understand what local entrepreneurs were looking for

  • Provided onboarding and implementation support for partner organizations

The Results

  • Embedded on 25+ partner websites

  • Significantly improved entrepreneur engagement and satisfaction with resource discovery

  • Gave ESOs access to valuable data without asking entrepreneurs to leave their site

  • Recognized by funders and regional leaders as a model for scalable digital tools

Stephanie Kissel
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