Relate Research and Technology
Relate
Taking an AI meeting intelligence platform from proof of concept to market launch in six months
I ran the full product lifecycle from discovery through to launch readiness, wearing multiple hats: facilitating workshops with founders and investors, managing sprint ceremonies and Jira workflows, defining user archetypes and product strategy, leading user research, developing the subscription model, directing website IA and messaging, and coordinating with a contracted offshore development team.
I provided design oversight and direction to two designers (one US-based, one Malaysia-based) while staying hands-on with research, strategy, and stakeholder management. With the team and stakeholders spanning four countries, I structured all ceremonies and communication rhythms to work across time zones.
6 months
Proof of concept to market launch
84%
IA task success (up from 72%)
4.7/5
G2 rating
The problem
Relate is an AI-powered meeting intelligence platform that measures trust-building behaviours in real time, powered by Sandi, an emotionally aware AI coach. The underlying technology worked, analysing meetings against the Trust Equation from Trusted Advisor Associates. But there was no production-ready product.
When we started, Relate had a rough proof-of-concept platform riddled with issues, a basic website, and disconnected touchpoints that felt like different products. There was no design system, no consistent visual language, and no scalable architecture. The founders needed a market-ready platform and website to secure their next round of investment.
The brief: Build Relate's platform and website from the ground up, from discovery through to launch, delivering a product that could attract users, demonstrate commercial viability, and support the next round of fundraising.
Research and discovery
I led an immersion phase reviewing Relate's existing artefacts, then ran a competitor experience audit across 11 meeting intelligence tools and a detailed audit of Relate's own touchpoints. I facilitated three discovery workshops with founders, stakeholders, and investors across technology, financial services, and recruitment sectors.
The workshops produced a structured JTBD register, from which I distilled four user archetypes. The Dealmaker and The Growth Coach became the primary focus for MVP:
- Trust measurement was the differentiator, not transcription. Every competitor led with note-taking. None measured how meetings landed emotionally. Relate's value was in the Sandi analysis layer.
- Dashboards were the enterprise unlock. Individual coaching attracted early adopters, but organisation-level benchmarking across teams was what would drive enterprise adoption and justify higher pricing.
- The brand was holding the product back. Most competitors looked generic. Relate had an opportunity to stand apart, but only with a cohesive brand across all touchpoints.
